The Crossword Centre Clue-Writing Competition

CCCWC February 2021 competition results

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67 clues entered. 53 votes cast (50 competitors, 3 others).


WETLANDS

Big congrats to Nathan Townshend! After a couple of podium finishes last year – his first year of competing – Nathan bags a first win with a simple anagram but moulded into a lovely deceptive surface reading!
 
To prove his "comeback" last month was no fluke, Richard just misses out in second spot with another clue that has a beautifully deceptive surface. Back with a bang Richard!
 
Pete Milne visits the podium for the first time since his last win in June 19, with a cheeky little clue – and let's be fair, we never can resist a bit of toilet humour, can we?!
 
Fourth spot went to Andy Smith who managed to construct a coherent first letters &lit – no mean feat for an eight letter word!
 
Finally, congratulations to Alastair Gerrard, who with what is only his second attempt in our competition, sneaks into 5th place with a comp. anag. &lit. Welcome to the podium, Alastair!
 
As ever, thanks to all for the continued support – on to breakfast now!

PosNo.NameClueExplanationPoints Merits 
119Nathan TownshendLads went crackers for broads in NorfolkLads went = fodder; crackers = anagrind; broads in Norfolk = def45.53  3  
225Richard SaundersLet out worthless London borough houses and flatsLet* in Wands(worth). "houses" containment indicator, "and" link word, "flat" (often in plural) an area of land covered by shallow water (Chambers)42.53  3  
310Pete MilneDigested stew and left to find a bogAnagram of STEW+AND+L39.52  1  
436Andy SmithPrimarily watery ecosystem that lets aquatic nature develop sustainablyInitial letters, &lit38.54  2  
52Alastair GerrardAre teal, swans and ducks primarily swimming in these areas?Comp. anag. + & lit. [ARE TEAL SWANS D(ucks)]* gives WETLANDS + AREAS. (N.B. Teal is plural as well as singular)362  3  
617Steve HicksIn front of square, openers for England, Tavaré and Luckhurst, caught by Rod MarshDef=Marsh. ETL (openers for…) inside WAND (Rod) in front of S (square) Ref. Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh.35.52  3  
759Simon GriewWasn’t delta possibly formed at these?comp anag (wasnt delta -> at wetlands) & lit (some wetlands are deltas)273  2  
831NickNewts and large bats found here.Newts and L = anagram fodder; Bats = anagram indicator; Whole clue = definition23.52  4  
842Tim AndersonSlough, unfit for human habitation? Let explosive sticks engulf it!(let)* in wands; sticks = bomb clusters; ref. Betjeman poem “Slough” "Come friendly bombs ….."23.52  4  
1033John AppletonOne year away from Walt Disney production in the Everglades? (8)I Y[ear] removed from (WALTDISNEY)*; def = "the Everglades?"21.53  3  
1157 Unusual newts lad found in marshy groundUnusual = anagrind; newts lad = anagram fodder; found in = link to def; marshy ground = def.20.52  1  
1265 Wide deltas formed around northern swampsW + DELTAS* around N204  2  
1354 The rain comes down in the Everglades, perhapsThe rain = WET (see Chambers) comes down = LANDS, the Everglades is an example of WETLANDS19.52  4  
1424 Laws tend to get broken in areas where one might get bogged down (8)Wordplay = anagram (indicated by 'to get broken') of (laws tend)*, definition = areas where one might get bogged down, connecting word = in {wordplay IN definition}192  2  
1427 Long sentence faces wanted criminal as result of breaking banks?anagram of L[ong] + S[entence] + WANTED192  3  
