The Crossword Centre Clue-Writing Competition

CCCWC March 2013 competition results

More information   |   Comments   |   All results   |   < Previous   |  Next >   |  Annual competition

54 clues entered. 45 votes cast (40 competitors, 5 others).


EASTER (Misprints)

It would seem that most competitors enjoyed this slight variation on the misprints theme and it certainly threw up some interesting and clever clues.
 
A familiar name re-emerged at the top though. So our Annual Champ for the past two years notches his first win of 2013 – well done Mike – and as we know, a bit of not-too-risque smut always goes down well with the voters!
 
John grabs his second 2nd place this year – achieving an &lit. in this type is always commendable, so tough luck on just missing out again.
 
Dave returns to his recent good form by taking 3rd spot with the slightly more felicitously worded Listener clue.
 
Hearty congratulations to Kiran, a staunch supporter of this competition for many years without much success, so great to see a 4th place podium finish for you.
 
Final plaudits go to Peter for his 5th spot with the other "Listener" clue.
 
Thanks and well done to everyone for an entertaining competition!

PosNo.NameClueExplanationPoints Merits 
15Mike BakerBreasts are jiggling; bra's sadly lacking controlMaster (verb) = control; Anag. minus anag.690  6  
213John AppletonFollower of Lent?&lit; Misprint is FASTER (one who fasts at Lent). Easter, of course, follows Lent.56.52  10  
353Dave ParfittVirtuoso set crackers in The ListenerMASTER; SET anag. in EAR; ref. The Listener crossword410  6  
48Kiran ParekhDifficult teaser is not so difficultAnagram of teaser and easier310  8  
530Peter CargillNot so hard puzzle set in The ListenerSTE(*ind by 'puzzle')in EAR; not so hard=EASIER; ref The Listener (Sat Times) very difficult crossword24.53  3  
64Pete MilneBase on which swivel seat runs?Caster. E(base)+SEAT*+R(runs). &lit222  7  
71David HarryA bum steer – a dudbum2 = waster; anag. 'STEER A';201  3  
742Bhalchandra PasupathySkipper's always about when close to portE'ER(ever/always) outside AS(when)+T(last letter of port); def: skipper = (M)ASTER(ship's captain); [all as per Chambers]200  6  
916Margaret IrvineGet the hang of sin, originally, biting into appleMASTER = get the hang of; S in eater = apple suitable for eating raw (C)19.54  5  
1033Don ManleyProdigal son? Type to enjoy fatted calf, having rejected father initiallyWASTER,(f)easter, Luke chap.15184  3  
1041John NicholsonSee art nouveau as original(SEE ART)* = Master181  6  
1232 Perfect Asian flowerPerfect (v.) = MASTER; E + ASTER16.50  4  
1327 More relaxed when out of uniform, otherwise austere'More relaxed' = EASIER; *A(U)STERE15.52  3  
1417 I sample food before the queen eats outMisprint TASTER. Definition "I sample food". Wordplay for Easter: eats* er152  1  
156 Consumer sipping a sample of Syrah?Wordplay: EATER sipping S(yrah). Definition: TASTER, as given by whole clue, so an &lit. of sorts14.51  4  
1552 Use a sterile environment for sampleHidden word. Sample = taster14.51  5  
1725 Messy eaters will get just a small portion of course (6)EASTER anag of eaters indicated by messy. TASTER just a small portion of course142  7  
1726 Models see art teachermodels (anagrind): see art (easter): teacher = Master141  4  
1950 The lines on a television set are interference.Misprint = Raster. : Easter from "set are" – "interference" as anagram indicator.13.51  7  
2019 In essence, a sterile, unproductive animal?WASTER (Chambers – "an animal…not suitable for breeding purposes"). Hidden. Semi-&lit.12.53  4  
2051 This entomic region starts behind middle sections of bee and wasp(e + as + t + e + r & lit.; gaster)12.52  3  
