CCCWC August 2021 competition results
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64 clues entered. 51 votes cast (46 competitors, 5 others).
BIBLIOMANIA
A victory for Mr Tozer this month – but it was a very close-run thing! John triumphed with a nice anagram that formed an entertaining surface story – congratulations on first win of this year!
Second spot, just 3.5 points behind, went to Robert Vere with another interesting anagram – first podium for Robert since 2014, so well done sir!
Third place went to a mystery entrant – looks like they are from down under – a cryptic definition secured the points here, for a third place a mere single point behind
Just a half a point then to Satyen who followed on his success of last month with a second podium in a row, achieving fourth place with another anagram – but a very different surface story!
Finally, hearty congrats to Mark Jordan, who scores a top 5 finish with only his third entry. Welcome to the upper echelons, Mark, a well-constructed composite anagram.
Thanks as always to all who make the effort to enter and vote – on to September!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | John Tozer | What draws crowds to the bookshop? A Miliband bio, oddly – Ed’s latest is out | anag. of a Miliban(d) bio; ref. former Labour leader | 47 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 22 | Robert Vere | I am in Bilbao madly collecting books | (I am in Bilbao)* | 43.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 34 | Marcus Taft | Lack of volume control? | "volume" = book | 42.5 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | 33 | Satyen Nabar | Italian bimbo lacks time to develop love of books | (ITALIANBIMBO – T)* | 42 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 13 | Mark Jordan | Condition a librarian embodies, eclipsing readers' passion for books | Anagram (indicated by 'condition') of 'a librarian embodies' minus 'readers'; defined by passion for books (and the clue as a whole) | 39.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 26 | Alastair Gerrard | "I'm anal, I love books" – one suffering ——— (11) | IMANALIOBBI* O=love; BB= books (in Chambers); I=one. Anal = "…having personality traits such as obsessiveness…" see Chambers. & Lit | 31.5 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | 35 | mark webberley | Liam, Bob and Iain developed a passion for collecting books | Anagram of Liam, Bob, Iain; anagrind: developed; definition: a passion for collecting books | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 27 | Sanket Anurag Shrivastava | I'm in a bio-lab cultivating a passion for bookworms (11) | Anagram of (iminabiolab) indicated by (cultivating), defined by (a passion for bookworms) | 22 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | 30 | Don Manley | In a lib. I am book mad — showing this, OK? | comp. anag. & lit., lib.=library | 21.5 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | 46 | S.Sreeni | Obsession with titles ? (11) | Cryptic definition. Titles = books (Collins) | 21.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 62 | When one's invested in books—a million pound squandered foolishly—one displays this? | I in BB + AMILLION anag (minus L (pound squandered)) + A (one); this = def by implication | 21 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 | 28 | I'm in Bilbao — travelling's a passion | anagram of IM IN BILBAO has A; 'passion'=definition | 20.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 13 | 23 | I am in Bilbao madly revealing passion for books | {I AM IN BILBAO}* | 20 | 2 | ||
| 13 | 56 | Terrible habit in a mobile – the obsession with texts (11) | Definition: obsession with texts Composite Anagram: (habit in a mobile)* = (the + BIBLIOMANIA)* | 20 | 3 | 5 | |
| 15 | 49 | Passion for collecting books – most of abominable ones trashed | [ABOMINABL(e) I I (ones)]* | 17.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 16 | 43 | No volume control? | Volume = book. | 16 | 4 | 2 | |
| 17 | 18 | Graduate has no alibi. "I'm involved in a craze for books" (11) | Graduate = BA has… in = containment indicator *NOALIBIIM (involved) Craze for books= def | 14.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | 2 | A bimbo ailing? No good getting upset. Could be annual fever. (11) | Anagram of A BIMBO AILIN (-G [no good]) ; Anagram indicator "getting upset" : definition "could be annual fever" referring to the type of book that is an annual. | 13.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | 29 | I'm in Bilboa madly embracing a passion for books (11) | anagram: "I'm in Bilboa + a" def: “ passion for books” | 13.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 20 | 4 | A worm’s love of leaves? | Cryptic definition | 13 | 2 | 2 | |
