CCCWC November 2020 competition results
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62 clues entered. 51 votes cast (45 competitors, 6 others).
SUBMARINE
A fairly close run competition this month with John Tozer keeping his nose in front to notch his third win of the year. A clue that very neatly referenced that crossword chestnut of 'number' to mean anaesthetic. Well done John.
Second spot goes to Neil Mondal – essentially using the same anagram, but a cleverly disguised definition. Neil's second podium of this year.
Teyrnon appears to have hit a bit of form with his second top 5 finish in a row – some may flinch at the bracketing, but a very neat &lit nonetheless.
John Doylend is just squeezed out into 4th place with a clue take raised a titter – very 'Carry On', matron! John's first podium since last year.
The final placing went to Thejaswi Udupa – first time entrant and hits the top 5 straight away, well done indeed! Thejaswi managed to find an unusual way to define the clue word.
Well done to all, many thanks and onwards to that Christmas anagram!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | John Tozer | Cryptically a ‘number’ is something you take to go under | anag.; number = anaesthetic in clues | 54.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | 54 | Neil Mondal | "Under the Sea" is a number that's lively | "Under the Sea" = definition, (ISANUMBER)* [song from The Little Mermaid] | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 14 | Teyrnon Powell | Craft (remains principally under briny) | *(REMAINS U B) & lit. | 40.5 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 34 | John Doylend | "Nurse," I am beginning to blush – "trouble down below" (9) | anagram (trouble) of NURSE I AM B | 40 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | 19 | Thejaswi Udupa | Distraught man buries poor boy (9) | (man buries)* with distraught as anagrind. Poor boy, is a sandwich similar to the submarine, and hence acts as definition. | 38 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | 43 | Satyen Nabar | Sandwich in bar menu is fantastic | (BARMENUIS)*, defn= sandwich | 37.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 35 | Don Manley | One having to go under for operation is put out with a 'number' | anag. | 35 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 22 | Steve Randall | Fan base in Trump case disappearing – it needs to be watertight | anag (fan) of BASE IN [t]RUM[p] | 25.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 4 | Terry Neale | American sandwich bar's menu is revamped with a bit of imagination | American sandwich = def; bar's menu = anagram fodder; is revamped = anagrind; with a bit of imagination = add 'i' to anagram fodder mix | 22.5 | 4 | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Jessica Merchant | Arnie's bum cracks one that's plausibly deep in sound (9) | ARNIESBUM* (cracks). Sound as in strait. | 21.5 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | 38 | Reactionary bus sabotaging Remain; it plumbs the depths | Reactionary bus = SUB sabotaging Remain = MARINE it plumbs… = def | 19.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 12 | 61 | With US backing Biden as leader, airmen prepared craft | SU-B + *MARINE | 18.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 13 | 24 | Fancy bar's menu containing one sandwich | (BARSMENU)* around I | 17.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 13 | 29 | King-sized sandwich is ordered with bar menu | (IS + BAR MENU)* | 17.5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 15 | 53 | Uber's main worry, it's often submerged in conflict. | Uber's main (anag) | 17 | 1 | 1 | |
| 16 | 20 | Drowned man with bruise that's suspicious | anagram of man + bruise = drowned | 16.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 17 | 28 | Is a number scrawled on the bottom? | *IS A NUMBER; def. on the bottom? | 16 | 1 | 3 | |
| 18 | 11 | Bus returned with drunken airmen found in boat | Bus returned = sub + airmen* (drunken = anag ind) = boat (def) | 15.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 18 | 31 | Moves about evenly, remains underwater (9) | Moves = anagrind, about evenly = BU = fodder, remains = fodder , Anagram of BUREMAINS, underwater = def | 15.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 20 | 50 | Substitute Little Mermaid’s core number with new arrangement of ‘Under the Sea’ | Substitute little = SUB. Anagram fodder = mERMAId + N. Anagram indicator = with new arrangement. Definition = under the sea. Reference to song from the little mermaid film. | 15 | 3 | 2 | |
| 21 | 10 | Bum sarnie? | ? both indicates anagram and a suggestion of doubt. Some people I believe like them. | 14.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 22 | 30 | Lend cash to sailor for a sandwich | SUB MARINE | 13.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 22 | 32 | Mr. Bean is jumping around U-boat (9) | MRBEANIS* around U; Def: BOAT | 13.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 22 | 48 | Starr ship? | Referencing Ringo Starr, Beatle vocalist for “Yellow submarine” | 13.5 | 2 | ||
| 25 | 51 | Tambourines played, but not to Boaty McBoatface? | Anagram of TAMBOURINES minus TO. Boaty McBoatface is an autonomous submarine carried by RRS Sir David Attenborough. | 11.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 26 | 45 | Sarnie: slices of meat upon baguette, perhaps! (9) | anag (SARNIE + M,U,B) &lit – submarine sandwich is the shape of a baguette | 10 | 1 | ||
| 27 | 46 | Semi-urban ground is underwater. | (semiurban)* [ground=ground up] | 9.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 28 | 44 | Sandwich, the centre of unfamiliar urban sprawl in Kent (9) | Sandwich = def | S{([unfa]MI[liar]+URBAN)*sprawl}E | (Kent=SE) | 8.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 29 | 47 | Spurn nameless spread lacking fish content for sandwich | s(n)ub mar(gar)ine; | 7 | 1 | ||