2235 Reset a switch to get cathode ray pattern."Reset a" anag. of Easter "switch" indicates change of order "cathode ray pattern" is "raster" (Oxford Concise)110  4  
2249 Tea's terrible with this type of sugartEA'S TERrible, def=caster110  7  
2429 Non-consumer in a Consumer Societyfaster; S in eater10.53  2  
2514 Food quality assessor eats stew with hesitation (6)Food quality assessor=TASTER, eats stew=EAST, hesitation=ER9.51  5  
267 Consumer society's in controlWordplay: S in EATER; Definition: 'control' = MASTER as verb (meaning to lord over, dominate – Merriam-Webster)81  2  
2611 Festival for a Muslim in July, possiblyFestival = Easter; a Muslim in July, possibly = Faster (Ramadan).80  10  
2634 Relax, begin revising, take time to learnEAS(T)E+R [MASTER]82  2  
2912 Festival time waster (6)'Festival time' = EASTER60  7  
2928 No new oriental guru (6)No new oriental: EASTERN less N, Guru – Master60  3  
2937 Sample Sauternes cocktail beneath parasol perhaps (6)Sample = taster; anag Sauternes without sun60  6  
322 A director usually releases teaserteaser*; def. CASTER5.50  3  
3223 It's the end of the diet he's on.End of Lent (Easter) On a diet (Faster)5.50  5  
3421 Is sage a drug plant?SAGE (def. of MASTER) = E (drug) + ASTER (plant)51  5  
3510 Feast on piece of cake! (6)feast = easter. piece of cake = easIer4.50  8  
3518 Idler: term of abuse as applied to chumps in unemployment zone, right?WASTER e as t e r term & chump = end4.51  3  
3545 Take a steroid extract with more speedtakE A STERoid (extract); FASTER (with more speed)4.53  2  
3848 Teacher's breasts are saggy without bras(BREASTS+ARE-BRAS)*, saggy – anag. ind., Teacher – MASTER3.53  7  
3946 Take absolute control after invading overseas territory.MASTER = t.a.control… overs(eas ter)ritory30  4  
4044 Spendthrift Greek star backs euroGreek star (ASTER *) backs (follows) euro (E); Def = spendthrift (WASTER); (* from ancient Greek, hence 'asterisk', 'asteroid' etc)2.51  3  
4122 It's on the heels of a fast vesselIt's on the heels of a fast = wordplay for Easter (ref. preceding period of Lent); def.: (for CASTER) = VESSEL20  3  
4124 Lent fellow salt in diner (8)EA(S)TER/ Lent fellow = FASTER21  8  
4139 Scanning lines from novel about assam and ceylon.Raster (scanning lines) novel (=anag) re (=about) + teas21  8  
4140 See art involved making sampleranag of see art; taster20  6  
4147 Tantalise… let top slip down roguishly – initially giving just a sampleTEASE, move T down to give EASTE, + R(oguishly), sample=TASTER (this works best as a down clue)20  4  
4154 When the stone rolled away, it revealed a revolutionary movementWhen the stone rolled away – Easter; it revealed a revolutionary movement – caster20  5  
4720 Irrational Goldilocks, say, has a bit to try (6)e + aster = taster1.51  5  
483 Are joining set embroidering samplerareset*; sampler = taster10  4  
4915 Food sampler's hesitation holding dodgy eatsTASTER ER round EATS*0.51  7  
4931 Orient queen more simplyorient+queen = east+er. More simply = easier0.50  4  
519 'e and 'er, collecting a season ticket initially, headed off to the Orient long ago.Wordplay = e [ast] er; def = "headed off to the Orient long ago" = easted. (Ref: Leyton Orient Football Club).00  3  
5136 Riddle, after second time, is less difficultTEASER (=riddle) with T(ime) after S(econd) / def=EASIER02  6  
5138 Sampler gets extremely eager after spreading eats (6)Sampler (definition of TASTER, which results from misprinting of the first letter of EASTER as T), gets (link), extremely eager(ER) after (position indicator), spreading(anagram indicator) and eats (fodder, which yields EAST)00  5  
5143 Somehow Teresa may gain control we hearanag(teresa); gain control = master00  9