CCCWC August competition voters’ comments

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A clue to HALFPENNY.
55 comments were received for this competition (from 11 competitors, 1 other)
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Comments on the competition
1.
Sadly, as anticipated, another difficult word to clue…I was hoping others might have had some inspiration. Very difficult to award points, but 41 seemed about the best for its topicality
2.
I found this strangely hard to clue, and none of the entries really appealed to me. I'm sure the word must have been treated by some of the masters in the past — it would be interesting to see what they made of it.
3.
I prefer clues which avoid references to people, places and things which are not common knowledge For example, I had never heard of Leigh Halfpenny or The Global Laundromat money.

Comments on the clues

1. A beer leads to a pee? Not much change there!

1.	Beer is too obscure definition for half and 'leads to' is redundant
2.	Pee for penny ?
3.	Unless you have a blocked kidney or two.

2. A bit of a girl?

1.	Doesn't quite work

3. A bit of fun with Harry left Penelope tender once(9)

1.	Good wordplay, amusing surface
2.	Nice use of tender

4. A very small part of hard-earned pelf nan spent on pasty way back?

1.	Surface doesn't mean anything

5. Bi's attracted to the Big Apple: that's some change from the past!

1.	'Bi' could be half of a bill, two thirds of a bin, a quarter of a birthday, etc. Quite unsolvable.
2.	How one is supposed to get from Bi to pen I've no idea!
3.	Seems indirect requiring multiple steps to parse Bi= Halfpen
4.	Too indrect.

6. Change copper's equal share

1.	Too vague
2.	Using penny and penny (copper) in wordplay is not cryptic

7. Cheap beer? Every so often pregnancy follows!

1.	Nicely done

8. Cheap foreign banks help any criminal (9)

1.	Not entirely convinced by 'x banks' = 'borders of x' but otherwise good, as 14

10. Coin in fanny: help quickly! (9)

1.	Quickly is not an anagram indicator
2.	A shame minus points aren't available.
3.	'Quickly' is not an anagram indicator. But, more significantly, this is just crude.
4.	Can not believe that quickly is an anagrind.
5.	A tad gross and quickly isn't an anag. ind.

11. Dated mail: 50% by writer with name unknown.

1.	Good idea, though 'half' could be better disguised.
2.	50% is not cryptic
3.	Succinct; worth 3 points.

12. Following personal appearance Lenny Henry performs type of rap

1.	Good idea but a tad obscure.
2.	No indicator for selecting P and A. Performs after the fodder doesn't work as an anagram indicator.

13. For next to nothing, swan about 50% of the Big Apple? Just the opposite!

1.	50% is not cryptic
2.	Do not understand: Just the opposite.

14. Foreign banks help with any dodgy cash

1.	Not entirely convinced by 'x banks' = 'borders of x' but otherwise good, as 8
2.	Not sure about banks to indicate ends or with in the middle of anagram fodder

15. Girl chases 2001 computer female. Will says it's not worth the bother.

1.	Definition not quite right

16. Help fan to play with City for a little bit

1.	Nice surface and wordplay that would be improved by omitting 'to'

17. Help Fanny out a little bit

1.	Neatest anagram.

18. Henry and Alf have a little girl, a tiny thing

1.	All proper nouns. Little girls could be any name

19. Historical bit shows Henry VIII taking one female after another

1.	Would work better without the 'VIII'
2.	Needs a question mark?

21. In part, city inspired writers' group mail once.

1.	Part is weak

22. It could be per definition, once ready

1.	Sort of works as a cryptic def., both defs. leading to the same meaning. Surface doesn't make much sense.
2.	Like the use of ready but the rest is weak

23. It is of little value to get City to go after a writer chasing a mid-field football player (9)

1.	I am baffled.

24. It's of little value and may produce awful pain – then fly without it.

1.	Original anagram. Surface sense a bit weak.
2.	'it' is not consectutive the anag. fodder

25. Magpie delivered by mail? That's years ago

1.	Rather an obscure reference, but may appeal to some.
2.	Delivered is intrusive

26. Magpie having incomplete wing

1.	Don't get this

27. Mail: "With this long ago you could have been 50 per cent wise, perhaps" (9)

Clunky

28. Money back offered and accepted in Wales sounds derisorily low

1.	'Sounds' is redundant in surface and wordplay, and unfairly points to a non-existent homophone

29. Mouldy scratch makes hen flap angrily with noisy wings

1.	'Mouldy' doesn't really mean 'out of date' in the sense of 'discontinued'.

32. Old Meg's fifty-fifty odds of pregnancy

1.	Nice idea but fifty-fifty doesn't mean half
2.	The wordplay is excellent.

38. Shakespearean snippet: adaptation of play (half of Henry V) with extremes of Fluellen.

1.	Original and great surface reading.

43. When doubled up in the past, this would often afford you some relief?

1.	Nice cryptic def., but I believe comp clues should have wordplay.

44. With this money from UK, troubled Tripoli, not peaceful at the borders, avoids uncontrolled hyperinflation (9)

1.	Remove inside from 'peaceful', remove what's left from 'Tripoli', rearrange, remove that from 'hyperinflation' and rearrange? Too convoluted