CCCWC September 2008 competition results
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55 clues entered. 53 votes cast (46 competitors, 7 others).
SWATS
So the popularity of the new voting system was not a flash in the pan! It is fantastic to see that the number of voters this time round has actually risen to 53 – thanks to all of you!
A runaway (or should that be flyaway!) winner this month, and overall a pretty good standard, so congratulations to all that have made the lists.
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Brian Douglas | Hits the buzzer with a starter for ten in two seconds! | W,A,T(en) in S,S. defn: 'hits the buzzer' (fly). | 101.5 | 5 |
| 2 | 15 | Luciano Ward | Heads for sure would applaud these students! | Initial letters; &lit. | 75.5 | 7 |
| 3 | 35 | Tom Borland | Students working assiduously to secure firsts | First letters of Students…secure | 63 | 3 |
| 4 | 46 | Andrew Varney | Those who know the answers are the ones to hit the buzzers | 2 meanings (swat2,n; swat1,n) | 56.5 | 2 |
| 5 | 29 | Don Manley | Rebel in middle of lesson? They certainly won't! | Wat in ss | 47.5 | 5 |
| 6 | 41 | Chris Jeremy | Takes a swipe at some muggers | To mug= To swat up | 37 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | Andy Smith | Aims to undo flies in seconds, with a tug initially. | Initial letters (w,a,t) in s+s | 32 | 1 |
| 8 | 51 | Richard Saunders | Was rolled Times used for such blows? | WAS with last letter to front + TS = SWATS (noun) | 28 | 4 |
| 9 | 43 | Arnold Peace | Tests power units in lamps | S-W-ATS. Tests = SATS + W(atts)= power units (in). Def = lamps i.e hits | 24.5 | 3 |
| 10 | 31 | Dave Tilley | Savage blows recalled from the Headmaster's tawse | Hidden rev (er'S TAWSe) | 20.5 | 1 |
| 11 | 7 | Being housed by Holmes, Watson co-ordinates his study | Hidden | 19.5 | ||
| 12 | 38 | Studies hard to win first in exams | W (win first) in SATS (exams); & lit | 19 | ||
| 13 | 53 | What's drunk in Scotland's capital, Special Brew? | s-wat-s | 17.5 | 2 | |
| 14 | 16 | Heavy blows terrify Wall Street as senate leaders revolt (5) | Initial letters TWSAS* | 15.5 | 2 | |
| 15 | 24 | Oddly sew panty's straps (5) | The odd letters of SeW pAnTy'S gives SWATS, Straps (v)= hits (swats) | 15 | 1 | |
| 15 | 48 | Unlimited this would get Scots drunk | (s)wat(s)= drunken (Scot); & lit for swats (Scots new ale) | 15 | 2 | |
| 17 | 27 | Primary school with a tough syllabus produces hardworking pupils. | Primary, i.e. first (of the following five words). Swats – an alternative spelling of swots (Chambers). | 13.5 | 2 | |
| 18 | 17 | Hits out at partner swapping in constituencies. | Def + W(est) for E(ast) in SEATS (parliamentary constituencies) | 13 | 1 | |
| 18 | 42 | Taking science Final, shows nerves – blows the answer | SWeATS | 13 | 1 | |
| 18 | 55 | Worries about unloading Enfield's lead slugs (5) | SW(e)ATS; "Worries about" = SWEATS | 13 | 1 | |
| 21 | 13 | Frets about start of tests coming up? | t in saws rev. & lit. (down clue) | 11.5 | 1 | |
| 21 | 50 | Was arranging intros to Tommy Steele hits | WAS* + T.S. | 11.5 | ||
| 23 | 9 | Blows wits as one goes mad | Def BLOWS: (WITSAS – I = one)* | 11 | 1 | |
| 24 | 37 | Studies hard overture of Sibelius with a tenor and soprano | 10 | 1 | ||
| 25 | 23 | NUS strikes. | National Union of Students = swats = strikes. ('swat' can be used as well as the more common 'swot' in the 'student' sense according to Chambers) | 9 | 1 | |
| 25 | 40 | Tailor was all out of trousers, yet delivers cuffs (5) | Anagram *WAS, empty TrouserS/yet=connector/delivers cuffs=definition (YET: "in addition; at the same time" – Chambers) | 9 | 1 | |
| 27 | 44 | The debuts of Symonds, Waugh and Taylor – sensational knocks | Def: knocks Sub: 1st letters of Symonds, Waugh, and, Taylor, sensational | 8.5 | 1 | |
