CCCWC April competition voters’ comments

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A clue to LEONARDO DICAPRIO.
153 comments were received for this competition (from 13 competitors, 1 other)
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Comments on the competition
1.
Several clues involved convoluted composite anagrams, some with bits of words, and some with essays attached. Some clues (complex or otherwise) might as well have said 'This actor appears in this film', far too obvious. 31 is absolutely ridiculous and totally unsolvable — an example of a fast bowler delivering a 12-ball over with three wides and three no-balls! I liked the cleverness of 27 most of all and scattered the remaining points among another six clues.
2.
A very anagram-friendly name to clue this month, and it produced some excellent ideas. The best are the 'Pacino / De Niro' variations, which I regret not spotting. Many clues were less attractive because they contained a very obvious definition (e.g. Titanic / Revenant star). I preferred those that just used 'star' or 'actor'. A few clues tried very hard to achieve an & lit. reading and either tied themselves in cryptic knots or inserted superfluous words to create a grammatical surface. With a bland definition like 'actor' available this was unnecessary work for the clue-writer.
3.
Given the size of the entry, I was slightly disappointed in the quality of many of the clues. It was very easy to make a shortlist of the most promising since many entries could be eliminated quickly because of weaknesses or faults in the cryptic grammar. With anagrams predominating, it was inevitable that a few noun anagram indicators would appear (1, 16, 28, 35). I’m not keen on these but was prepared to ignore my personal bias if the clue had other merits, but these don’t. In two of these cases it is hard to accept ‘accident’ or ‘problem’ as convincing indicators to jumble the antecedent. Two clues use the past tense inappropriately to describe the structure of the answer (2, 37). Some composite anagrams and ordinary anagrams have missing elements or words appearing to do double duty (3, 13, 24, 44, 57). One clue has an anagram of material that is indirectly indicated, a practice that is strictly taboo (18), four others have elements that are obscurely and unfairly indicated (15, 31, 46, 55). One clue breaks the established rule that capital letters of proper nouns should not be altered to lower case to suit the surface — 57. Three clues appear to define a role, film or event rather than the actor (1, 41, 48). Two have additional words intended to enhance the surface that ruin the cryptic structure (12, 43). Other grammatical faults in the cryptic syntax are exemplified by 47 and 53. Twelve clues are described as & lit. Four of these are not pure & lit (3, 8, 23, 39), though 8 and 23 are perfectly sound clues; others fail to define the actor. Ignoring the latter, there are four pure & lits ([30[, 37, 45, 59). PERIODICand PERIODICAL feature quite a lot in the anagram clues (1, 4, 22, 30, 35, 36, 49, 51, 60,) only the last four of those weave the word into a reasonably convincing surface. In the whole collection I thought only ten worth considering for points (8, 10, 25, 27, 30, 36, 45, 49, 59, 60). Of the & lit and semi & lit clues, 8, 30, 36, 45, 49 and 59 seem the best of the bunch. 10, 25, 27 look the most promising contenders in the non &lit field, with 10 standing out for its wit. 54 is a cleverly structured attempt at & lit but I feel the & lit definition doesn’t really work because of the personal element in the clue, and an initial reference to the actor that many would dispute. One clue is in poor taste and I hope it will fail to get any credit at all — 35. I'm not against bawdiness, and enjoy Cyclops in Private Eye, but this clue lacks any wit whatsoever.

Comments on the clues

1. A periodic performance with Orlando?

1.	Dubious Noun anagram indicator; 'periodic performance' is slightly unnatural; &lit definition defines an event (?), not the actor.
2.	'performance' isn't really an anagram indicator and the definition indicates an occurrence rather than a person.
3.	No real definition
4.	Lots of actors appeared with O, so this isn't an &lit
5.	This suggests a film rather than an actor.
6.	Makes no sense as a clue ('performance' is a noun)

2. A polar icon died or was reincarnated as a star (8,8)

1.	The past tense, 'was', is inappropriate to describe what solvers must do to the anagram fodder. It should be 'is' or 'has been'
2.	Surface reading seems forced, definition rather vague and perhaps the wordplay could be improved with 'could be'.
3.	He is still alive.