164 Area that's saturated with fancy dental surgeries, primarilyDef = Area that's saturated Wordplay = W (with) ETLAND (*dental) S (Surgeries's primary letter)17.53  3  
1767 You and I stand awkwardly, while overwhelming stillness essentially swamps… (8)Def: swamps. WE {You and I} STAND* {… awkwardly} around {… while overwhelming …} (-stil)L(-ness) {… essentially}.173  2  
181 A newt swimming across lake ends in waterlogged grass in such?L in anag.+ d,s & lit.153  1  
1915 Here, maybe, are stilts wanted, as bell bottoms getting frayed(WANTED + [a]S + [bel]L)*; "Stilts" refer to wading birds often found in Wetlands (rare in Britain).140  4  
1923 Laws tend to be broken resulting in quagmires (8)(laws tend)*, anagrind – to be broken, def – quagmires141  2  
2145 Soft lights for the bogs?Soft = wet, lights = lands, the bogs = definition by example121  4  
2160 W.C. FieldsW.C. = bog + fields = wetlands122  5  
2338 Review Delta-Northwest's settlements for frequent flyersReview = Anagram indicator. DELTANWS =fodder. Rest is cryptic definition, the frequent flyers being birds. The surface pertains to the merger of Northwest and Delta Airlines.113  2  
2443 Slough's teeming with retail stores at the centreWET/(retai)L S(tores) = L AND S at the centre; Slough is a town in SE England. Wetland(s) = slough, Collins Thesaurus.100  1  
2552 Swampy spots son underground, in pieces, after work excavating tunnel startsS under LAND (in pieces to indicate the word-split) after W+E+T. Down clue. Ref Swampy & son in the Euston HS2 tunnel protest.9.52  5  
2561 We start to trudge on the fringes of lakes and maybe surrounding areasWE + T + L AND S (fringes of L(ake)S; def = maybe surrounding areas (of lakes)9.52  3  
2740 Slough provoked wanderlust without hesitationslough=wetlands (def). (wanderlust — ur)*.90  3  
2826 let's wander without hesitancy about The Fens, maybe(letswand)* -er8.52  2  
2946 Soil and water forms with reduced air and oxygen (8)(SOILANDWATER – AIRO)* . WETLAND (as per Britannica), complex ecosystem characterized by flooding or saturation of the soil, which creates low-oxygen environments80  2  
2948 Suit trousers alien left in bogWANDS (suit in tarot) around ET + L80  1  
3141 Slough Town leads after shot out of nothing*T(O)WN LEADS; def. Slough; shot = blast, explosion; ref Slough Town FC7.54  3  
3234 Partners arrive in tedious, empty marshesWE (LAND in T(ediou)S); marshes = definition71  3  
3235 Places swamped with aliens, suffused with lightplaces swamped = def. With = W; aliens = ETs; suffused with = container indicator; light (in verb sense) = land72  3  
3455 Towels and missing old pants in bogsTWELS + AND6.50  2  
3464 Where one may find various newts with long and dark heads (8)Anag (various) NEWTS+ L,A,D, semi & lit – extended definition6.53  1  
363 Area man-free, a newt and salamander ground(a newt + salamander – area man)* = wetlands, ground = anagrind, comp. anag. & lit60  1  
365 Bawd (plus client) furiously abandoning foul public bogs (8)[BAWDPLUSCLIENT]* – [PUBLIC]*61  2  
3614 Goes round central Italy, skipping Venice area maybeanag. of (I)tal(y) in wends60  5  
3630 Nappy bags for the bogs perhapsWET(nappy, ie tipsy) LANDS(bags, ie secures). Def by example, wetlands being a generic term for various types of marshy land62  3  
3632 Old Rotarian moving south to Hackney?WESTLAND (Helicopters) = wetlands = Hackney Marshes62  3  
4121 Lads went wild – rush home(Lads went)*5.54  3  
4162 Wee soils bogsWee=wet; soils=lands; bogs=toilets and def5.52  2  
436 Bog roll empty: schoolchild initially nervous about leaving turd – grossreversal of: S(choolchil)D N(ervous) A(bout) L(eaving) T(urd) EW52  5  