| 28 | 33 | Something winged -a tsetse? – squashed primarily by these blows. | Initial letters & lit | 8 | 1 | |
| 29 | 36 | Studies hard at first, science was a tough subject | Initial letters of Science Was A Tough Subject, using alternative spelling of swots | 7.5 | 1 | |
| 30 | 6 | Beats high-flyers? | Beats – Def. High-flyers – Def (in an educational context high-flyers are swots which has alternative spelling swats). Also 'Beats High-Flyers' reads as pun for swatting flying insects. | 6 | ||
| 30 | 39 | Studies hard, with school tests about to take place | S(w)ATS, ref. SATS: Standard Assessment Tests | 6 | ||
| 32 | 21 | New ale from the Highlands hits one hard | SWATS = (Scot) new ale; def. and reference to hangover | 5.5 | ||
| 32 | 45 | Those who continue to work when head cuts exams? | def as in schoolboy swots/swats, W(hen) in SATS, govt school tests | 5.5 | ||
| 34 | 5 | Army girls follow bearing porter. | army girls(ATS); bearing(SW); porter(beer) = swats | 5 | ||
| 34 | 11 | Demonstrates how flea that bites terminates | Ends of words, &lit | 5 | 2 | |
| 34 | 25 | Old Cornwall serving girls supplying new Scottish ale? | SW (South West) ATS | 5 | ||
| 37 | 26 | Power shortage in ship? Jock glows, though. | Wat[t]in "SS". Def (= Scot "sweats") | 4 | ||
| 38 | 54 | With release of energy, wastes flies – or wastes energy missing flies | anag. less e & lit. x 2; waste = kill; fly = burst/flutter | 3 | 3 | |
| 39 | 28 | Questionable engineer boards vessel, kills time then blows. | watt(what?)boards ss(steamship) = swatts, subtract t(ime)= swats meaning "blows". | 2 | ||
| 39 | 52 | Wastes no energy, turns around and gives a sharp blow | Anagram of "wastes (minus 'e')" and definition. | 2 | ||
| 41 | 1 | A bevy of Scots Wall Street's short-changed (5) | def.: a bevy of Scots (=ale); (WA+STS)* | 1.5 | ||
| 41 | 3 | American police squad succeeded following cons | US Police Squad = SWAT + S=Succeeded. Cons = SWATS (studies) | 1.5 | ||
| 43 | 12 | Five heads strap with a tawse still, one hits heavily. | five-letter acrostic. | 1 | 1 | |
| 43 | 20 | Mugs? Scots drink wielding them, flies undone! | triple def. Mugs?/ Scots drink/ wielding them, flies undone! | 1 | ||
| 43 | 47 | Trouble with SATs hits hard | Anag. w.SATs + def. | 1 | ||
| 43 | 49 | US police teams wield straws backhand? Not right! | Reverse STRAWS minus R | 1 | ||
| 47 | 4 | A new ale brewing points to short day (5) | *brewing WS into Sat(-urday) | 0 | ||
| 47 | 8 | Belts and ends of suspenders hold most of waist! (5) | Direct = belts ends of suspenders = s,s most of waist = wat (hold = container indicator) | 0 | ||
| 47 | 10 | Crack teams of women who might once have tackled Pirates of Penzance, perhaps? | SW ATS – Fanciful reference to possible name of regional defence force | 0 | ||
| 47 | 14 | Gunners, well-equipped for action, somewhat lacking home ground support at the kick-off | Def for abbrev SWATS, SOMEWHAT – anag of HOME + S | 0 | 1 | |
| 47 | 19 | In short, some American cops seem to begin with heavy blows; once again, cons in Scotland sweat and start to shake. (5) | "In short, some American cops" = SWAT (abbrev: Special Weapons and Tactics) "seem to begin with" = s "heavy blows" = def. "once again" = "to reiterate" "cons" = def. (studies carefully, cf. swats/swots, studies hard) "in Scotland sweat" = swat (Scot. | 0 | 3 | |
| 47 | 22 | New ale in Scotland for those who study conscientiously | Two meanings | 0 | ||
| 47 | 30 | Rose Tyler’s possibly Doctor’s ultimate love – and Earth being razed? Small beer! | ROSE + WAT(tyler)+ S) – (docto)R – O – E(arth). Ref. New focus on love interest in Doctor Who. | 0 | 1 | |
| 47 | 32 | School's principal, having first switched leathers, biffs students | TAWS (reverse) + S; double definition | 0 | ||
| 47 | 34 | Standard assessment task succeeded with cramming in lots of hard study | SAT(standard assessment task)+S(succeeded)incl.W(with) | 0 | 1 |