Comments on the clues |
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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. |
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2. A bit of a girl? |
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3. A bit of fun with Harry left Penelope tender once(9) |
1. | Good wordplay, amusing surface | 2. | Nice use of tender |
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4. A very small part of hard-earned pelf nan spent on pasty way back? |
1. | Surface doesn't mean anything |
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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. |
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6. Change copper's equal share |
1. | Too vague | 2. | Using penny and penny (copper) in wordplay is not cryptic |
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7. Cheap beer? Every so often pregnancy follows! |
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8. Cheap foreign banks help any criminal (9) |
1. | Not entirely convinced by 'x banks' = 'borders of x' but otherwise good, as 14 |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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15. Girl chases 2001 computer female. Will says it's not worth the bother. |
1. | Definition not quite right |
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16. Help fan to play with City for a little bit |
1. | Nice surface and wordplay that would be improved by omitting 'to' |
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17. Help Fanny out a little bit |
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18. Henry and Alf have a little girl, a tiny thing |
1. | All proper nouns. Little girls could be any name |
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19. Historical bit shows Henry VIII taking one female after another |
1. | Would work better without the 'VIII' | 2. | Needs a question mark? |
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21. In part, city inspired writers' group mail once. |
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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 |
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23. It is of little value to get City to go after a writer chasing a mid-field football player (9) |
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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 |
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25. Magpie delivered by mail? That's years ago |
1. | Rather an obscure reference, but may appeal to some. | 2. | Delivered is intrusive |
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26. Magpie having incomplete wing |
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27. Mail: "With this long ago you could have been 50 per cent wise, perhaps" (9) |
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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 |
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29. Mouldy scratch makes hen flap angrily with noisy wings |
1. | 'Mouldy' doesn't really mean 'out of date' in the sense of 'discontinued'. |
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32. Old Meg's fifty-fifty odds of pregnancy |
1. | Nice idea but fifty-fifty doesn't mean half | 2. | The wordplay is excellent. |
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38. Shakespearean snippet: adaptation of play (half of Henry V) with extremes of Fluellen. |
1. | Original and great surface reading. |
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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. |
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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 |
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