CCCWC October 2022 competition results
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58 clues entered. 43 votes cast (39 competitors, 4 others).
HOOVER
This was one of the closest competitions I can remember. By a mere half a point Jane Fitzpatrick wins out with a clue making an oblique reference to the other Hoover! Congratulations to Jane who has achieved a podium before, but this is her first victory!
The unlucky second placer was John Hood with his third podium of the year, a clue that deflected away from the vacuum in question – well done John!
Charlie Oakley was just a single point behind in third – a simple but effective hidden secured his first podium of the year.
Vinod continued his successful year – a third podium so far – just three points further back. Although it was hard to read the clue without seeing the initial letters indicator, the use of leads for bullets was neat!
Taking the final spot was The Don with a typically neat and concise &lit – second podium of the year for Mr Manley.
Thanks as always to everyone for your continued efforts – now on to the next challenge!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Jane Fitzpatrick | Vacuum behind the old bureau | J Edgar Hoover controlled the mid 20th century FBI | 31 | 5 | |
| 2 | 4 | John Hood | Beginning to orbit, float around in a vacuum | O(rbit) with HOVER (=float) around | 30.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | 16 | Charlie Oakley | Former president from Lesotho overthrown | Hidden word. Former President – definition. | 29.5 | 6 | 1 |
| 4 | 29 | Vinod Raman | Leads from Harvey Oswald finished an American president (6) | In the surface, "Leads" means bullets. In the cryptic reading, "Leads" means the 1st letters of Harvey OSwald. Leads from Harvey Oswald: HO, finished: OVER, def: an American president | 26.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | 54 | Don Manley | What gets house done? | ho.+over &lit. | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 23 | John Doylend | House done with this? | House = HO; Done = OVER | 25.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 34 | Todd Konkel | Oh? As a cryptic clue, this sucks | As a cryptic clue for OH, HOOVER is poor ("sucks") for two reasons: 1) It consists only of wordplay, no definition; 2) The wordplay is problematic for those who object to such "lift and separate" clues (vice HO OVER). Also ref the action of a Hoover (and, in a potentially meta way, some voters' opinion of this contest entry!). | 24.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | 42 | Steve Ball | Suck tip of organ poking through fly | O(rgan) in HOVER | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 17 | Phil Stephenson | He once eradicated organized vice rings, their leaders getting busted | Anag. of first letters & lit.; ref. J. Edgar H, FBI. | 19.5 | 3 | |
| 10 | 15 | Luciano Ward | Former president Bush finally starts to oppose Obama's very erratic reforms | H (last letter) + OOVER (first letters); def refers to (Herbert) Hoover | 19 | 2 | |
| 11 | 3 | Arrested by macho, overbearing former FBI director | Hidden | 18.5 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 32 | Maybe I'm a sucker, however, you and I left for love | HOWEVER with WE (you and I) replaced by O (love). | 17 | 2 | 1 | |
| 13 | 26 | I'm a sucker for a bit of smut? | cd | 16 | 1 | ||
| 14 | 6 | Cleaner's put deliveries next to house | HO[use] + OVER (deliveries in cricket) | 14.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 15 | 40 | Regularly have vacuous entertainer hosting Oscars – this one sucks | H[a]V[e] E[ntertaine]R hosting OO | 14 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 50 | U-turning minister follows her only option — primarily to clean house | U-turning minister = REV > VER [Reverend] follows H(er) O(nly) O(ption) [primarily] > HOO+VER / Def = to clean house (for surface, to remove inefficiency (or as it happens, since writing the clue, to remove herself) from government) | 13.5 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 12 | Eat quickly: nothing to hesitate about! | 0 in hover -> hoover | 13 | 3 | 1 | |
| 18 | 13 | Expression of surprise about balls being cleaner | HO = expression of surprise about (Oh! reversed) Balls = over Cleaner = def | 12.5 | 1 | ||
| 19 | 18 | Heartily shook every clean rug (6) | def: clean rug, word-play: s(hoo)k e(ver)y, heartily: indicator to subtract outside letters | 12 | 3 | 1 | |
| 19 | 19 | His Oval Office victory extended Republican primacy | Initial letters, &lit | 12 | 2 | 2 | |
| 19 | 43 | Sucker once in charge of The White House | DD with the second referring to Herbert Hoover | 12 | 2 | ||
| 22 | 36 | Oh, this sucks! | Oh = HO over; this sucks = def | 11.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 22 | 53 | What cleans house throughout | what cleans=def. house=HO, throughout=OVER; &lit. | 11.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 24 | 37 | One of the US presidents who have spoken with the late queen | Homophone (spoken) of “Who’ve”, plus ER | 10 | 2 | ||
| 25 | 39 | Oxygen lines remain suspended in vacuum | O inside HOVER; def: vacuum | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 | 44 | Sucking oxygen, remain suspended in vacuum (6) | HOVER (remain suspended) around (sucking). Def: Vacuum | 9.5 | 1 | ||
| 25 | 57 | Who overruled inspiring president? (6) | telescopic clue. Inspiring is container indicator | 9.5 | 0 | ||
| 28 | 10 | Damn early closing… it sucks! | Double definition; Damn minus 'n' (early closing) = Dam (ie Hoover Dam); it sucks = Hoover | 9 | 1 | ||
