Comments on the clues |
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1. 500 added to 500 is 1000 – are you shocked? |
1. | Nice fresh approach & the unusual ordering of the cryptic elements just about works. | 2. | Excellent, and much the best of a surprisingly poor crop of entries. | 3. | I like this overall, but I don't understand why "are" clues "a". | 4. | How does the second D go to the end? | 5. | Good wordplay, but hardly a shocking revelation. | 6. | Not sure about Are = A, but brilliant otherwise. | 7. | A shame the last bit a=are and you=ye is step too far for the solver – 1/2 pt. | 8. | Not keen on "are" for "a" |
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2. 'A doctrine, indeed!', theologian scoffs, appalled |
1. | "scoffs" is a wonderful indicator for "inside" |
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3. A month inside, upset and dead unhappy. |
1. | You cannot use INSIDE to mean IN SIDE. | 2. | Running in and side together as one word not good enough for a competitive entry I feel | 3. | Surface is a little tautological |
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4. Alarmed that Diana, the first is perhaps chief (8) |
1. | 'Diana, the first' does not indicate the first letter of Diana and CHIEF is too vague to mean ED. | 2. | 'That' has no function, 'may' is not a synonym of 'perhaps' (try it!), and surface makes no sense with the comma | 3. | Surface not appealing | 4. | Surface makes little sense | 5. | Always make, sure commas are used correctly. | 6. | Surface has superfluous comma and doesn't make much sense |
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5. Appalled old maid educated following Diana Dors' finale |
1. | Not smooth surface reading | 2. | Surface contrived |
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6. Appalled – sweet potatoes sent back – inside perished |
1. | Doesn't read very naturally |
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7. Audible jeer caused upset |
1. | Neat, but DIS=DISS so 'Jeer caused audible upset' would have been better |
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8. Back inside you made yams – I devoured with alarm |
1. | Surface not appealing | 2. | I don't think yams need to be made |
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9. Blue dye? Madder is wrong — you don't want red, silly! |
1. | Nicely worked, but not sure about SILLY as anagram indicator. | 2. | Nice, though 'blue' isn't a very fair synonym of 'dismayed' for me. Still worth points. | 3. | I hope the cleverness of this clue is recognised. For me it's the clear stand-out of a generally below par bunch. |
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10. Change for midday sun to keep English inside, discouraged |
1. | Nice play on mad dogs etc but not sure you can use 'sun' for 's' as part of anagram. | 2. | Ref. to mad dogs and Englishmen is a nice spot but clue is not quite there somehow. |
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11. Declined to eat up veg, far from happy |
1. | A bit forced, especially with 'eat up' |
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12. Depressed princess made society extremely uncomfortable (8) |
1. | Nice, but I'm not sure 'uncomfortable' works alone as an anagrind. |
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13. Depressed,took a month off ? |
1. | I'd enjoy this more if there weren't a month in every word this year. | 2. | A nice effort, but might be a stretch | 3. | This sort of unorthodoxy needs more than a question mark to alert the solver | 4. | Don't understand this? |
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14. Designated driver carries a single seamy drunk in disarray. |
1. | Definition questionable | 2. | Not an engaging surface |
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15. Dis May Ed was saddened. (8) |
1. | There is no cryptic element. | 2. | This takes 'hiding in plain sight' to a new level! | 3. | A little too obvious, I think. | 4. | The whole word practically given as is | 5. | The answer is not very well disguised | 6. | Ummm? | 7. | Too obvious |
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16. Disappointed in yob, girl and boy. |
1. | You can't use YOB< to indicate SID< | 2. | Dislike clues that use names (since there are hundreds of them). This uses three, and 'yob' for 'dis' is too indirect for my taste, sorry | 3. | Yob = dis is a stretch too far for a solver, I'm afraid. | 4. | Not much of a fan of clues where you have to guess names; a small bit OK, but three of them? | 5. | Yob = dis is too indirect | 6. | Too convoluted – if you (can) apply logic like this, yob could be det, bor, mot etc. | 7. | clue for "dis" much too indirect |
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17. Discouraged? Time to adopt a philosophy, Miliband |
1. | TIME=DAY a bit iffy – Miliband needs a '?' | 2. | I struggle to suppress a yawn at this type of clue, sorry |
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18. Do enemy aids make one this? |
1. | Technically smooth but not sure about "enemy aids" | 2. | Don't agree that this is an &lit, and can't see a logical connection | 3. | What are enemy aids? | 4. | "enemy aids" not very natural phrase in the surface |
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19. Dragons originally turned my ideas down |
1. | Very good, but only with awareness of TV show | 2. | Couldn't figure out if the surface conveys anything meaningful | 3. | Beautifully constructed surface. | 4. | Very nicely constructed clue. | 5. | Nice ref. to Dragons' Den – the "originally" is a bit of a weakness (and is 'down' fair as def?) |
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20. Feeling distressed that my tailless ass died wandering |
