CCCWC World Cup Special 2014 competition results
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42 clues entered. 36 votes cast (34 competitors, 2 others).
Any 8-letter “PEN” word (Penalty Shoot-out)
Of course the big question was, would this competition be like a Brazil Germany semi final, or more of a close run Argentina Germany final – definitely the latter!
Just one point separated the top two, and then just behind a triple tie for 3rd!
The podium had a very different look to it this month, with some fresh faces on board, so well done to Anthony Bradley, a fairly new competitor, for his inaugural win! Tough luck to Rod Beards, another recent entrant, who managed his first top five placing and just missed out by that one point – ouch!
The trio in joint third were Barry, Martin and Kevin so congratulations to all three.
And in four years time we just might do it all over again…
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Anthony Bradley | Fritter away five hundred following one girl after another | MISSPEND | MISS+MISS+D | 31.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 41 | Rod Beards | Was sorry Rooney's header messed it up | Was sorry = defn of REPENTED; R (Rooney's header) + anagram of MESSED IT = REMISSTED; up = excited is anagram indicator | 30.5 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | 23 | Barry Solomons | Kids wandering about waste land, they're often seen hanging around? | PENDANTS = GOAL/DANTS……..GOA(LDAN)TS……Kids/Goats (anag)Land | 23.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 36 | Martin Price | Shoot! Or, if Messi, run mazily. | Solution = "open fire": def/o + miss (for "pen") + fire – anag. | 23.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | 39 | Kevin Brown | Sunderland lass has the stuff to make you forget your cares | NE+MISS+THE (NEPENTHE) | 23.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | 28 | Todd Konkel | Messi's mixed up in dodgy sex payments | EXPENSES/EXMISSSES: Def = "payments"; (MESSIS)* in (SEX)* = EX(MISSSE)S. Not so for Argentina's Golden Boy? Just give him time… | 22.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 6 | John Newson | Anticipation builds, souls sag, England comes last | SUS(PEN)SE / SUS(GOAL)SE — anticipation = def. — builds = anagrind ( SOULS SAG*) — England = E ('comes last' as position indicator) | 21 | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | 21 | Don Manley | Inferior Portugal knocked right out — no getting rid of America! | TUPPENNY/TUPGOALNY: anag. less r + n(A)y, ref. Group G final positions | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | 42 | Dave Parfitt | What Waddle is musing about, beginning to sob | PENGUINS, MISS; ISMUSING anag. + S(ob); ref. Chris Waddle's penalty shootout miss in the 1990 World Cup semifinal, referring to my choice of MISS | 20.5 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 | 13 | John Tozer | Flying the flag for nothing, twice – England out | pennoned as goalnoned; anag. incl. O, O; England exit after two defeats | 18.5 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | 12 | Defence structure is amongst changes needed | Pentagon = defence structure; anag misstagon = is amongst | 17.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 12 | 8 | Baroque Segovian prelude | OPENING – O-SAVE-ING anagram | 16.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 13 | 20 | I'll leave Italian region's top beauty spot where light and shade merge (8) | PENUMBRA/MISSUMBRA. MISS UMBRIA (Italian region's top beauty) less I. | 16 | 0 | 2 | |
| 13 | 38 | Stops South American aspirations to bite front of deltoid! | Stops=SUS(PEN)DS; SUS(GOAL)DS=S/US/GOAL<D>S; 'to bite'=containment indicator. Reference to the World Cup Suarez shoulder biting incident. | 16 | 1 | 4 | |
| 15 | 4 | Adjunct ordered VP's aide aboard Obama's chopper | APPENDIX/APSAVEDIX; VPSAIDE* in (aboard) AX (Obama's chopper (axe)) | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
| 15 | 7 | "Bar to follow" – a regular part of football?! | SAVE + TAG ON (Chambers – verb under 'tag'); a regular part of football = PENTAGON | 15 | 2 | 2 | |
| 17 | 16 | Give out boots after raising foot (8) | DISPENSE; DISMISSES with final two letters switched | 13.5 | 2 | 4 | |
| 17 | 22 | It can be impossible to hold on to small savings | (PENSION/MISSSION) It can be impossible = MISSION, to hold on to small = MISS-s-ION, savings = PENSION | 13.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 17 | 26 | Maiden chance at overwhelming Brazil finally wasted | MISS/PEN/T: wasted; MISS/GOAL/T: miss (maiden) + go (chance) + {l (Brazil finally) inside 'at'} | 13.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 20 | 40 | Ulysses' wife – a girl who almost ran away | Def: Ulysses wife – Penelope. Wordplay – a girl (Miss) almost ran away (eloped without final d) | 10 | 0 | 3 | |
