CCCWC November competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 11: Device designed primarily to hurt when mounted
Back to competition result |
All the comments |
Other competitions
A clue to WILD MARE.
4 comments refer to this clue (from 4 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. |
---|
Clue 11 does not match the explanation!! |
2. |
---|
I thought clue 26 was a clear winner, succinct and witty, 5 points. Clue 11 is a clever &lit. based on the other meaning of WILD MARE, 4 points. Clue 32 is a little bit stretched, but just about holds together , 3 points. Clue 8 isn't quite as pithy as 11, but works pretty well; 2 points. I struggled to award the last point, but in the end went for the faintly outrageous clue 35.
Overall, I thought the standard was lower than for DOOLALLY, which perhaps reflects the limited scope for oblique definitions. |
3. |
---|
Not very many strong candidates for the points this month – too many unconvincing surfaces, inadequate definitions and examples of iffy wordplay – but a small handful of good and very good ones, among which 26 (5 points) stood out. The very similar and otherwise accomplished 8 (2.5 points) suffered from the artificiality of the archaism "rime". 11 (4 points) was a neat &lit. 19 (2.5)and 32 (1 point), my other two selections for points, both exploited good ideas (whether or not you agree with "lie" in 19!), but WILD MARE ought really, I think, to have been defined in terms of one of the meanings given in the dictionary rather than as a random phrase. I can, however, well understand the temptation to go with the ambiguity of "reluctantly saddled" in 19 once that excellent idea had presented itself (which is what got it a higher rating than 32). |
4. |
---|
1st (4 points) 11 (I took some time to appreciate this, but it fits together better and better the more I look at it)
2nd (2.5 points) 3 (utterly silly and disobeys the normal rules, but strikingly clever)
3rd= (1.5 points each): a number of clues all of which were almost good but each of which had what seemed to be some blemish): 8 (artificial use of 'rime' not 'rhyme'], 13 (a bit flat), 19 (I had doubts about the soundness of the def.), 34 (rather vague def.), [36} (also a bit flat)
8th (1 point) 32 (I wasn't sure about the way the anagram indicator worked) |