| Comments on the clues |
|---|
| 1. …… (6) |
| 1. | No definition. | | 2. | 2 better. Scorers wouldn't score this way; can be maiden without six dot balls. | | 3. | Not a crossword clue in my opinion | | 4. | Totally impossible to solve. | | 5. | Far too obscure – and the dots in a maiden over are scored in two lines of three | | 6. | Too obscure. | | 7. | My favourite for its simplicity and cheekiness. |
|
| 2. … twice over? |
| 1. | No definition. | | 2. | Scorers wouldn't score this way; can be maiden without six dot balls. | | 3. | Clever and neat | | 4. | Better than 1 as it has a def. of sorts, but not that keen on the cryptic part. | | 5. | Maybe, if answer was sibsib? | | 6. | Much better than 1, but still unfair on non-cricket fans and all in all not my cup of tea, sorry | | 7. | Too obscure. |
|
| 3. A gemstone (diamond) fragment reflects in its original state. |
| 1. | Too convoluted for a word that offers a lot of options. |
|
| 4. A nag? Yes and no |
| 1. | Also inaccurate – plenty of older horses never win! |
|
| 5. Assertion from Edward he is backing winless horse |
| 1. | Nice idea but needs a ? at least. |
|
| 6. Being unmarried, old Jock's chopper's unused. |
| 1. | Difficult to understand why bachelorhood might stop you using a chopper. |
|
| 7. Critical to include comeback of Ed Balls? |
| 1. | Balls too vague as definition | | 2. | Construction good, but I felt the MAIN wordplay could be better | | 3. | "Balls" as the definition is a bit too much of a stretch, I feel. |
|
| 8. Daft idea, cutting Mechlin fringes
for machine-made curtains. |
| 1. | The definition would be for the death rather than for the machine. | | 2. | Surface and def too contrived | | 3. | Def. doesn't work for me. | | 4. | What? | | 5. | 'curtains' means death/end, not the instrument that causes it |
|
| 9. Dame in disguise? |
| 1. | Nice idea, but 'disguise' can't come after anagram fodder. | | 2. | Very neat and growing on me | | 3. | Good one . | | 4. | Neat. |
|
| 10. Damsel bowled over |
| 1. | An extremely old pun | | 2. | Like bowled over as a definition though not precise |
|
| 11. Damsel is fantastic, inviting…I halt…almost (6) |
| 1. | Surface is rather clumsy |
|
| 12. Debut match against India drained England's new openers (6) |
| 1. | Debut isn't an accurate definition for maiden |
|
| 13. Elgar's Enigma: identification veiling person pictured within Variation XIII. |
| 1. | Definition is not clear enough, and "Elgar's" is superfluous to cryptic reading. | | 2. | Too obscure for me, but good surface | | 3. | A little specialised, and needs a ? | | 4. | I knew that |
|
| 14. First aid provided in restroom for some |
| 1. | Nice idea, but aid=AID is too direct for this word, I think. |
|
| 15. First ever boundary-free century from Moeen secures boost for England |
| 1. | Welcome! I'd say it's unfair to take the boundaries from a three-letter word, and I don't think E = England is OK (E = English would be). Bu | | 2. | Too complicated I fear. | | 3. | This is too complicated I'm afraid. The cryptic work just to remove an O is too much, and E = English not England. | | 4. | Yes, too complicated (and the syntax is off). Spare a thought for the solver… | | 5. | Too many steps | | 6. | Boundary-free century for O is too oblique, boundary-free ton would have worked. A merit for the idea, would've been worth points otherwise | | 7. | A smooth surface reading |
|
| 16. First flight North after Madeira turns, drops leaders of Red Arrows. |
| 1. | First flight = maiden flight, not maiden |
|
| 17. First Lady |
| 1. | Simple but strong. | | 2. | a maiden is not a lady – 19 copes with this | | 3. | Too obvious as a clue for me to be in contention. I expect a lot of us considered this. | | 4. | I'm surprised more people didn't go for this – it's simple but effective. |
|
| 19. First lady in the making? |
| 1. | Unfortunately the same idea has been executed more effectively in 17 and 18 | | 2. | Better than 17 and 18 | | 3. | Better than 17/18 but def still a bit unconvincing | | 4. | I just think this is less strong than 17 and 18 because of the extra words. |
|
| 20. First man ate fish |
| 1. | 'Ate' is in the wrong tense | | 2. | past tense indicator is strange |
|
| 21. First name changed to protect identity |
| 1. | Excellent surface reading |
|
| 22. First one in denim pants |
| 1. | Not sure if pants is an anagrind. |
|
| 23. Fish in the sea; one I let go |
| 1. | Not sure how this is &lit – I can't see anything in Chambers to support it | | 2. | Nice idea, and clever wordplay but needs a ? | | 3. | Nice construction. Could do with a question mark (and colon or dash for semi-colon) | | 4. | Definition is too much of a stretch. |
|
| 24. Form of name that secures identity? |
| 1. | Like it. Although I'd have thought it proves rather than secures. |
|
| 26. Girl wanting unconventional sex on date finds me entertaining and new (6) |
