CCCWC October competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 29: Hail fellow man
Back to competition result |
All the comments |
Other competitions
A clue to DOOLALLY (Misprints).
3 comments refer to this clue (from 3 competitors, 0 others)
Move your mouse pointer over any bold clue number to see the clue.
Here is the text
Comments on the competition |
---|
1. |
---|
I'm bored with the financial crisis, so the bankers/bonkers clues would have had to be exceptional for me to vote for them, and I didn't think any were. There were, however, some real gems to enjoy. Thanks to the composers of the following five:
First, for five points, I choose clue 48; it's terse, the surface is immaculate and the misprint is hard to spot as both 'toy' and 'bath' offer scope. Brilliant.
In second place I put clue 29. A masterpiece of brevity, in which the misprint could appear at either end. I only put this second to clue 48 for its use of 'dictionary' words/definitions.
As third I choose clue 32. The use of 'while away' is wonderful and the surface is entirely plausible. 'Lock' could be a number of things (and 'away' could be 'sway').
Fourth place goes to clue 35. A simpler clue than the above three, and with an easier-to-spot misprint, but I'm swayed by the convincing surface and the clue's brevity.
In fifth I put clue 26. It's rather stop-start, but I enjoyed 'McCoist'=ALLY and the image is a pleasing one. |
2. |
---|
My personal preference for brevity was challenged by 22. It was just pipped in my list by 48 and 29, but it was the clue I would most like to have written. |
3. |
---|
Is this the best ever set of clues for one of these competitions? Many of them would in a normal month have been my top choice. It seems unkind to give some of them so few points.
Perhaps this isn't quite demanding enough: an actual setter will have to compose a misprints clue with a particular letter missing (or the correct one), not any old letter.
My choices: 1st: 32 (2.5 points); 2nd=: 3, 18, 34, 39, 49 (1.5 points each); 7th=: 10, 14 (1 point each); 9th=: 5, 6, 13, 23, 27, 29 (0.5 points each). |