CCCWC Christmas Special 2022 competition results
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37 clues entered. 36 votes cast (30 competitors, 6 others).
BULGE/HOMER (Right & Left)
I was impressed by the level of conciseness in a lot of the clues – often difficult to achieve in a R&L clue where the words have such disparate meanings – and perhaps consequently it was a very close contest!
We have one of our rare ties for first place, so congratulations to both Nathan and Vinod for their fine efforts! That's Nathan's second trip to the top podium this year – even though he had to share it this time. Vinod gains a fourth podium of the year with his rather fruity offering!
Steve Randall was just back in 3rd place with his third podium of the year.
Ilan Caron enters the CCCWC fray and a achieves a 4th spot with his first entry – well done Ilan!
Finally Sowmya squeezes onto the podium in 5th place – first top 5 finish for a while.
2022 Annual Result:
Despite a late run from Nathan Townsend, John Appleton just hangs on for the 2022 Annual Award – well done John! Amongst the ties for 5th place, a reminder that we are dearly missing the contributions of our site creator. Best wishes to John Tozer and here's to your continued recovery in 2023…Congratulations to all those below:
1st – John Appleton 15.5 pts
2nd – Nathan Townsend 14 pts
3rd – Seerat Hazir 13 pts
4th – Vinod Raman 11.5 pts
5th=- John Hood 9.5 pts
5th=- John Tozer 9.5 pts
5th=- Steve Hicks 9.5 pts
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Nathan Townshend | In Rwanda's capital, one taking flight from Kabul gets a hint of a new life | In = HOME; Rwanda's capital = R; one taking flight = HOMER // from = hidden indicator; Kabul gets = fodder; a hint of a new life = BULGE | 36 | 4 | |
| 1 | 20 | Vinod Raman | Legendary Greek chap more excited after hot girl applied lube around protuberance | HOMER – Def: Legendary Greek chap, MORE* after H BULGE – Def: protuberance, LUBE* around G | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 25 | Steve Randall | Poet in Reading Gaol, initially blue, turns out swell | HOMER(poet) = HOME (in) + R (Reading is one of the three R's) / BULGE(swell) = G[aol]+BLUE* (turns out) | 34 | 1 | |
| 4 | 13 | Ilan Caron | In Istanbul, Germans battle in river with Greek poet | bulge hidden and it's a battle / home=in,r=river and greek poet=homer | 29.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Sowmya Ramkumar | Kabul general suppressed project, shot author | Left: Def – Project, Hidden in kaBUL GEneral, Suppressed – Indicator Right: Double Definition. Homer – Author and the Shot (in baseball) | 26 | 0 | |
| 6 | 3 | John Hood | Bishop spread glue to bag pigeon in back of minster. | B + GLUE* def = to bag / HOME (=in) + (minste)R def=pigeon | 25.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | William Snow | In runs an old Greek bag, beginning to gyrate in blue pants | In = HOME / runs = R / an old Greek = def / bag = def / beginning to gyrate = G / in / blue pants = (BLUE)* | 24.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 15 | Jane Fitzpatrick | In opening of rhapsody, epic composer made bugle swell | In = HOME, opening of rhapsody = R, epic composer = direct def of HOMER made (anagrind) bugle = BULGE, swell = direct def of BULGE | 23 | 5 | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Barry Solomons | I'm leaving Belgium sadly, it was outstanding…Hungary with Rome trip to follow, that's my Odyssey? | BELG(i)U(m)..Bulge (anag) = outstanding…H = Hungary + Rome (anag) | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | 29 | Vinit Wankhede | Simpson in royal blue pants embodies 'good' paunchiness | Simpson = Def. in = HOME + royal= R = HOMER// blue pants= BLUE*, embodies =containmentind*, good = G, paunchiness = def.; Ref. "The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" episode of The Simpsons | 16.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | 2 | Battle beer belly? Lacking energy, he has more Duff. | BULGE: Double definition, referring to the Battle of the Bulge of 1944-45. HOMER: H(e) + *MORE. "Duff" is the anagrind. &lit., since Homer is not an energetic fellow, and Duff is cure for all his problems. | 15.5 | 0 | ||
| 11 | 27 | Salient feature of Istanbul – gentlemen hosting prayer conducted by the lady poet (5)(5) | Left is BULGE. Hidden word. IstanBUL GEntlemen . Indicator Feature of. Def: Salient (military reference ). Right is HOMER. OM (Prayer) inside (conducted by as in conducting electricity HER (the lady) Def: Poet | 15.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | 8 | Epic creator of Mr. Simpson, beer-belly and funny blue trousers guy, primarily. | HOMER: double def (Epic creator/Mr. Simpson) BULGE: def = "beer belly", BLUE* around (i.e. trousering) G[uy] | 15 | 3 | 2 | |
