CCCWC February 2024 competition results
More information | Comments | All results | < Previous | Annual competition
42 clues entered. 38 votes cast (31 competitors, 7 others).
LITTLE
…and here finally are the February results…
Congratulations to Charlie Oakley on taking first place! Incredibly that is now his fifth podium in a row – amazing consistency – a clue that utilised that double reading of 'minute'.
Second spot went to Satyen Nabar, another consistent performer of late with a clue that had a somewhat sobering surface reading.
Third place for Nick Smith – his first podium for a while, so well done – another convincing surface although I think you have to go quite a way back for Liverpool's first title win!
Nathan Townsend scores a first podium of this year with fourth place giving us a royal flavour in the surface.
Finally Philip Sant after his excellent year in 2023 gets onto the scoreboard in fifth spot. A clever LITTLE &lit once you got the reference.
As always, thanks to all for your efforts…apologies for the delay again, but we should be back on track from now onwards…good luck with BARBERSHOP!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charlie Oakley | Lost title after goal at last minute | TITLE* lost = anagrind – after (juxtaposition) – goal at last = L, minute = definition | 58 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 35 | Satyen Nabar | Slightly drunk with half of bottle gone | LIT + (-bot)TLE | 42.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 15 | Nick Smith | Liverpool's first title changed hardly anything | L + TITLE anagram; Liverpool's first PL win for 30 years has proved just a minor blip in Abu Dhabi's 6-year domination of the league | 40 | 3 | |
| 4 | 8 | Nathan Townshend | Harry left title – for not much! | Harry = grind L TITLE* not much = def | 36 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 39 | Philip Sant | Title's beginning for Laura Wilder? | &lit; (title + L)*; ref Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder | 30.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 27 | John Appleton | Petty drunk let off | LIT (drunk) + LET* | 26.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 42 | Peter Moore Fuller | Young literary translator’s first article in French (6) | Young – def; literary – LIT; translator’s first – T; article in French – LE | 24.5 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | 34 | Ramki Krishnan | Short story about two tragic lovers, primarily | Def = short, story = LIE around T-T-L | 23.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | 17 | Seerat Hazir | Maybe John Lennon’s first title hit (6) | (Little) John. L TITLE* | 22.5 | 2 | |
| 10 | 21 | Peter Robinson | Nancy’s bed let out for a very small amount! | French ‘bed’ LIT let out* anagrind [Bradfords] TLE (word play) for a very small amount (def) | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | 13 | It completes full title used for Lord Fauntleroy. | ful(L) + title (anag)….Little Lord Fauntleroy | 17.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | 9 | I tell TV broadcast to reduce volume slightly (6) | Def: slightly, Anagrind: broadcast, volume: V => ITELLTV* – V | 16 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | 20 | Minute of making love left toilet out of order | definition = minute / TLILET* (making love left = swap O for L) | 13 | 3 | 1 | |
| 14 | 4 | For renovation, start with ladies toilet, scrubbing out old wee | L+TOILET* with O scrubbed out | 10.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | 7 | Hardly ever well oiled, rented cycles | LIT (=well oiled, ~drunk) + LET (=rented) >> TLE by cycling | 8.5 | 0 | ||
| 15 | 24 | Not much to possibly tell about it (6) | Not much = definition; Possibly = anagrind; (TELL)* around IT | 8.5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 15 | 32 | Short story about abstinent lecturer? | LI(TT+L)E: story = LIE, abstinent (teetotal) = TT, lecturer = L; def = short | 8.5 | 2 | ||
| 18 | 6 | Hardly any cycling allowed after getting drunk | LET cycling after getting LIT; def = hardly any | 8 | 3 | ||
| 19 | 1 | A dribble of wee | Double def | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
| 19 | 38 | Small thing – tell it differently | TELL IT* | 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| 21 | 19 | Mini races through French town having left Luxembourg (6) | Mini = def , races = tt , through = insertion indicator , French town having left Luxembourg = Li(l)le | 6 | 2 | ||
| 22 | 33 | Short story about time in Transvaal on vacation (6) | LIE (story) around T(time) ) in T(…….)L. Def: Short | 5.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 23 | 3 | Fifty-one times the Spanish sent back trifle | fifty-one = LI, times = T+T, the Spanish sent back = <EL; trifle = def. | 5 | 0 | ||
| 23 | 14 | Let &lit off? Not at all | Anag LET LIT. Not at all = def as adverb (as in little known) | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 23 | 28 | Petty fib about nondrinker taking last cocktail | petty = definition; fib = LIE, about = container indicator, nondrinker = TT, last cocktail = L: LI (TT + L) E | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 23 | 37 | Small fib about model couple’s first love (6) | LIE (fib) about TT (model couple) L (first love); Definition: Small | 5 | 2 | ||
| 27 | 23 | Not much time left in match by the sound of it | not much; t,l inside lite(~light=match) | 4.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 28 | 11 | In certain places, sow sesame all round – producing peanuts! | ELT (=sow, dialect) + TIL (=sesame) all reversed. Def =peanuts | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 28 | 41 | Young let it out after end of school | LETIT* after L (end of school) | 4 | 2 | ||
| 30 | 5 | Hardly accountable, refusing alcohol for sailor. | Accountable = LIABLE, inserting TT (refusing alcohol, teetotal) for AB (sailor). Defn in adverbial sense. | 3.5 | 2 | ||
| 30 | 25 | One can tell it could be a petty amount ( 6 ) | Definition in "petty amount" Anagram: " tell it " | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 32 | 10 | Ill-gotten gains go north in small quantity | Compound * ill-gotten = go + n + little | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 32 | 18 | Mini race held in empty city in northern France | Empty Lille = LILE ('empty' denotes deletion of middle letter, as per Crossword Unclued blog; race = TT; 'held in' gives LI(TT)LE; def = mini | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| 34 | 12 | In vandalised toilet, missing out long wee (6) | definition: WEE: Anagram of T (-0) I L E T + L | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 | 30 | Set fire to everything reportedly, no biggie | Homonym | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 | 36 | Small chicken's name – bantam | triple def. (ref. Chicken Little) | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 | 40 | Wee left toilet disappearing round bend | wee1. l + [t(o)ilet]*, round = O; ref. U'-bend. | 2.5 | 1 | ||
| 38 | 22 | Not Fairly Dickinson publisher | Double definition. Not fairly = little, as in "am not fairly aware". (Emily) Dickinson publisher = Little. And the surface is meant to confuse the reader to thinking of Fairleigh Dickinson University (though that's spelled differently). | 1 | 0 | ||
| 38 | 31 | Short literary story, lacking literary start | LIT TALE, lacking A | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 40 | 2 | A small hint | Double def | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 40 | 26 | Petite model surrounded by elite arrangemwnts | (ELITE)* around T (model) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 40 | 29 | Petty learner with extravagant title (6) | Definition= petty L= learner Anagrind= extravagant Fodder= title | 0 | 1 |