CCCWC January competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 20: Law-breaker, perhaps, reversing vehicle in the distance
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A clue to MIRACLE.
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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Of the 47 clues, I was able very quickly to come up with a short-list of 11. Bearing in mind the clue word, I was a little surprised by how uninspiring some of the clues were. Poor surface readings abounded on many of the sound clues. However, as always, there were also a few brilliant ones.
Two that didn't quite make my short-list but are worthy of comment are:
11. 'Hand of God' claim re foul - This would be a fantastic clue if 'Hand of God' meant miracle, but Chambers does not seem to define it so.
43. Wonder if empirical formula = pi(x) - An interesting idea indeed, but I don't think it *quite* works.
My short-list:
3. Bush remarkably inflamed, for instance, by Liberal America's endless stirring - Excellent clue with misleading definition and associated surface reading.
6. Dodgy claim re bleeding statue? - Nice idea, but better executed in clue 34.
7. Email leaders of Roman church about possible grounds for canonization - Decent surface reading and a slightly different slant on the definition.
14. In problematical situation a class idiot's not going to be considered a prodigy! - A different approach. not sure it merited an exclamation mark.
19. LA, crime-free?! - Made me laugh, but on reconsideration not quite correct grammatically and perhaps pushing things a bit too far as a definition.
20. Law-breaker, perhaps, reversing vehicle in the distance - Interesting definition in a natural surface reading. Simple and fairly elegant.
30. One rarely sees this many drivers in a race - I liked the definition and, after some thought, 'many drivers' for RAC.
34. Preposterous claim re supernatural event - Straightforward and elegant.
35. Rehabilitation of this ever-blind: incredible marvel! - Best of the composite anagrams by far and not too contrived in trying to obtain an &lit clue. 'Ever-blind' is slightly weak.
42. Wonder drug seized by porter on remote station - Great way to bring in 'Wonder' as the definition. Completely misleading context for all parts of the clue and a very plausible surface reading.
48. What a martyr's original relic might generate? - Neat &lit clue. In my opinion it misses out slightly to some of the others because it is a bit too direct (i.e. no misleading context). |
| 2. |
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I thought this was a deceptively tricky word to clue; the letters seemed promising, but the word was surprisingly difficult to define in any satisfactorily misleading way. As often seems to happen with the stiffer challenges, a fair amount of unsoundness was evident amongst the entry as clue-writers struggled to inject that little bit of extra zest into their clues.
I went with #8 as my winner for a well constructed comp. anag. & lit. even though it failed to adhere to my preference of there being an equal or lower number of extra letters added to make the composite anagram than there are in the clue-word itself. 2nd place went to #48 for a good solid &lit., though the surface is not wholly satisfactory (original relic?). 3rd place went to #32 for one of the more imaginative definitions and a nice, misleading surface. I gave #18 two points - not the greatest surface, but it does hold together as a possible, if unlikely, real-world sentence. I gave #20 5th place - again one of the better definitions (perhaps, even the best), but let down by the lack of a convincing thematic connection between the definition and the wordplay (anyone could be reversing a vehicle, why particularly a law-breaker?)
A couple that came close to the points were #3 and #5, which both displayed some nice wordplay; however, both contained an entirely superfluous word between the definition and wordplay parts. I also thought #41 was a good contender, but, for me, 'club' was far too vague an indication of RAC. |
| 3. |
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An excellent set of entries although many were easily spotted anagrams. Some clues were very good but for their containing an extra word or two that detracted from the overall strcuture. Some clues, I felt, were a little obscure without that little bit of finesse that turns the ordinary into the fascinating. I also felt that the numerous compound anagrams (of which I am not a big fan unless they have an innate beauty) did not quite hit the mark. My selection is as follows:
1st, 5pts 20: Law breaker, perhaps, reversing vehicle in the distance Parsimony with all the elements of a good and challenging clue
2nd, 4 pts 11 Hand of God claim re foul I like clues that make me smile while still abiding by the rules of compilation. A clever reference to a "miracle" and sufficiently devious to put one off the scent.
3rd, 3 pts 46 Wonder when I'm turning left in channel Almost made this 2nd equal but felt the humour in 11 just pipped it. A nicely constructed, parsimonious clue.
4th, 2 pts 48. What a martyr's original relic might generate? Liked the construction of this anagram-containing &lit.
5th, 1 pt 7: Email leaders of Roman church about possible grounds for canonization A well constructed clue in which all the words contribute to the solution, without giving the game away too easily. |