| 29 | 56 | Vehicle going up, starting to rise in the sea close to surface (9) | Definition: &lit. BUS (vehicle)<<< + R in MAIN (the sea) + E (surfac E) | 7 | 0 | ||
| 31 | 52 | Uber mains mishandled… delivering a sandwich instead! | Anagram | 6.5 | 1 | ||
| 32 | 2 | A vehicle's turned over by a soldier operating under the surface | Bus (reversed) + marine (=soldier)/def. ("operating under the surface"). | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 32 | 40 | Reversing, I hit people carrier, fine’s half a sandwich | Reversing I RAM BUS, (fi)NE; definition – a sandwich | 6 | 0 | 2 | |
| 34 | 6 | Bar menu is a mess, but might include this. | Anag BARMENUIS, ref submarine sandwich. | 5.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 35 | 49 | Strategically placed mines bar onset of U-boats? Just one | Anag of MINES + BAR + U (onset (start) of U-boats); just one (U-boat) = submarine | 5 | 0 | ||
| 36 | 23 | Fancy bar menu is made for chugging through the drink! | Anagram of 'bar menu is'; perhaps submarines don't exactly chug but I couldn't resist the verb's helpful double meaning. | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| 36 | 41 | Sandwich bar in use worried about botulism, ultimately | (botulis)m in anag of bar in use | 4 | 2 | ||
| 38 | 7 | Bats' bums are in sandwich | *bum are in Bats = anagrind Sandwich =def | 3.5 | 0 | ||
| 39 | 21 | Exchange blue shade for yellow outfit in tune with green surroundings | sub + marine. Ref the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine in “a sea of green”. Outfit as in travelling party. | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 40 | 8 | Biden's accepted Trump essentially ignoring Democratic representation as inferior in the main | [BIDENS/A/(t)RUM(p) – D]* [inferior in the main = under the sea] | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 40 | 13 | Correct article misrepresenting Remain constituents in Sandwich ? (9) | Correct article = sub (subedit) , misrepresenting…constituents = anagrind , Remain = anagram fodder + definition ( a long sandwich) | 2.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 40 | 18 | Dispersed sunbeam initially refracted inside drink? | SUNBEAM R(etarded) I(nside)* drink is slang for sea | 2.5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 40 | 37 | Overturned vehicle with a miner in critical condition found under the sea (9) | Vehicle- bus Reversal indicator- overturned = sub, a miner anagrammed, found under the sea – def | 2.5 | 1 | ||
| 44 | 1 | A jolly on returning plane sometimes provides a sandwich | jolly = marine, plane sometimes = bus, coming back, reverse = sub. Submarine is type of sandwich | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 44 | 3 | Airbus men scrambled in underwater operations ( 9 ) | Anagram= "Airbus men", def= “underwater operations” | 2 | 0 | ||
| 44 | 15 | Crazy semiurban or French soldier supplemented with energy first took a bus back to board this? | Double hint: Crazy (anagram of) semiurban to board this? (SUBMARINE) or French soldier (MARIN) supplemented with energy (E) first took a bus back (SUB before MARIN and E) to board this? (SUBMARINE) | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | 17 | Detailed attack brought back soldiers sheltering in vessel | AMBUS(H) reversed – soldiers = RE containing IN from clue. Vessel = definition | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 44 | 25 | Heartless sardine starts to unclothe beautiful mermaid consumed below the waves (9) | s/ubm/ar(d)ine | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 44 | 57 | Vessel moving in sea with black rum (9) | Direct: Vessel. Indirect: Anagram of IN SEA B(lack) RUM indicated by moving. | 2 | 2 | ||
| 50 | 9 | Boat. Drive coach back in English | BOAT (Def) Drive coach (RAMBUS) back In E | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 50 | 39 | Replace fat-free fish with a sandwich (9) | The answer is a sandwich sold at Subway branches. replace = SUB; fat = MARGARINE; free fish = remove GAR | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 50 | 58 | Waves goodbye? Only when she’s low or going to bed | Boats etc. are feminine. | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 53 | 12 | Busier man surfaces victorious | Busier man surfaces (Anagrind and double meaning) victorious (current U.K. Vanguard-class submarine) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 53 | 26 | Hero backing unbound genie; together, go at limitless abuse | gENIe+RAM+aBUSe (full rev.) together, go at = goat | 0 | 0 | ||
| 53 | 27 | In Subway menu primarily, what could be a sandwich! | SUB(subway) M(menu primarily) ARE(a=are) outside IN; &lit | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 53 | 33 | Nimbus are rendering ship unseen | (nimbus are)*, rendering as nounal anagrind | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 53 | 36 | One may launch a fish sandwich. | Submarine is sandwich fish is a torpedo. | 0 | 0 | ||
| 53 | 42 | Sandwich function holds rumba dance | SINE(function) incl *RUMBA; Sandwich, town in Kent, and def; function=social gathering | 0 | 0 | ||
| 53 | 55 | Upper-class boy overwhelmed by dreadful seminar—poor boy! (9) | Definition: poor boy (the sandwich). (U {upper-class) B {boy}) in {… overwhelmed by …} SEMINAR* {dreadful …}. | 0 | 2 | ||
| 53 | 59 | When this elasticated top minus bra makes nipples stick out. | Def: When this, ie when underwater, (adj) E + MINUS BRA makes* nipples stick out. | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 53 | 60 | Where to find the special feature of a French letter? Sounds like we need a hero | Under C hom.,referring to a cedilla | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 53 | 62 | Without most of the absinthe and rum mixed in the drink | RUM + ABSIN(TH)E & lit | 0 | 1 | 2 |