CCCWC January competition voters’ comments

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A clue to ARGENT.
63 comments were received for this competition (from 6 competitors, 0 others)
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Comments on the competition
1.
I'm afraid anything which didn't indicate the fact that argent is only a heraldic, archaic or poetic term was immediately relegated to "Merit" at best for me. I also wasn't much of a fan of using the French definition – I happy to allow "up in French" (or similar) for SUR a few months ago (for the SURTAX/COLLOP L&R) only because it's specifically listed in Chambers; ARGENT is not listed as the French for money.
2.
Although ARGENT has several meanings it is a tricky word to define with precision and the most successful clues avoided using a vague, imprecise or esoteric definition. It does lend itself well to the 'and lit' format, though examples of this were surprisingly thin on the ground (24 & 39). Four competitors chose to clue ARGENT as the French for 'money' (16, 21, 33 & 37) whilst clue 12 opted for the more generic forms of silver currency. However the large majority chose to use either a simple definition of 'silver' or 'silvery' (23/46) or a reference to the heraldic tincture (10/46). To define ARGENT as 'white' without any reference to heraldry made five clues rather too challenging (3, 6, 44, 45 and 46) as perhaps were the two using 'colour' (4 and 11).

Comments on the clues

1. A red knight is white on his escutcheon.

1.	The wordplay seems rather challenging, in particular is R a standard abbreviation for red ?

2. Artist returns with the following information for a heraldic colour.

1.	"A heraldic colour" is a bit of a lame definition for me.
2.	Ingenious wordplay but in the surface what is 'the following information' ?

3. Blue garnet or white (6)

1.	I can’t see how 'blue' indicates an anagram
2.	But garnet is red, isn't it? The surface loses all its convincingness.
3.	'Blue' isn't really an adequate indicator of rearrangement and the def. needs qualification as argent is really silver (see 1, 7 & 23)
4.	The surface of this otherwise neat clue is spoiled by the fact that garnets come in various colours, but neither blue nor white.

4. Colour-sergeant parading south-east off ground

1.	I don't think it's fair to have the colour of colour-sergeant as a clue – colour-sergeant is one word.
2.	Surface seems strained, def. is vague (see clue 20) and shouldn't be joined to the wordplay (where 'parading' seems otiose) by a hyphen.

5. Curious stranger discovered silver (6)

1.	"Dis-covered" is too much of a stretch.
2.	"discover" doesn’t mean "uncover" in modern English
3.	'uncovered' would probably make the wordplay clearer.

6. Doctor Strange – not initially white?

1.	Definition requires qualification rather than just a question mark as argent is really silver (see clues 1, 7, 23 and 35).

7. Dope dressed up by painting white on arms

1.	Good set of misleading definitions
2.	Well disguised definition.
3.	The surface reading seems rather arbitrary.

8. Every other hair on nice man’s head is silvery

1.	Nice surface though the wordplay is a little strained perhaps (see clue 17).

9. Fed seizes last of poor poet's silver

1.	Nice surface reading
2.	Thoughtful definition

10. Force enters row having lost face over old silver

1.	Good to see an indication of archaism though the wordplay seems rather challenging and the surface reading too arbitrary.

11. Garnet changes colour (6)

1.	Surface too short to have substantive meaning and definition requires qualification as 'colour' is far too vague (see clue 20).

12. Guitar gently weeps both old and new money

1.	I don't get the surface.
2.	The surface reading lacks coherence and 'weeps' isn't really a containment indicator (see clue 16).

13. Half-cut Lone Ranger and Tonto heading drunkenly for Silver

1.	A pity this is spoiled (unnecessarily) by the unsoundness of "Tonto heading" = T, when "Tonto's heading" would have made equally good sense.
2.	The wordplay really requires 'Tonto's heading' so a bit more work needed to refine this one.

14. Information welcomed in the application of skill producing silver

1.	The better of the two GEN inside ART clues.

15. It's silver for La Albiceleste, in a departure from the norm

1.	The surface meaning isn't clear and the wordplay awkward.

16. Nice money to be had from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"?

1.	Not keen on superfluous words in a hidden clue
2.	Not sure what the surface means here.

17. Not oddly, hair on man's top becomes silvery (6)

1.	Nice surface reading, clear wordplay and an accurate definition.

18. Old silver found in two thirds of country. Don't shed tears for it! (6)

1.	The wordplay seems rather challenging and the surface reading random.

19. Old silver piece of Ancient Roman origin found by short chap

1.	The wordplay requires 'Roman's origin'.

20. Regret unevenly donning fake tan seeing colour on arms

1.	I like the surface, but 'unevenly' and 'fake' don’t work cryptically
2.	At first I wondered whether the definition was strict enough, but I suppose I'd accept "colour" for RED, so I'm happy.
3.	In the wordplay, 'fake' doesn't seem to convey the necessary rearrangement of 'tan'.

21. Retired bank manager pocketing a bit of René's money in Paris

1.	Good surface, one of the better agent clues
2.	The wordplay seems quite challenging here.

22. Sailor's head chopped off – by mostly John Silver?

1.	Perhaps @Sailor has …' or 'Sailor with …' would make the wordplay clearer ?

23. Say mole having subdued colour, marginally white on arms

1.	The surface seems arbitrary and the wordplay rather awkward, especially the indication of R.

24. Shield designed with this displays herald's tinge

1.	A nice &lit.

25. Silver and garnet design

1.	A bit too short to provide a really interesting surface reading.

26. Silver dollar finally found in bureau

1.	I think a bureau is an agency rather than an agent
2.	Does bureau = agent ?

27. Silver found in cracked Red Rock(6)

1.	Isn't this an indirect anagram?
2.	The indirect anagram is generally considered not to be a fair wordplay device – does the surface reading have a particular significance ?

29. Silver is smuggled in a criminal gentleman's right (not left) pocket.

1.	Wordplay very challenging !

30. Silver ring lost? No great shakes

1.	A great anagram
2.	The question mark seems unnecessary in the wordplay which perhaps needs 'from' instead.

32. Silver trout ? (6)

1.	Fiendish!
2.	Too short to provide a meaningful surface reading and in reality the question mark can't alter that the wordplay isn't fair to the solver.

34. Stranger, without right, brings the shilling out but is tortured for the heraldic silver

1.	Strange surface reading and tortured wordplay !

35. Sun returning, bloke reveals white part of arms

1.	Nice idea but isn't Ra sun-god rather than sun?

39. This term in heraldry might lead you to 'grey' (and 'tan', mistakenly)

1.	Why 'tan' ?

40. Upcoming article recalled The Clash, without doubt 70s rock legends

1.	Surface seems a bit strained, wordplay rather tortuous and definition far too esoteric.

41. Vintage silver car's back in 007's possession?

1.	Points for originality
2.	Nice.

42. What field sports regularly featured game tenants?

1.	The surface reading doesn't seem rhetorical and the definition requires qualification with a reference to heraldry or colour perhaps.

44. White alpha male capturing power at last (6)

1.	Definition requires qualification as argent is really silver (see clues 1, 7, 23 & 35).

45. White knight's great move

1.	Definition requires qualification as argent is really silver (see clues 1, 7 & 23) and the 's' is otiose in the wordplay.

46. White pawn checks king

1.	Neat wording but should indicate this is a special type of white
2.	Neat surface but only at the expense of the definition which requires qualification as argent is really silver (see clues 1, 7 & 23).