3. A poor lad denied his Oscar – terribly sad he's this actor

1.	There is no indication of the need to jumble the first part so that A* = B*. It needs 'possibly' or some such.
2.	Best to italicise the defined answer in this type of compound anagram and unfortunately the definition is no longer accurate.

4. Actor can be a periodical donor

1.	It works, but the surface is not very interesting, and 'periodical donor' doesn't sound very natural.
2.	Def and surface reading both seems rather vague and a proper anagram indicator would improve the wordplay('This actor can be disposed to be)
3.	Doesn't mean much.

5. Actor cast in a poor role did act (ignoring lead in Titanic)

1.	A good stab at a semi & lit, but 'poor' spoils the definition unfortunately.
2.	But he was the lead in Titanic!
3.	Sound construction but surface is a little awkward.

6. Actor moving door in radio place (16)

1.	'Radio place' is not a natural-sounding phrase, which rather spoils the surface.
2.	Surface reading seems rather arbitrary

7. Actor played ironclad – poor idea

1.	Cryptically sound, but the surface is too contrived, especially 'poor idea'.
2.	Nice idea,apart from 'poor idea' (see clue 23)

8. Actor playing cop in old radio era

1.	The supposed &lit reference seems very tenuous
2.	Succinct and original – great clue
3.	Clever! top marks.
4.	Semi &lit rather than &lit since ACTOR is no part of wordplay, but a neat clue using anagram fodder that stands out from the crowd.
5.	Definition perhaps a little too vague

9. Actor playing poor lad rode Titanic in timeless style

1.	Nice idea but the surface is rather strained, and 'in timeless style' is an unclear instruction to subtract T's.
2.	The best effort referring to that awful film.
3.	Wordplay seems a little tortuous.

10. Actor's little gamble in Vivaldi's ultimate opera, Orlando Furioso

1.	Full marks for wit and originality, though I am not keen on 'little' to indicate shortening, except in the case of an abbreviation.
2.	The opera anagram is a good find. Not entirely convinced by 'little gamble'
3.	Definition seems rather vague and wordplay a bit convoluted.

11. After long time acting right, I did more essentially cap career with Oscar

1.	The surface is very clunky.

12. August stars of Kurosawa movie, returning to perform a sharp turn shortly before a Hollywood actor.

1.	Otiose words (of, a) ruin the charade. ACID is defined as an adjective (sharp), so 'a sharp' is inappropriate.
2.	Good try, but spoilt unfortunately by a couple of superfluous filler words
3.	Wordplay rather too obscure, definition vague and surface seems strained.

13. Can a poor role I did make me an Oscar winner?

1.	In a sense 'Can' is doing double duty. It would be far better with 'possibly' added before 'make'.
2.	Not sure "make me" is a fair anagram indicator in the cryptic reading
3.	A good anagram and many might agree with the sentiment. Ideally I would like to see something more positive.
4.	The anagram indicator should convey a sense of rearrangement, 'me' seems superfluous and having a question mark requires 'Yes !' at the end.

14. Cast iron scrap bearing no value loaded with odd bits of iron and lead in Titanic?

1.	I like the deception of 'lead' and the coherent theme, but S,C,P are all values in SCRAP, so S deletion isn't clear.
2.	'Bearing no value' doesn't work for me.
3.	Perhaps 'for' would be a better link word than 'and' and why does 'value' = 'S'.

15. Celebrity speaker in climate debate and CO2 peril radio broadcast

1.	CO2 for COO is too much of a stretch, and the second half reads awkwardly.
2.	Interesting, but I think a clue like this will tend to be beaten by clues that cover more familiar territory.
3.	Nice idea but 'CO2' for COO is stretching it unfortunately.