1. | The 'that' is extraneous | 2. | Surface appears a bit forced | 3. | The 'that' seems to be redundant | 4. | 'Tailless' is obviously gratuitous. How about 'ass almost…' instead? | 5. | Made me smile. |
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21. Gloomy dacoit leader is crazy about you (8) |
1. | Interesting choice of word to clue the D! Not sure 'gloomy' is quite 'dismayed'. | 2. | 'Dacoit leader' doesn't make it D for me, though some may be OK with this |
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22. Having stained clothing is Mother bothered? |
1. | You mean D(ISMA)YED. Clue not bad |
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23. Heard to insult servant girl? One is appalled! |
1. | Why the 'One'? | 2. | One of the better homophones. | 3. | "one is appalled" suggests a noun |
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25. Homework includes review of an original paper on drugs. Daughter's not impressed (8) |
1. | Query 'drugs' for E, not convinced by definition, rather long for a so-so surface story. | 2. | I don't think 'not impressed' is a strong enough def., and E isn't really 'drugs' |
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26. Hopping mad, yes I'd be disappointed! |
1. | 'X be Y' isn't really English | 2. | Nice idea, but let down by the 'be'. | 3. | Nice effort, didn't like the intrusive 'be' | 4. | 'Become' would be better than 'be' for the cryptic reading. |
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27. Horrified diners insipidly served messy and yucky egg dip starters |
1. | A bit clumsey, but worth a point! | 2. | I think an initial letter clue has to be a bit more concealed to win some points. | 3. | Bit clunky and forced | 4. | messy and yucky are the same thing |
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28. Horrified homophobe's conclusion: "My dad is queer!" |
1. | The surface reading made me laugh |
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29. Horrified Midas' unfortunate final solitary embrace – ending in terminal gold. |
1. | TERMINAL is redundant | 2. | This clue definitely has the "Midas touch"… |
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30. Horrified scholar catches couple at end of Kingsley Amis novel |
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31. I'm sad d'ye fancy? |
1. | A rather unnatural &lit for &lit's sake, and an odd way to clue an adjective | 2. | bit of an obvious anagram |
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32. I'm 'sorry', 'gutted', 'dead upset' |
1. | Best of the &lits, but rather boring fare and the 3 defs don't seem to nail the sense of 'dismayed' |
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33. Intimidated, Sid left yapping maid (8) |
1. | Not happy with the reversal indicator |
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34. Mashed yams died broken hearted |
1. | Surface doesn't appeal much | 2. | I've never seen yams anthropomorphised before! |
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35. My dad is out taking ecstasy – I'm appalled! |
1. | "I'm" doesn't quite work |
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36. New dad? Yes, I'm overwhelmed! (8) |
1. | "overwhelmed" doesn't convey "dismayed" to me. | 2. | Good surface, but I think a better def. could be found | 3. | The def is inaccurate. | 4. | Very pleasing – a coherent image not involving yams – well done. |
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38. Perhaps turned color, as I'm upset inside?! |
1. | Points deducted for American spelling! | 2. | Don't think this is quite an &lit. |
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39. Perhaps with this applied, could be sad (8) |
1. | Makes no sense: would have to be "could be be" | 2. | I think you mean 'could be be sad' |
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40. Ridiculing my ideas after start of debate made me sad. |
1. | 'me' is superfluous | 2. | I like the wordplay, but not the 'made me' part. |
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41. Shaken (or stirred initially) when darling buds are withered all around |
1. | Get the idea, but mixing Bond and Shakespeare et al doesn't seem to fit |
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43. Shocked to see the tubers uprooted and perished all around. |
1. | 'to see the' superfluous |
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47. Syrian leader might be going into breakdown! Is Assad finally horrified? |
1. | 'be' and 'is' both redundant |
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50. Upset as rejected vegetables perished outside |
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51. Upset in one of the Norfolk Broads spoken of |
1. | Doesn't really make any sense | 2. | Needs a question mark I think | 3. | Broads = maids. I don't get what Norfolk is doing either? |
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52. Upset? Onset of much existentialist despair, and I'd say. |
1. | Not keen on 'upset' having a double role like this |
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53. Upset when Southern girl stopped to drop off diamonds (8) |
1. | If I am reading this correctly – May can define a girl, but does girl really define May? |
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54. Yes, Dad, I'm confused and afraid |
1. | Is "dismayed" really "afraid"? | 2. | One of the best of the dad anagrams, but doesn't mean much |
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55. Yes, I am in a panic, beset by extremes of dread, stricken with anxiety. . . |
1. | A bit verbose | 2. | Good structure but does panic, dread, anxiety convey "dismay"? |
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