| 28 | 48 | This clue sucks! | It “behoovers” me to say no more! | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
| 30 | 31 | Little house across dam | HO + OVER | 8.5 | 2 | ||
| 31 | 21 | Hot love's done with. It sucks! | H + O (love) + OVER (done with) It sucks = definition | 7 | 3 | ||
| 32 | 22 | 'House' cancelled — it sucks! | [ho. + OVER]; ref. TV show 'House' | 6.5 | 2 | ||
| 32 | 45 | Suppressing love? Hang about, that sucks! | Containing O is HOVER (hang about); def = that sucks! | 6.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 34 | 9 | Dam water's chemically most ideal (6) | Dam = definition, water's chemically = H2O = HOO + most ideal = VER (-y)(6) | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 34 | 14 | FBI leader suggests remedy for dust-bunnies | Double meaning (FBI leader (ie J. Edgar Hoover); remedy for dust bunnies = vacuum cleaner (Hoover). | 6 | 0 | ||
| 34 | 25 | I weed around lavatory regularly, that’s upset cleaner (6) | HOER (I weed) around OV (regular letters in laVatOry, upset) | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 34 | 35 | Oh dam! | Oh = HO reversed = HO OVER / dam = definition | 6 | 0 | ||
| 34 | 49 | This Herbert's a sucker! | Ref. Herbert Hoover, US president. A vacuum cleaner sucks. Also Herbert and sucker can both be derogatory terms, minor distraction. | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 39 | 2 | After losing, at first Trump really would overthrow new president | Anag OVERTHROW-TRW, anagrind=new. Def: president (Herbert Hoover). | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| 39 | 5 | Cleaner house once one’s vacuumed every room primarily | Cleaner = definition; initial letters of House Once One’s Vacuumed Every Room; &lit | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| 39 | 24 | Husband loves brief action.. in a word: sucker ! (6) | H: Husband OO: loves Brief: last letter deletion indicator Action in a word: Ver(b) Definition: Hoover | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 39 | 52 | What a sucker to be seen with you-know-who over the road | Answer within | 4 | 3 | ||
| 39 | 58 | "You've lost nothing – it's water over the dam" | HOO + oVER (H2O = water) | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| 44 | 30 | Liberal left Democrat ultimately wins out, F. D. Roosevelt is placed in order after H. ——— | H + FDROOSEVELT* (placed in order) – LEFTDS* (anagrind is liberal; D = Democrat, S = ultimately wins; out subtraction indicator). &Lit. (Ref. H. Hoover & FDR) | 3 | 1 | ||
| 44 | 56 | Who doesn't start across the dam? | (W)HO + OVER/across; & lit | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 46 | 38 | One that sucks up to an old president | Double definition [Kamala Harris perhaps] | 2.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 47 | 11 | Damn! Sounds like the president is here. | Herbert Hoover, former US President. Hoover Dam (sounds like damn) | 2 | 1 | ||
| 48 | 20 | Homo, not married, and very short (6) | HO(-m)O+VERy (J Edgar Hoover). &lit. (No offence to the gay community.) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 48 | 55 | Who , by all accounts , backing revolution , becomes President (6) | Who + by all accounts (homophone indicator)= Hoo , backing = Reversal indicator , rev = ver , becomes = results in + definition | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 50 | 47 | The Who overreact when their inner secrets are disclosed. Just suck it up! | The letters of the answer are contained (indicated by "inner secrets") in the clue – The wHO OVERreact . . . "Suck it up" = Hoover | 0.5 | 2 | ||
| 51 | 1 | A sucker who overpaid for the patent muttered, “Damn”! | A sucker (vaccuum/suction cleaner – Def) who overpaid (W[illiam]Hoover paid) for the patent muttered, (homophone ind) “Damn”! – dam on the Colorado River (Double def.) William Hoover purchased James Spangler’s patent for an electric suction sweeper, which became the Hoover vaccuum cleaner | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 51 | 7 | Come over, oh it sounds like misery ( 6 ) | anagram, over oh and play on misery for Missouri | 0 | 0 | ||
| 51 | 8 | Dam preceded and followed by Boulder? | Definition HOOVER (dam) named after President Herbert Hoover was completed in 1936, renamed BOULDER during Roosevelt administration and earlier name restored in 1947 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 51 | 27 | I'm disappointed by wordplay that sucks | Answer as wordplay for oh (HO over). | 0 | 1 | ||
| 51 | 28 | Ingenious way to suck eggs in contest with transfixed grandmother? (6) | "ingenious way to suck" = def; "eggs" = OO; "in contest with" = versus = V; "transfixed" = has been inserted into; "grandmother?" = HER; OO,V inside HER (surface reference to "teaching grandmother to suck eggs" expression) | 0 | 3 | ||
| 51 | 33 | My over over over Over over no-ball—suck it up! | HO ("My over", i.e. OH reversed), above ("over") O ("over"), above ("Over") VER ("over no-ball", i.e. OVER without O). Surface meaning of the wordplay is "My series of six balls is at an end above a Cambridgeshire village on account of a disallowed delivery". | 0 | 2 | ||
| 51 | 41 | Remove traces of cookies from such as have, um, performed on YouTube | Definition is "Remove traces of cookies from". "Performed on YouTube" is a homophony indicator for "such as have, um" ("who've, er"). | 0 | 1 | ||
| 51 | 46 | Tap dancer with new heart sounding like old vacuum cleaner | ho(of)er to ho(ov)er | 0 | 0 |