| 14 | 24 | Poet from Rome had originally played golf in blue slips to stand out | HOMER / BULGE. Poet – definition 1, ROME + H* played – anagrind. Golf = G in BLUE* – slips – anagrind; to stand out – definition 2 | 14.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | 23 | Poet and some nympho merrily hump in good exotic blue films | Hidden word and G with BLUE* around: defn= poet (Homer), some= hidden word ind, defn= hump (Bulge), good= g, exotic= anag ind, films= container ind | 13.5 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 31 | Swell area of Kabul gets in Republican painter from America | swell=BULGE def; area of=hidden: ka(BUL GE)ts. in=HOME; Republican=R; painter from America=[Winslow] HOMER def. | 13.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | 30 | Smash hit from author of epic blue novel featuring good amount of swelling | HOMER: 2 defs, 'smash hit' + 'author of epic' ; BULGE: G in *BLUE | 13 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | 21 | Old author's house overlooking sea in Guadeloupe where, after bugle played, a major battle took place | Homer/Bulge = old author = def; 's = linkwod (is); overlooking = positional indicator; sea in Guadeloupe = mer (French department); where, after bugle played, a major battle took place = anagram (played) of bugle producing where a major battle took place (def) = WWII German front line counter- offensive. | 10 | 0 | 2 | |
| 18 | 35 | This pigeon occasionally nods but ugly little green eyes initially swell | Ref. The saying Even Homer Nods, homer a pigeon breed. Initial letters. | 10 | 0 | 1 | |
| 20 | 14 | In middle of first epic poem, writer starts to believe Ullysses legend greatly enhances project | In = home + fiRst "epic poem writer" = DEF Acrostic Believe Ullysses Legend Greatly Enhances "project" = DEF | 9.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 21 | 18 | Interminable bum with large belly or Marge's vacuous husband when animated | bu(m) + lge/[or M(arg)e h]* &lit. h = husband. ref. The Simpsons. | 9 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 | 26 | Poet in right craze about Lake Erie’s first swell | Poet = definition; in right = HOME R; BUG about L E(rie); swell = definition | 7.5 | 1 | ||
| 23 | 5 | Bugle composition to make a swell score for The Messenger? (5/5) | Anagram & CD (home-run/messenger pigeon: 2009 war movie, The Messenger). | 6.5 | 2 | ||
| 23 | 36 | What protrudes from a lost beluga swimming in local river? It’s a pigeon! | BULGE: what protrudes = def; [BELUGA -A]*. HOMER: in HOME + R it’s…a pigeon = def | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 25 | 9 | Famous Greek hero slyly transports maiden over half of European country before beginning to expose belly! | HOMER (famous Greek) = M (maiden over) in HERO anag; BULGE (belly (vb)) = BULG(aria) + E(xpose) | 5.5 | 2 | ||
| 26 | 7 | Duff drinker? Or could be ancient Greek beer belly characteristic? | Double definition for 'Homer' (Duff is the brand of beer famously enjoyed by Homer Simpson); beer belly characteristic = bulge | 5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 27 | 37 | What sticks out could make you blue — bit of gut you need to get in? Right, run! | anag incl g. home+R | 4 | 0 | ||
| 28 | 11 | Hump dull ogre regularly after bastard husband runs round Moe drunkenly? | Hump = _U_L _G_E after B (bastard, from Chambers). &lit: H R round MOE*. | 3.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 28 | 28 | Signals specialist in regiment's top brass to play the lead in likely upcoming project | HOME (in) + R(egiment) / BUG[<L]E. Down clues. Ref war pigeons. | 3.5 | 0 | ||
| 30 | 1 | Bart's father has second thoughts, works out more to stick out battle with overeating | HOMER – Bart Simpson's father, H (2nd letter of THOUGHTS) + anag. MORE. BULGE – to stick out, Battle of the Bulge is battle with overeating | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 30 | 34 | Temporary increase in Kabul gear with omerta smothering big hit | 2 hiddens | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 32 | 22 | Pigeon in restaurant starter swell – "A stand-out" | HOME+R/BULGE (d.d.) | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 32 | 33 | Swelling in bulbul gets this poet sadly composing rhyme – loads! | bulBULGEts; RHYMELOADS anag of HOMERSADLY | 2 | 1 | ||
| 34 | 4 | Blow up bugle in front of racing pigeon | (bulge/homer) Anagram of BUGLE: BLOW UP serves as definition and anagram indicator: IN = HOME: front of racing = R: def = (racing) PIGEON | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | 32 | Swelling horn left rising over German poet with apt metaphor, perhaps? | BULGE: def = swelling / BUGLE with its L(eft) over its G(erman) / HOMER: def = poet / HOMER + APT = anag of METAPHOR / ref: Schiller’s Ode to Joy in Beethoven’s Ninth | 0.5 | 1 | ||
| 36 | 6 | Dinger of a pigeon bag craze leading one to exclusive clutch line | HOMER: 2 defs, dinger, a pigeon; BULGE: def=bag; bug(craze)+e outside l(line); ref the recently launched JW Anderson pigeon bag (clutch) which is all the rage, touted to be the new 'it' | 0 | 0 | ||
| 36 | 10 | Hospital newcomers in part measure swelling viral disease consuming liberal energy | H (newc)OMER(s) = HOMER (measure)/ SWELLING (bulge) = BUG (viral disease) around L + E | 0 | 0 | 1 |