16. Celebrity star ordained with copra oil massage

1.	Not sure whether 'massage' is a noun anagram indicator or a verb, which doesn't work as 'massage' is a transitive verb.
2.	Celebrity should be italicised and the anagram indicator being transitive should precede its fodder.

17. Da Vinci, for one, throwing a Dior pic at an actor! (8,8)

1.	'Da Vinci, for one'is a bit obvious, and the surface doesn't make a lot of sense.
2.	Definition too broad, 'at' plays no role in wordplay nor definition.

18. Do I order "Scarface" portrayer to play the revenant? (8,8)

1.	Even though 'Scarface portrayer' can only really be one thing, it's still an indirect anagram, unfortunately.
2.	Indirect anagram (and what about Paul Muni?). 'At' is superfluous.
3.	Except for common abbreviations, indirect anagrams are unacceptable. Al Pacino was not the only 'Scarface. Totally unfair.
4.	Would just be better to have Al Pacino in the clue; no indirect reference needed.
5.	indirect anagrams (here, Scarface = Al Pacino) are generally frowned upon
6.	Cleverly constructed clue!
7.	Indirect anagrams are not really fair to the solver.

19. Dreadful crap on radio – i.e. old film star (8,8)

1.	Great anagram but needs a more interesting definition to be a great clue
2.	Anagram fodder needs marshalling into a more convincing surface with a smoother relationship between wordplay and definition.
3.	What is the "crap on radio"?
4.	This choice of anagram doesn't really produce a coherent surface reading.

20. Film star cavorting in parodic LA rodeo (8,2,6)

1.	The surface is contrived so it reads like a crossword clue, not a natural phrase

21. He plays in cricket match against Italian island, requiring oxygen after getting fat over time

1.	Best of the brave efforts at non-anagram clues, but "against", "requiring" and "getting" seem like verbiage
2.	Very strained surface that doesn't make a lot of sense.
3.	Wordplay much too obscure and definition very vague.

22. Heart-throb maybe in love with dirty periodical has 'ard-on all in a lather.

1.	Eh?!
2.	A salacious image has seduced the writer into emulating Cyclops (Private Eye) with a clue that doesn't make much sense.
3.	Wordplay seems a bit confused.

23. He's originally aped iron-clad roi, finally getting Oscar

1.	A worthy attempt at & lit,but "He's" is not part of the wordplay, so semi &lit, not pure &lit; the surface is a bit strained.

24. His "bio" pic did earn El Dorado? Resolved I'd bed him!

1.	The clue does not say a jumble of X could equal a jumble of (Y plus answer), so it doesn't work. 'His' is otiose.
2.	Wordplay rather too convoluted and certainly too loose to be &lit.

25. I can do role, paid or otherwise, reveals Oscar winner.

1.	Nice surface
2.	Sound anagram clue. A weakness is the slightly unnatural sounding "I can do role" and the unconvincing overall surface sense.
3.	This is very good, the first half of the clue should really be in speech marks though.

26. Involved in Mona Lisa's creator, I'd carp over international filmstar

1.	Technically sound, but the surface is rather strained

27. Italian-American actor required: Al Pacino or De Niro I'd fancy in cast

1.	Anagram opportunity well grasped.
2.	Superb working of anagram. This should win by a country mile.
3.	Very neat indeed. One of the best clues.
4.	Wonderful anagram, but the definition could be challenged – born in the USA, but his lineage is Russian, Italian and German.
5.	Complicated, but very clever. Well done.

28. Kate "Rose" Winslet's love bird leaves Titanic's observation point. O Lord, a dire accident!

1.	It was all working nicely up to the noun anagram indicator
2.	The noun, 'accident' doesn't work at all as an anagram indicator. The clue is very contrived with an unnatural surface.

29. Kate Winslet and I do pair cooler somehow (8,8)

1.	Kate Winslet here is neither the definition nor the wordplay
2.	The surface makes little sense, and certainly not enough to justify 'Kate Winslet' in the clue.

