CCCWC July 2014 competition results
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53 clues entered. 38 votes cast (37 competitors, 1 other).
SHOESTRING
Well it was certainly the battle of the anagrams this month, and in the end there was barely a shoestring between the top two with John Tozer squeaking it by just half a point (I suppose a tie would have been more appropriate!). A welcome return to top spot for JT – although he consistently achieves podium finishes, this is his first win for nearly four years!
The unlucky runner up was Don – certainly one of the cleverest definitions to accompany his anagram.
Third place went to Luciano who has been on fire in recent months! Again just the right definition to go with his anagram fodder!
Well done to Robin – mounting the podium in a deserved 4th – still consistenly one of our staunchest competitors – here's to more rewards that your efforts merit!
Finally Steve R maintains his run of high finishes with the remaining podium place.
A sterling effort this month and many thanks to you all!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | John Tozer | Budget put noses right out of joint | anag.; budget adj. | 39 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 30 | Don Manley | One's girth's spreading? Trainer may get one tightened up | anag. | 38.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 8 | Luciano Ward | Chickenfeed hens got is tainted and brought about runs | HENSGOTIS anag brought about R; chickenfeed = small amount of money | 31 | 2 | |
| 4 | 16 | Robin Gilbert | In Harlem petty criminal shot singer | SHOTSINGER* Def. "petty (U.S.)" (Chambers) | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 15 | Steve Randall | He's sorting out a reduced budget (10) | HESSORTING* + def | 26.5 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 6 | Dave Parfitt | Can it be looped around, restricting movement of toes? | SH ('Can it') + RING ('be looped around') holding TOES anag. & lit.; Can it = interjection asking for quiet | 22 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 42 | Tim Anderson | Someone's capital e.g. in short supply | anag. of S, e.g. in short, & lit. Supply (adv.) = anagrind. Capital = capital letter. Shoestring = minimum amount of money or capital | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 29 | Andrew Mulholland | Melting down those rings makes a minimal amount of money | anag (THOSE RINGS) | 17.5 | 5 | |
| 8 | 46 | mark webberley | "Thongs, Sire? Slips? Lace?" | anagram of THONGS SIRE; anagrind = slips; definition = lace | 17.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 40 | Vinit Wankhede | Small amount adjusted in the gross (10) | INTHEGROSS * | 16 | 0 | |
| 11 | 14 | Gosh, rent is going up…It could result in having to live on this? | (anag) Gosh, rent is… | 15.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 12 | 53 | Yank tie tight | Double definition. Collins has Yank (= Yankee) as adj. | 14 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | 2 | Barely adequate income obtained from their songs, unfortunately | Barely adequate income = def., "their songs" anag. | 13.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 13 | 24 | Lacking ample funding, sole support is on the line | SHOE+STRING | 13.5 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 28 | Maybe Oxford Chief of Police has captured Morse's heart in low-budget detective series. | Shoe (=Oxford) + r (Morse's heart) in Sting (leader of band "The Police" = Chief of Police – yuk!) + def x2 (low-budget & TV series "Shoestring"). | 13 | 4 | 2 | |
| 16 | 9 | Could be Oxford's time to call for a tight budget? | Could be Oxford's (shoes) + (t)ime + to call (ring), for (definition indicator)- a tight budget? (definition) | 10.5 | 0 | ||
| 17 | 33 | Petty, songster, with Heartbreakers at first, had single Breakdown | Petty defn., (songster+h+i)*; ref Tom P. & the H. and their single from their first LP, "Breakdown" which is also anag. indicator | 9.5 | 1 | ||
| 17 | 34 | Plimsoll line showing maximum necessary? On the contrary! | Plimsoll line shows maximum load allowed; plimsoll=shoe, line=string; minimum necessary=shoestring; necessary=money | 9.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 19 | 13 | Eve of the 80s, he's sorting out help for Radio West's audience. | He's sorting* defn: help for Radio West's audience, &Lit. Trevor Eve as 'Eddie Shoestring' helped solve problems as the 'Private Ear' of Bristol's fictional 'Radio West' ('Shoestring' began to air on BBC in late 1979 and ended in the 80s) | 8.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 19 | 21 | It keeps the runner tied up; tossing her head over heels! | def(runner=running shoe:Chambers)+anag(head over heels)tossing her | 8.5 | 3 | ||
| 21 | 10 | Crossing the knot? You'd have caught this. | = [c + shoestring]* | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
| 22 | 7 | Casino card dispenser runs scam surrounding small stake money | SHOE – playing card dispenser used in gambling – STRING – R (runs) surrounded by STING (scam). Definition: small stake money = a minimum of money | 7.5 | 1 | ||
| 22 | 18 | Inadequate budget produces Boots' closure in North America | dd [COLLINS: 'shoestring budget with very little money to spend;' boot='shoe that extends above the ankle;' CHAMBERS: closure='something that closes or fastens;' shoestring='a shoelace (US)'] | 7.5 | 0 | ||