| 21 | 1 | A bi man bursting with libido, spurning Dee but desiring Emma and Maurice among others | A BI MAN + LIBIDO = fodder; bursting = anagrind; spurning Dee = remove D; desiring etc = definition | 9 | 1 | 3 | |
| 21 | 50 | Putting out squishy recliner, nice mobile librarian develops passion for books | Anagram of NICE MOBILE LIBRARIAN minus anagram of RECLINER | 9 | 1 | 3 | |
| 23 | 11 | Book love one librarian developed after giving up rights for first manuscript (11) | Semi-&lit (BOOK LOVE); DEVELOPED = anagrind; ([B]ook + [O] (love) + I (one) + LIBRARIAN – RR + M (giving up rights for first Manuscript) )* = anagram fodder | 8.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 23 | 17 | Good book edited by an Arab with a passion for the written word (11) | Good book edited =Bibl(e), by = next to, an Arab = iomani with a = add a + definition | 8.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 23 | 39 | MC leaves minicab with a mobile endlessly vibrating showing passion for texts | [(m)INI(c)AB/A/MOBIL(e)]* MC = Member of Congress/Council | 8.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 23 | 51 | Repeated book collecting in a mainly unending love I fancy! | B(I)B + (A MAINLy O I)*; BB=repeated 'book', IN=I, O=love; 'book collecting' 2 words, non-hyphenated, ref Collins; &lit | 8.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 23 | 59 | Volume control defect? | Cryptic def. | 8.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 28 | 31 | Indian wife inspiring liberal Arab, one showing extreme fondness for books (11) | Indirect: BIBI (Indian wife) taking in (inspiring) L (liberal) + OMANI (Arab) + A (one) to give BIB L I OMANI A. Direct: extreme fondness for books. | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
| 28 | 48 | One's gripped by books, I'm anal, I start to obsess suffering this! | I in bb. (I'm anal I o[bsess])* & lit. | 8 | 0 | 3 | |
| 28 | 64 | Without finishing guidebook to one Arab country, getting another one — a symptom of this, perhaps? | Guidebook = BIBL(E), one = I, Arab country = OMAN, (another) one = I, a = A. Definition: symptom of this, perhaps? | 8 | 1 | ||
| 31 | 52 | Rocky Balboa: I’m In Boxing in compulsive collection of autobiographies? | Anag(BALBOA IM IN) around i’ (“boxing in”), anagrind=Rocky. Def: compulsive collection of autobiographies? | 7.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 32 | 54 | Scramble for a Miliband bio, on date being released? | *A MILIBAN(D) BIO; &lit. | 6.5 | 3 | 4 | |
| 33 | 53 | Rocky Balboa in film regularly about one's love for Emma? | (BALBOA IN [f]I[l]M)* around I | 5.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 34 | 8 | Animal, hominid, regularly crazy with books | (ANIMAL + O-I-I + BB)* Defn = the situation described in the wordplay, hence &lit. | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 34 | 12 | Book one topless bimbo to dance with uninitiated Taliban (11) | Definition: Book ( Bibliomania, by Thomas Dibdin). Anagram: I(b)IMBO(t)ALIBAN*. Anagrind: to dance with Anagram indicator: Comic | 5 | 3 | 4 | |
| 34 | 14 | Cooked up alibi needed in a mob's raging lust for books | (alibi + in a mob)*; Anagrinds cooked up + (i)s raging; Def lust for books | 5 | 1 | ||
| 34 | 25 | If volume's turned up repeatedly, it might be a symptom of this | Cryptic def (surface deafness vs. e.g. Amazon book order deliveries) | 5 | 3 | ||
| 34 | 45 | Obsession of the Greeks with Phoenician papyrus | obsession (def) = Greek “mania”; Phoenicians exported papyrus to the Greeks which they called biblos, after the Phoenician port city. Greek biblos came to mean “book”. | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 | 47 | Obsession with titles means taking on unnecessary works! | Double CD | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 40 | 7 | 'Animal 101' books: "nuts used for persuasion of squirrels in fiction?" | definition: "persuasion of squirrels in fiction," squirrel = a person who hoards things; wordplay: [ANIMAL IOI BB]* (nuts) | 4.5 | 0 | ||