30. Kept in place by a periodical nod, smashing actor finally given Oscar

1.	Very nice except for "periodical" – shouldn't it be periodic?
2.	Pure &lit clues are difficult. Despite a slightly contrived 'periodical nod' and convoluted wordplay this is a creditable attempt.

31. Lionised, I occasionally play dark Nordic parts and get the top award – Oscar! (8,8)

1.	"Lionised" to indicate addition of LEO is rather obscure. It's hard to see how the intransitive verb 'parts' works as an anagram indicator.
2.	Too complicated and full of unfair liberties, mixed parts of speech in cryptic instruction, and the EM doesn't rescue an &lit that isn't.

32. Man hurried back to party with princess to outshine city star (8, 8)

1.	Sound charade, though the surface isn't great.

33. Naughtily I canoodled prior to welcoming a Best Actor winner

1.	'to' isn't necessary for wordplay or definition
2.	Entertaining anagram that's a bit different from the rest. The anonymous 'I' is a slight weakness.

34. On parade: icon, idol or superstar

1.	'On' as an anagram indicator is a bit suspect. Chambers gives "on the way to being drunk" – not strong enough. O.D.E. doesn't list it.

35. Oscar-winning actor has periodic anal odor problem

1.	No thanks
2.	Amusing. I don't mind nounal anagram indicators but this one could easily have been avoided, and I think has is better as 's.
3.	There are better anagrams than this
4.	I hope he doesn't read this thread!
5.	Silly, distasteful clue that doesn't work anyway with 'problem' as a nounal anagram indicator that does not suggest movement or change.
6.	Rather crude clue.
7.	'problem' isn't really an anagram indicator.

36. Played a periodical donor – in The Aviator.

1.	Good idea, but lots of actors was in that film. 1 point.
2.	Neat semi &lit, though detaching 'in The Aviator' from the implied subject preceding 'Played'is a weakness.

37. Playing an odd role I got current Oscar, claiming Best Actor at last

1.	Very promising, but the past tense of 'get' is a weakness when describing what IS taking place in the wordplay.
2.	More complicated than some, but pleasing. 'Current Oscar' sounds a bit odd – they say 'this year's Oscar' don't they?

38. Playing in field by the road, old princess's crown reflected primarily the moon or star?

1.	Clever attempt at an elaborate charade, but first 'the' is unjustified, and the surface is unconvincing (and grammatically faulty)

39. Playing lead (action spoiler) I drown tragically, Winslet's saved

1.	Needs to indicate a jumble of Winslet's letters is removed
2.	A weakness is that 'action spoiler' is not really part of the &lit definition. 'Saved' as 'deleter is questionable.
3.	A complicated but interesting compound anagram. 'Action spoiler' whatever that is spoils it for me I'm afraid.
4.	Clever definition but a second indicator is needed for a composite anagram.

40. Playing the lead in Revenant, in a role I'd do that bags top Oscar? (8,8)

1.	Nice try at the and lit, unfortunately spoiled by "I'd do"
2.	The "I'd do" doesn't quite fit the sense – good effort though
3.	Nice idea but it wouldn't need much solving
4.	'A role I'd do' is awkward for surface and the &lit def. 'Playing' doesn't produce a noun definition. "Played the lead…" would be better.

41. Poor I, barricaded alone, struggling to avoid violent bear

1.	Seems to clue the character rather than the actor
2.	How does the solver know that it's the actor that's required?
3.	Topical but surely this clues the character played, not the actor himself.
4.	Too awkward sounding, but I do like it.

42. Poor Radio Iceland broadcast lead to Titanic smash.

1.	It would have to be "led" in the surface
2.	'Poor' doesn't serve the surface well, and 'lead to' for 'lead in' is rather unnatural.