4329 Moors in west country appropriated for developmentMoors (def); country = land + west, appropriated for development (*) = wetlands50  3  
4537 Primarily watery ecosystems that let aquatics (nothing dry) survive (8)&lit; Primarily = Indicator of first letters for W[atery] E[cosystems] T[hat] L[et] A[quatics] N[othing] D[ry] S[urvive]40  2  
4558 Urinate on ground, with son on bog (8)"Urinate on" = WET, "ground" = LAND, "with son on" = + S; bog = defn.40  2  
4563 What fairy godmothers wave around regularly deathly marshy areasWANDS around (d)E(a)T(h)L(y)40  3  
4839 Signs of authority permitted cycling within swampsLET cycling in WANDS31  2  
497 Bogs? Lads went out hereLADS WENT* , OUT = * , BOGS = def…21  4  
4911 Ecosystems, say, of watery enclosures, typically lavishing around nourishment; discovered so at the outsetWETLANDS (ecosystems, say,) of W(atery) E(nclosures), T(ypically) L(avishing) A(round) N(ourishment); D(iscovered) S(o) with use of first letters (at the outset)20  5  
4916 Home for dippers and left-leaning toriesDouble def23  3  
4918 Jim Prior wins in Slough (8)Jim Prior was a leading Tory "wet" during the Thatcher era. You can land a job – ie win one. BTW since 1997 Slough has been a safe Labour seat – prior to that (ie up to 1992) it was a safe Tory seat.22  4  
5328 Marshes where Tony regularly was led astray (8)Def = Marshes. Anagram of (T-N (tony regularly) + WAS LED), astray is the indicator1.50  2  
548 Broad to Stokes and Paddy fields (8)Broad = wetland + s(Stokes) + definition.13  4  
5412 Extremes of licentiousness lure conservative into the quagmire (8)WET (conservative) + L AND S (extreme letters). Lure suggests order10  3  
5450 Swamps regenerated last weekend, after letting out a cry of horror.Anagram of 'last weekend' minus 'eek'; definition = swamps10  3  
5720 Lads went off causing a slough (8)Wordplay [ladswent]* indicated by off. Definition slough (meaning a lack of progress in the surface reading)0.50  1  
5747 Staves headless Celt off inside Slough (8)A stave is a wooden rod; wordplay = WANDS, with (ELT)* inside; defn = slough (meaning marshland – note wetland/wetlands are equivalent per Chambers)0.50  2  
5751 Swamps where eco-warrior teams located and nurtured degraded streams initiallyDef = "Swamps", first letter ('initially') of each word thereafter0.51  3  
5753 Terrain in West damaged ecosystem.WET(land)S…..Terrain/Land…West(anag)0.50  3  
619 Del wants new pitch in Slough (8)Anagram of DEL WANTS. Indicator: NEW PITCH. Ref. Only Fools and Horses.04  2  
6113 Fields flooded with external light, east and west stand upper tiers are now dark suddenly (8)Definition = fields flooded. External light=LT. East and West= EW. Stand=reversal indicator. Upper tiers=first letters (Are Now Dark Suddenly)00  3  
6122 Laws tend perhaps to stop dumping in swampy area.Anagram introduced by “perhaps” for “Laws+tend”; definition, “swampy area”00  4  
6144 Slough’s where her discarded tin-opener is found by the sides of Ladbrokes (8)Slough’s – def. / where her discarded – W[her]E / tin-opener – T / is found by – link / the sides of Ladbrokes – L AND S00  4  
6149 Swamp new lads with model componentsanagram of 'new lads' plus 't' (from model)00  2  
6156 Unobserved, search a cathedral as Cardinal points out bogs (8)Subtractive anagram : CATHEDRALAS + NESW (Cardinal points) – (unobserved) SEARCH A Out = anagrind Bogs = definition02  4  
6166 Windblast direction not going both ways around swamp(WINDBLAST + E – BI)*; BI = Bisexual = "going both ways"00  1