| 40 | 9 | Arab follows detailed Bible interpretation initially – a passion for books! (11) | OMANI ("Arab") comes after ("follows") BIBL ("detailed Bible"), then I ("interpretation initially") and A ("a…"). Definition is "passion for books" | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 40 | 32 | Interestingly, Namibia boils down, in the end, to a state of people obsessed with books | Anagrind='interestingly'; Fodder = NAMIBIABOILS-S (down, in the end); Definition = state of people obsessed with books | 4.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 40 | 55 | Shelves crammed? That speaks volumes for this obsession. | Cryptic. Volumes to suggest books. | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | 16 | "Destroy bio lab!" —I. Amin's book, Obsession | Definition is "book obsession". Anagram "bio lab I Amin". Reference is to Idi Amin. | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| 44 | 21 | Hence one into books and literature endlessly scouring nation's capital? | b(I)b + Lit + Romania (-t,-R) | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 46 | 15 | Crazy minion Ali Baba has not an ardour for books | Anagram (crazy) of MINION ALI BABA minus AN (has not an) gives BIBLIOMANIA (def. ardour for books) | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 46 | 38 | Man wearing apron stirring aioli is fancy for a librarian (11) | defn: 'fancy for a librarian'; (BIB + AIOLI*) around MAN | 3 | 1 | 3 | |
| 48 | 24 | "I love going after endless collection of books", man accepted following onset of intellectual condition | IO [I love] after BIBL(E) [collection of books] + MAN + (A [accepted] after I [onset of intellectual]) = condition (def.) & semi-&lit. | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 48 | 44 | Obsession involving Emma and Rebecca, perhaps | Cryptic definition. Emma and Rebecca are the famous books in this case. | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 48 | 58 | Those opening books in British Library expressing joy with this craze | BI(1st letters)+BL(British Library+IO(expressing joy)+MANIA(craze) (& lit) | 2.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 51 | 3 | A passion for undercover work resulting in many charges, … and sentences (11) | Undercover work = books; charges/sentences = DD | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 51 | 5 | Abridged holy book , primarily inspiring and old , a main cause for shelf-stacking? | Bibl(-e) abridged, I (primarily inspiring) O (old) (AMAIN)* SHELF STACKING -DEF | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 51 | 6 | Alibi in a mob cooking the books excessively | ALIBIINAMOB cooked; & lit | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 54 | 19 | Graduate’s extraordinarily glib — not good, I cry over humanity’s obsession with books | BIBLIOMANIA = obsession with books | Graduate = BA | extraordinarily glib, not good = IBL | I = I | cry = OI | humanity = MAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | 36 | Librarian's disease? | CD | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 54 | 37 | Main alibi boy detailed sadly leaves a lot to be desired | MAIN ALIBI BO[y]* – leaves as in book pages | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 54 | 40 | Mobile libraries abominated tidying van readers left in disorder. | Mobile* (LIBRARIES ABOMINATED), (T + READERS) left out = (def:) “DISORDER”. | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 54 | 42 | Netanyahu imbibes a litre, Arab pursues a jones for tomes. | ["NETANYAHU" = "BIBI"] envelopes ["A LITRE" = "L"] before ["ARAB" = "OMANI"] precedes in the sentence ("PURSUES") "A" to give ["JONES FOR TOMES" = "BIBLIOMANIA"]. | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | 57 | The object of such affection leaves, bound to be married (11) | Cryptic definition. 'Leaves, bound to be married' is a cryptic definition of a book, which is the object of the affection that is bibliomania | 1 | 1 | ||
| 54 | 63 | With dark rooms this might result in mirabilia mixed up with random books. | BIBLIOMANIA DARK ROOMS anag of MIRABILIA RANDOM BOOKS &lit. | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 61 | 10 | Being mad about books androgynous British rugby player takes old lady to Iowa (11) | Charade. mainly : BI B LION around MA – IA. NB Rugby player is "lion" on its own even though the team is the British (nowadays "and Irish") Lions so British is free (ie no double duty) to give B | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 62 | 20 | Hankering for storied treasures, Ali Baba's mission in disarray, not having a satisfactory small scout. | anagram of [ALI BABAS MISSION] minus [A, S, S and S] | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 62 | 41 | Must always turn up volume with this thing? | CD. Thing~mania. | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 62 | 61 | What’s one ensconced in books (extremely infatuated and anal, moi?) suffering? (11) | I in BB (books) (Chambers def) + anag. of (I (first letter of infatuated) + ANAL MOI), &lit | 0 | 0 | 1 |