CCCWC January competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 44: Wonder if this cryptic gets 1st place!
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A clue to MIRACLE.
2 comments refer to this clue
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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| Some nice ideas here, but still far too much garbage from such a relatively experienced bunch of crossworders (eg clue 44 and 26's first exit=E : I ask you!). The & lit arriving late (48) just steals the show from a nicely contextualised 21 (Tim Moorey's, I'm guessing), with No 7 (good oblique definition) placed third. Nos 6 and 34 are not hugely exciting but they make honest use of a simple anagram and deserve 0.5 points each. |
| 2. |
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I'm afraid I found most of what was offered to be either uninspiring or unacceptable for one reason or another. Many clues seemed cumbersome, which I thought wrong for a reasonably friendly word. Some of those I discarded were #2, #19, #24, #25, #40 and #44; although Chambers suggests that any surprising or unexpected event qualifies, clarity surely requires that what's described breaks natural law rather than merely being a pessimist's response to what isn't physically impossible. #24 has the additional weakness (sorry!) that the wordplay seemingly uses medians, not means. There were several entries containing padding or sections doing double duty (#17 - a shame because I liked "turbulent mill race", and #39) and some that required a change in word from wordplay to definition (such as #12 - artists or artists'?). #43 contained an attractive idea that I thought wasn't fully exploited.
My favourites (top to bottom) are
#11 "Re" is of course contrived, but worth it for the succinctness. Very elegant.
#7 Convincing surface and unambiguous definition.
#3 Although it reads clumsily, the picture is an attractive one
#30 I like the superficial blandness of the statement - the solver has no obvious way in.
#45 Very obvious solution - but then we're judging ideas, not simplicity! |
