CCCWC September 2021 competition results
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64 clues entered. 48 votes cast (42 competitors, 6 others).
CICERONE
A tricky word to clue resulted in a very close-run competition. Just edging into first place is Tom Borland, his second win of the year which also puts him into first place in the annual competition (also a close-run thing!). Well done to Tom.
Second spot, just a point and a half behind, is Steve Randall, his 3rd podium of the year, with a very similar wordplay to the winner that he incorporated into and &lit.
Back in 3rd, Simon Griew continued his recent run of form, employing the good old "on vacation" in his fine effort.
Richard Saunders returns to his form of early 2021 to snatch 4th spot, with a nicely disguised definition and keeps the pressure on for that annual prize as we enter the final few furlongs.
Finally in fifth place is another returning to his early season form – Steve Hicks grabs his third podium of the year with a rather sneaky definition in his clue. Steve is also one of those jostling for the 2021 overall honours.
Thanks to all entrants and judges as ever for keeping the competition healthy and good luck with YO-YO!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Tom Borland | Expert guide deployed on recce round island | I (island) in *ON RECCE; def. Expert guide | 39 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 56 | Steve Randall | Source of information on recce trips? | I+ON+RECCE* &lit | 37.5 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 15 | Simon Griew | Escort used when touring Nice or Crete on vacation? (8) | (NICE OR C[ret]E)*; when touring = anagrind; semi &lit | 35 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 55 | Richard Saunders | Sort of religious instruction once found in church guide | RI ONCE * in CE. Definition: guide | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | 3 | Steve Hicks | A shower around noon regularly interrupted recce I organised | Def: A shower around (i.e. someone who shows people around). nOoN inside anag(RECCE I). recce=reconnaissance (military slang) | 29 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | 45 | Satyen Nabar | Nice core exercises in guide | (NICECORE)* | 26 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | 50 | Vinod Raman | Perhaps concierge's no good as a guide (8) | CONCIERGE* minus G, def:GUIDE | 21.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | Alastair Gerrard | 100-1 shot? Encore! She'll be leading the Tour (8) | C (100) + I (1) + ENCORE* anagrind = shot (=ruined/exhausted). Definition = "She'll be leading the Tour". Ref: WTA Tour and Emma Raducanu's unlikely US Open win | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | 21 | Adam Vellender | Guide hag around rocks (8) | CRONE around ICE (diamonds=rocks) | 20.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 58 | Joe Rees | Tour Guide 101: on vacation choose right one (8) | "tour guide"; 101=CI; on vacation choose=CE; right=R; one=ONE | 20.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 11 | 40 | In Arctic ice, Ron encountered a guide (8) | Hidden word, def = a guide | 19.5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 12 | 53 | Shower of diamonds filling bag | Shower = def; of = link(as in composed of); diamonds filling bag = ICE inside CRONE | 19 | 3 | 1 | |
| 13 | 59 | Tour guide can become egocentric when plied with gin and tonic | plied = anagram indicator; gin and tonic = G and T; word for tour guide + G + T anagram to EGOCENTRIC; answer = *[e(G)ocen(T)ric] | 18.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 14 | 7 | Busy concierge ignores Girl Guide (8) | Anagram (busy) of CONCIERGE – G (girl). Def : Gude | 18 | 2 | 4 | |
| 14 | 25 | Guide old woman over frozen water (8) | Guide- def , old woman – crone around ice (frozen water) | 18 | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 | 4 | "At the Prado, none may enter theatre," he informs the tourists | CI(CERO)NE [Sp. "none" and "theatre"] | 17 | 2 | 6 | |
| 16 | 62 | Tourists’ leader on 101 scores four from bouncer and a single | CI + (boun)cer + one; ref. Test cricket; score = delete | 17 | 0 | 2 | |
| 18 | 9 | Conductor ruined concert (i.e., out of time) | Anagram ("ruined") of CONCERT I.E. without T (as in "to run out of time"). "Conductor" is definition. | 16.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 18 | 52 | Shower curtain’s opening with hero getting top slashed in cinema (but not the mother!) | C(urtain) + (h)ERO in CINE(ma). Shower = someone who shows. Surface is plot summary of Hitchcock’s Psycho (apologies for spoilers) | 16.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 20 | 42 | Lithuania omitted from dodgy electronic guide | Dodgy = anagrind. ELECTRONIC – LT = Fodder. Guide = definition | 14.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 21 | 12 | Courier once directing our outing | [C(our)ier once]* &lit. | 14 | 1 | 4 | |
| 22 | 33 | Guide’s upset: No ice cream till morning sadly | (NO ICE CRE)* GUIDE = def | 12.5 | 1 | 6 | |
| 23 | 5 | Bamboozled concierge loses a thousand dollars to tourist guide. | (CONCIERGE)* – G | 11.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 23 | 19 | Guide disturbed cornice near summit of Everest | (CORNICE)* + E | 11.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 23 | 61 | Tourist guide takes old woman around reserve (8) | Tourist guide = C(ICE)RONE, old woman = CRONE, reserve = ICE (coolness of manner, Chambers) | 11.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 26 | 20 | Guide divers on island recce | divers = anagram indicator, (ONIRECCE)* | 11 | 1 | 5 | |
| 27 | 30 | Guide wandering close to the cornice | Direct: guide. Wordplay: [E (close to thE) + CORNICE]* indicated by wandering | 10 | 1 | 2 | |
| 28 | 14 | Erotic acting, it's ignored in film guide | [EROTIC* = CEROit – it] in CINE [film] | 9 | 1 | 2 | |
| 29 | 35 | He might point to an exotic cornice (8) | Anag. semi &lit. CORNICE*+E(point) | 8 | 1 | 3 | |
| 29 | 49 | One with concrete plans, taking out tourists primarily (8) | & lit: One with concrete plans = (I+CONCRETE)*, taking out tourists primarily = -T i.e. ICONCRE(-T)E* | 8 | 0 | 2 | |