| 22 | 38 | Shirt's gone askew revealing minimal assets | SHIRT'S GONE*, askew = anagrind, revealing = link, minimal assets = def. | 7.5 | 3 | ||
| 25 | 37 | Rampaging tigers nosh some french fries. (10) | ANAGRAM "TIGERS NOSH" TO FORM SHOESTRING, WHICH DEFINE "SOME FRENCH FRIES". | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 26 | 22 | Lace backing that's too tight for comfort | DD | 6 | 3 | ||
| 26 | 41 | Small potatoes? | dd&lit: Shoestring can mean (1) small, as in "shoestring budget"; (2) a way to prepare potatoes (see "shoestring potatoes" in Collins American); and, like the expression "small potatoes," a small amount of money (Collins). | 6 | 2 | ||
| 26 | 52 | worthless tiny lace | triple definition | 6 | 1 | ||
| 29 | 27 | Long and thin whips sting horse | (Sting horse)* | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 29 | 48 | Underfunded Southern army captures head of Eastern gang | Underfunded = definition of shoestring; S("Southern") + HO(E)ST ("army", incl. container of E – head of "Eastern") + RING ("gang") | 5.5 | 2 | ||
| 31 | 25 | Leaders of new Russia don't get big houses abroad on this budget | comp anag & lit, anag incl n R = anag shoestring budget | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 31 | 47 | Turn informer about US prostitute on East Street, probably living on this minimum income | SING round HO + E.STR | 5 | 0 | ||
| 33 | 17 | In trouble so rings the radio detective | Ref. BBC programme of that name. soringsthe* | 4.5 | 2 | ||
| 34 | 1 | American band rock their song: Last Kiss | def = shoelace; anagram (rock)their song + s (In 1999 US band Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss" reached #2 in US & #42 in UK) | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 35 | 3 | Barely adequate lot sing about others dancing | SING containing (about) *OTHERS (dancing) / Definition: Barely adequate lot, using the 'share/amount' definition of 'lot' – as in, "That's your lot." | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | 20 | It goes through holes of runny noses, right? (10) | Direct = "It goes through holes" (a shoe lace) "noses right" = anagram (runny = indicator) | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 35 | 23 | Lace host's cocktail with drug, and grin. | Lace= shoestring. Cocktail is anagram indicator for hosts + e(ecstasy) + grin | 3.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 35 | 44 | Supporting braces set loosely around the ankles | anagram of SET inside SHORING (supporting); braces = binds/straps (verb), used as containment indicator in cryptic; def = around the ankles (eg. a shoestring tackle, ref Oxford online) | 3.5 | 1 | ||
| 39 | 4 | Budget light sensor might save money | * SENSOR (M)IGHT; def. Budget | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| 39 | 19 | Insufficient peanuts | Double definition | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 39 | 35 | Produced short in shillings, say | (SHORT IN S EG)*; &lit. | 3 | 1 | ||
| 42 | 11 | Dress hose run while fastening thong (10) | Dress: anagrind > HOSE*+STRING: run/while: =/fastening thong: definition | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 43 | 36 | Rabid set in support of budget | SHO(EST)RING (set)* | 2 | 0 | ||
| 43 | 43 | Stressed, nose to the grindstone could provide no takings initially and denote this? | Comp anag; & Lit; (NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE)* – (NO + T + DENOTE)* | 2 | 0 | ||
| 45 | 31 | Petty deception grips rector going after call-girl in Kent area (10) | Petty = defn.; (STING grips R) going after (HO in SE) | 0.5 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 12 | Economy tyres sound (10) | Economy = shoestring adjectivally= definition Tyres + sound as homophone indicator = tiers (things tied) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 46 | 26 | Lean Enterprise signs, bother lost British manufacturing (10) | lean enterprise is the confirmation. Anagram (manufacturing) of SIGNS (-b)OTHER | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 46 | 32 | Petty distress signal American nurse and ambassador catch when entangled (12) | SOS RN and HE TIG interleaved | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 39 | Sign off with sore throat – only 1/3 to get sickness benefit, possibly | (sign + sore + th)*; sickness benefit, possibly = def. | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 45 | The team use it to fasten their shoes as shots reign! | A cord used to fasten shoes=SHOESTRING. Anagram = SHOTS REIGN =SHOESTRING… | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 49 | Unfashionable and shoddy, I guess North American lace is produced cheaply. | Unfashionable = non U – deletion ind. shoddy – anagrind – I G(U)ESS NORTH >> SHOESTRING Double def: American (US usage) lace/ is produced cheaply. | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 50 | Unravel hoses then add Herts town type of chip. | Shoes (ANAG hoses) + Herts town (Tring) type of chip (SHOESTRING) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | 51 | Without bonus reform this pittance brings hunger; boss is not budging! | comp anag: hunger boss is not less bonus | 0 | 0 |