| 1. | Amusing wordplay, but not convinced by def. of AI | | 2. | This does not make much sense. | | 3. | Container indication not English; def of AI unfair | | 4. | "Unconventional sex" for AI is a step too far for me. |
|
| 27. Girl with a denim dress |
| 1. | Neat construction nicely plausible | | 2. | 'Dress' can't go after fodder. | | 3. | Wordplay needs 'a denim to be dressed' or similar | | 4. | What's the purpose of the "with" in the cryptic reading? |
|
| 28. Graduate study that bags one a first? |
| 1. | Nice simple & convincing surface story | | 2. | Good surface and wordplay | | 3. | Can a maiden be a "first" as noun? And firsts are awarded for undergraduate not graduate study | | 4. | Nice idea but maiden = first as an adjective, so a first doesn't quite work | | 5. | I like this a lot, but worry whether the "study" is doing double work (Graduate study —> MA and study —> DEN). |
|
| 29. Help crew onboard to find young girl |
| 1. | Cryptic grammar doesn't quite work | | 2. | Is 'onboard' a transitive verb? If so it should be 'onboards'. | | 3. | Container device doesn't work |
|
| 30. Help hired by males is single woman (6) |
| 1. | Works perfectly, but a little uninspired. |
|
| 31. I end flying on something a bit better than BA — Virgin |
| 1. | Very nice concealment | | 2. | It made me laugh out loud – what is a crossword if not entertainment? | | 3. | Slightly prefer the Virgin clue at 53 but still very good | | 4. | Very original although not quite as slick as our other offering referencing the Branson Empire. | | 5. | Nice! |
|
| 32. I'm the ultimate in virtue and bowling? |
| 1. | Nice idea, but I'm not sure 'bowling' works as an anagrind | | 2. | Not sure intransitive "bowling" is very fair as an anagram indicator, but certainly very clever and worth marks | | 3. | Surely a maiden over is the opposite of ultimate in bowling? | | 4. | Some of the anagram fodder is separate from the anagram indicator. |
|
| 35. Male nurses plan short, uneventful deliveries (6) |
| 1. | Uneventful? The bowler might have taken a hat-trick! | | 2. | Points for artful construction and neat def, but surface a little strange |
|
| 36. Miss chaps coming round to help |
| 1. | Simple is sometimes best |
|
| 37. Name I'd changed after getting married? |
| 1. | I like the idea, but this feels more like double-duty than semi-&lit. Worth a merit | | 2. | For me this needs a dash after the wordplay to show that only part of the clue is doing &lit double duty | | 3. | Neat. |
|
| 40. Not all of team aid endgame, it's over with no score. |
| 1. | Best hidden clue | | 2. | Nice definition – but surface a bit strained | | 3. | A lot of "hidden" clues can be very obvious – the surface hides this one well. |
|
| 41. Nothing over 499 in West perhaps and North |
| 1. | 499 is not ID in Roman numerals; it is CDXCIX | | 2. | 499 = CDXCIX |
|
| 42. Officialy the first virgin (6) |
| 1. | Misspelling! | | 2. | At best meaningless, at worst a bit crude, and misspelt |
|
| 43. Promiscuous independent dame going with men? Not me! |
|
| 45. Run free in field? Sounds like Teresa's secret place |
| 1. | I like the cryptic definition, but spelling 'Theresa' wrong was a shame. | | 2. | All-round clever clue. Well done | | 3. | Witty allusion but not convinced by def or homophone | | 4. | I am fretting about homophones of "May's den", which is really what you've clued. |
|
| 46. Sadly it's the middle of September and I'm still waiting for my first win (6) |
| 1. | Oh dear! Alas, the superfluous "it's" means I'm not going to be able to help you on your way. | | 2. | Something most of us can sympathise with, so points for that | | 3. | I know the feeling! |
|
| 49. She could make man die happy |
| 1. | Creepy sexual def. Not keen on happy as anag ind |
|
| 50. Spinster: dame in distress? (6) |
| 1. | 'Distress' would need to come before the fodder |
|
| 51. States have little space for unsuccessful horse. |
| 1. | There are about 2500 permutations of 2 US State abbrevs | | 2. | There are 50 US states & hundreds more worldwide. | | 3. | I think just "states" is hardly fair to the solver when they have to find MA and ID. |
|
| 52. The young girl is Irma – identity enclosed. |
| 1. | Cryptic grammar doesn't quite work |
|
| 53. Virgin Media connection finally working. |
| 1. | Very good! Shame about the full stop, but this is a great clue. | | 2. | One of those you wish you’d spotted yourself! | | 3. | Neat surface, if a little bland | | 4. | Best of the anagrams. | | 5. | Excellent. Original and concise. |
|
| 55. Wanting husband, I had men in a tizzy? |
| 1. | Do/did all maidens want husbands?! |
|
| 56. Wild madder, in earth lacking colour, grown from a seed. |
| 1. | Indication of letters to remove is too indirect. | | 2. | The subtracted anagram is both indirect and unindicated |
|
| 57. Yes, if abandoned, I may end up a virgin |
| 1. | Surface reading very good |
|