43. "Radio gaga radio goo-goo" LP once changed This Boy's Life

1.	Implies three consecutive anagrams not one, and definition is off
2.	'This Boy's Life' isn't a definition of the actor. The otiose 'gaga' and 'goo-goo' indicate (RADIO* + RADIO* + LPONCE*), so clue fails.

44. Revolutionary Road actor without shirt; idol pined endlessly.

1.	Unless this is intended to be & lit, 'Revolutionary' is doing double duty. Surface doesn't make much sense.
2.	This is the best cryptic clue ever written!!!!!!

45. Revolutionary Road idol near Oscar with pic?

1.	A nice & lit. Perhaps some of the anagram fodder could have been marshalled more effectively for a better surface.

46. Seat 'ard? I do go back to another car, which takes "no star".

1.	Near impenetrable first part and poor surface.

47. See nasty old A. Pacino and R. De Niro spurn a new movie star

1.	27 does this wordplay better
2.	'See' plays no function and renders 'spurn' grammatically wrong in the cryptic reading. I should be 'See…spurning a new…'
3.	I'm afraid Pacino and De Niro were managed better by 27.

48. Shipwreck victim, Jack Dawson, in Radio Caroline podcast

1.	Jack Dawson doesn't lead to L DE C.
2.	The clue does not define the actor, and I don't like '…podcast' for '…pod cast'
3.	Combining anagram fodder and indicator in the same word ('podcast') isn't fair to the solver.

49. Star of Revolutionary Road seen in periodical possibly?

1.	'Of' for 'on' is a bit obscure (though acceptable in Listener, etc) but a neat semi &lit with reference to the film.

50. Star player fitted in a game of limited overs after Christmas up a road, one international appearance before the forthcoming Olympics.

1.	Heh.
2.	Far too long-winded and inelegant.

51. Star you could see adorn periodical clutching Oscar

1.	I like the idea a lot, but not sure there's enough of an anagrind.
2.	Inadequate anagram indicator. "Star you could see" cannot be read to mean "Star that could be formed out of…" or "Star you could see as…"

52. This actor in Rio can do paid role for a change

1.	I prefer 25, which uses a very similar idea to this clue.
2.	The cryptic grammar of the wordplay doesn't work very well because of the linking word, 'in'.

53. This star's namesake is a great artist – a water colourist entertained by boss in Italy.

1.	The cryptic grammar doesn't make sense. It amounts to "This star is namesake is a great artist…".

54. Time and again written off, actor I adored in plot at sea

1.	Like it but really has to be "time and time again" in the cryptic reading (and it reads as though the actor not the film is written off)
2.	Potentially excellent &lit, but cluing the letter I as the personal pronoun weakens (possibly invalidates) the & lit definition.

55. Titanic player Hutton receives international recognition at port (8 8)

1.	Promising idea but 'receives' suggests a container, and 'international recognition' for ODI CAP (a non-standard phrase) is obscure.

56. Titanic player Paolo di Canio erred, losing head when sent off

1.	'Sent off' as an anagram indicator seems a bit dubious.

57. To be frank, account chief may reproduce one of this actor's best known films.

1.	Rule about capitalisation unfairly broken (frank for Frank). [XYZ reproduce]doesn't say what it means. Needs to be [XYZ might produce]

58. Tragic, poor, ironical, dead hero of "Titanic"

1.	He didn't die – his character did. 1/2 point for the effort.
2.	A sound anagram clue, but 'ironical' doesn't sit easily in the surface.

59. Versatile LA pro, adored icon with trace of Italian

1.	A decent & lit. Abbreviations are often a weakness, though this reads reasonably smoothly. & lit definition is perhaps a bit vague.
2.	Nicely done.

60. Was seen recently to adorn periodical waving Oscar.

1.	A neat semi-&lit marred by 'to' which is cryptically otiose and is an unsatisfactory link.
2.	I like the clue a lot, but I'm not expert enough to assess the validity of this type of construction.
3.	Definition relies too heavily on the wordplay rather than being enhanced by it.