| 21 | 19 | Ignore direction to supply drugs (8) | DISPENSE/ DIS MISS SE; Def: to supply drugs/medicine DISMISS (IGNORE)+SE (DIRECTION) | 9.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 21 | 35 | Service book indicating correction of faults? | PENAL > MISSAL – double definition ref: car log-books | 9.5 | 0 | 5 | |
| 23 | 25 | Like many a youth, one bird after another, beginning with tits | MISSPENT/MISSMISST (Miss Miss t) | 9 | 0 | 4 | |
| 24 | 1 | A ball considered out of reach Oscar put away – final result uncertain | WIDE (unreachable ball) O (Oscar: international radio comms code) SAVE (put away) – WIDE-OPEN (unpredictable outcome). The surface uses the fact that Oscar is a Brazilian striker – the present No. 11 – and "put away" is common sporting slang for score. | 7.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 24 | 29 | Oléeeee, Olé, Olé, Olé? It's an annoying custom | PENCHANT (Goal chant?) | 7.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 26 | 3 | Adds to top-flight scores! | def+syn of plum+goals(PLUMPENS/PLUMGOALS) | 6.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 27 | 5 | Administer the rules and shows the player a red card vigorously! (8) | DEFINITION: DISPENSE (ADMINISTER THE RULES), WORDPLAY: DIS(MISS)SE, DISMISSES (SHOWS THE PLAYER A RED CARD) ANAGRAM. | 6 | 1 | 6 | |
| 28 | 11 | Criminal served half of term and initially went straight | REPENTED/RE(SAVE)TED; Def = "went straight"; (SERVED + TE[rm] + A[nd])* | 5.5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 29 | 9 | Brandishing a good sawn-off rifle start shooting | OPEN FIRE to start shooting – def, O(GOAL)FIRE anagram of A GOO(d)RIFLE | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 29 | 17 | Give out drug after show? Lack of respect holds back ambition. | DISPENSE = def: Give out; *drug* [E] after *show lack of respect* [DISS] holds back *ambition* [GOAL]; = [DIS(GOAL)S+E] | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 29 | 18 | Global organization cuts fifty leading brokers' wages | Global (fodder) organization (anagrind) cuts (deletion indicator of) fifty (l) leading brokers' (b) gives 'GOAL'. Wages (8 letter word 'stiPENds') | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 32 | 2 | A drug of oblivion, Lethe curtailed agony when drunk | A drug of oblivion = NEPENTHE, Letheagon(y)* = NEGOALTHE | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | 10 | Cracks beau's back without breaking it | OPENINGS = Cracks / OMISSINGS = reversal of SO (=beau) containing MISSING (=without) | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | 15 | Frolicking seraglios readiness for action | RIPENESS/RIGOALESS (anagram of SERAGLIOS) | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | 30 | Poor Steve Gerrard lost heart and determination – he'll regret it | steveGerRarD* = reSAVEter = repenter | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 33 | 33 | RM, the French girl's a party boss. (3 words) | RM (Marine) the French girl (Le Miss (Pen)). Marine Le pen is head of right wing French political party. | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 33 | 34 | Send off side's wingers to make amends, as Ed would say | dispense/dismissse: def-to make amends (Spenser), dismiss s(id)e | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 38 | 31 | Primarily onychophagic atmosphere leaving spectators constrained to guess nervously | initial letters in anagram, &lit.; SUSPENSE (GOAL!) | 1.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 39 | 27 | Member is beginning to see through Essex Liberal MP's scandalous claims. | EX(MISS)SES/EX(PEN)SES: Member(M) is >> MIS, beginning to (S)ee >> MISS , through = insertion indicator, ESSEX* Liberal = anagrind, >> EXSES >> EX(MISS)SES/ Def. MP's scandalous claims – ref. recent EXPENSES scandal. | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 40 | 24 | Lay out money recasting gold axe | Expend: lay out money. Substitute word for pen: goal, giving exgoald, anag of gold axe | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 40 | 32 | Razor makes clearer their job as shavers. | SHARPENS/SHARSAVES - "Makes clearer" is the definition with "as shavers" being an anagram of SHARSAVES. | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 40 | 37 | States Dutch to win against Spain in Group, tipping well | Tipping well = UPENDING; USAVEDING: States Dutch = USA D; against Spain = V E; in Group = IN G | 0 | 1 | 3 |