| 29 | 60 | Tour guide’s drugs in old bag | ICE in CRONE | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
| 32 | 36 | How to serve gelato right? Here's a guide | ICE (a portion of ice-cream) + R in CONE | 7.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 33 | 22 | Guide ice cream’s second portion into cornet | C{ICE+[c]R[eam]}ONE. cream's second portion=R; cornet=CONE | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 33 | 34 | Having seen off guests early on, versatile concierge becomes what? | Anagram of CONCIERGE minus G(uests); implied definition | 6.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 35 | 26 | Guide old woman without coat | C(ICE)RONE. | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | 29 | Guide to really cool stuff found in old bag (8) | Guide =definition To really cool stuff = ICE (v) Contained in Old bag = CRONE | 5.5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 37 | 47 | Old woman eating gelato is a tour guide (8) | C{ICE}RONE / tour guide = def | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 37 | 64 | Tully, the Roman docent | Tully = Marcus Tullius CICERO, docent (def) | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 39 | 51 | Religious painting in church, capturing our first lady, gets a knowledgeable guide | Religious painting in church = icon inside CE (church); capturing = containment indicator; our first lady = ER ('first lady' in UK); gets = link word to def; a knowledgeable guide = def. | 4.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 40 | 28 | Guide shows club round church in central Gloucester | Club=Iron round C.E. all inside [Glou] CE [ster]. C(I(C.E.)ron)E | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| 40 | 46 | Old woman collecting money for guide (8) | Old woman = crone , collecting = insertion indicator, lolly = ice ,C(ice)rone + definition | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 40 | 63 | Travelling circle getting left abandoned needs one? | anag less L + one & lit | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| 43 | 27 | Guide rice once mashed | Anagram of rice once | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 44 | 32 | Guide's diamonds concealed by old woman | Def=Guide; diamonds=Ice; old woman= Crone; Ice hidden in Crone = C ice rone | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | 37 | I knew where to find the local places where rice once was cultivated (8) | Anagram of RICEONCE | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 46 | 10 | Cone filled with ice cream (sans ground mace) for tour guide | CONE "filled with" ICE+cReam ("without ceam" – "ground mace") = CICERONE; definition is "tour guide" | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 46 | 31 | Guide wild rice into ice-cream container (8) | Guide – def, wild rice – ICER, into – insert into, ice-cream container – CONE C(ICER)ONE | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 46 | 48 | One circle assembled taking first of lectures from one making interesting points | *ONE+CIRCLE less L | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 49 | 6 | Big fish (term for chairman) in French company's to conduct guided tour | CERO + [chairma]N in CIE | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 49 | 17 | Guide at the Natural History Museum, perhaps dropping aitches: "Chic 'eron, eh?" | Definition is "Guide at the Natural History Museum, perhaps". Drop aitches from CHICERONEH. | 1.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 49 | 38 | Ice cream sandwiches in freezer for tour guide (8) | ice cream = CONE (defn 5 in chambers) around freezer = ICER (one who ices) | 1.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 52 | 2 | A guide for the beer sommelier? | Double def.: Cicerone as a guide who gives information about places of interest to sightseers and cicerone as a beer sommelier who works in the hospitality and alcoholic beverage industry as a specialist in the service and knowledge of beer | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 53 | 8 | Circe, transforming, required a guide | (CIRCE)* + ONE. Def. Guide. Ref. Sorceress Circe who transformed companions of Odysseus into swine | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 53 | 11 | Courier almost coerced during drug withdrawal breakdown | Anag of COERCEd (-d) + IN (durINg minus drug); Anagrind = breakdown; def = Courier (in the sense of travel guide) | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 53 | 13 | Eric playing cornet without show | Anagram ERIC, CONE around (“without”); show – definition (guide as verb) | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 53 | 18 | Guide captain in charge east, or back another direction | Guide = definition; captain = C, in charge = IC, E, or back = RO, another direction = NE | 0.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 53 | 44 | Museum guide at the entrance to gallery confused for concierge (8) | Museum guide: CICERONE (and definition) at the entrance to gallery: G confused: anagram indicator for concierge: anagram of CICERONE + G leads to CONCIERGE | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 58 | 23 | Guide in charge replacing leaders of hotels and parks (8) | Guide = definition (semi &lit) and also = CHAPERONE + IC – HAP (in charge replacing leaders of Hotels And Parks) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 | 24 | Guide in Rome could be Marcus Tullius? | CICERONE = CICERO? in Latin. MARCUS TULLIUS = CICERO. | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 58 | 39 | Ice-cream cone came awry, wrecking tourist's experience | ICE CREAM CONE minus letters of CAME anagram; & lit | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 | 41 | Incorrect guide or turgid one? | Incorrect + guide (or*) = turgid + cicerone | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 | 43 | Measure of type, not once a guide | CICERO + NE | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 58 | 54 | Soldier, Queen and I need guidance. | Soldier (CIC), Queen (ER), I (ONE) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 | 57 | Top Roman capital guide taking tour round centre of Trevi? | ice + R(ome) in con 4 + (Tr)e(vi) & lit. Ice/top = kill. Trevi = district of Rome | 0 | 0 | 1 |