The Crossword Centre Clue-Writing Competition

CCCWC January competition voters’ comments

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A clue to TWO-FACED.
94 comments were received for this competition (from 12 competitors, 2 others)
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Comments on the competition
1.
Definitions such as "Janus" are wrong as they are nouns and the answer is not — but "like Janus" is a correct (if give-away) definition.
Many clues used "de facto" in non-sensical ways; it was used appropriately in clues such as 11, 13 and 25.
2.
9 is a simple clue wih a nice sense of humour, unlike 2 for instance which gives a rather unconvincing surface reading (even if its complex structure is sound). There are many in between these extremes, but few are at all interesting, alas.
3.
No really convincing winner for me this month. There was a good range of anagrams employed – some more successful than others in making the surface story plausible. As ever, I was attracted to those entries with good wordplay, fair definitions and a novel or, at least, different approach.
 
Comments on the clues
1. Amazing fact is, we do not essentially wish to be phoney (3-5)
1.“To be” spoils the cryptic reading
2.Seems gratuitous to add IS then laboriously remove it.
2. Anything returned in Yorkshire? Twelfth month looking up after nothing dishonest.
1.Surface doesn’t make sense
2.Feels a bit assembled.
3.Baffling
5. Beans failing to leave you full of beans – something's up which is rather contradictory
1.Surface is laboured
2.Ingenious. OWT<>something, even in Emmerdale.
3.Original and entertaining clue
6. Being hypocritical is posssibly better than being alone!
1.Original, but the association doesn't quite work.
2.I don't see how this works even as a cryptic definition.
7. Being insincere, Spooner says old Labour leader gave an untouchable delivery.
1.Surface story doesn’t make sense.
2.Nice idea, but unhappy with non RP Foot. Gave delivery doesn't quite work in tennis or oratory.
8. Cardinal takes hot drink back for the faithless
1.&lit? Don't get it
2.Can't see the &lit. Cardinal/faithless association doesn't quite provide enough glue to make the story plausible.
3.The faithless (noun) can't equal two-faced (adj) (= unfaithful rather than faithless). Also not & lit!
4.Is there a connection between hot drinks and religiosity?
9. Cat few do fancy, being cute one minute, vicious the next?
1.Good anagram idea
2.Anagram fodder rather telegraphed
3.Mostly good, but "do" seems unnecessary in the surface reading
10. Couple met with accusation of being disloyal.
1.Clueing two as “two” takes away the cryptic element.
2.Best of the clues whose WP follows the word breaks, since topical.
11. Crooked de facto world leader is untrustworthy (3-5)
1.Best of the anagrams: appropriate indicator, good W selection, with 'de facto' thereby in the correct register for the surface.
2.Best of the de factos
3.Crooked = untrustworthy
12. Daft cow with field strength gets muddled and proves false (3.5)
1.Surface doesn’t make sense
2.As a physics grad, I get field strength in wordplay, but what does it mean in the surface??
3.What is a cow with "field strength"?
13. De facto wife could be false (3-5)
1.Not a fan of "could be" as anagrind. Like de facto wife (seems to be Aus/NZ term)
15. Deceitful de facto rogue's taking in wife
1."de facto" doesn't really fit the surface
19. Designing couple prepared to switch British origins to France
1.I don't think origins can be switched… origins means where one is from in the beginning, or one's ancestry
2.Description of emigration(?) too forced to be plausible.
3.I liked this novel approach but def and 'switching origins' didn't work well enough for me.
20. Devious turns in Dow regularly affect CAC after opening (3-5)
1.Definition doesn't quite fit the surface. Anagram indicator a little odd, both as indicator and as a description of market fluctuations.
2.Anagram a bit indirect but I think it's just about ok
3.CAC a bit obscure for Britons probably
21. Dishonest in fact we do wrong (8)
1.Surface spoilt rather by missing comma after dishonest.
2.Nice anagram. I would have preferred some punctuation after the first word
3.Almost great, but needs punctuation
22. Dissembling wife has de facto played around
1."de facto" doesn't really make sense in the sentence
23. Double cut by Fed affected Dow, producing jump
1.Definition weak. Anag indicator iffy. Need to read as 'cut-by-Fed affected Dow': ok, but only if everything else works smoothly.
24. Double dealing's criminal act few do
1.Many double deal actually !
2.I think double-dealing needs its hyphen.
3.Is the 's required?
25. Double-dealing de facto leader of Welsh Assembly
1.Assembly as noun doesn’t work as anagram indicator
2.Best of the de facto clues
3.About the limit of acceptability (for me) for noun anagram indicator. Isn't Drakeford squeaky clean?
4.Surface reading sounds incomplete
28. Duplicitous Trump will outrightly fib and concoct exculpatory deceptions at first (3-5)
1.Grammatical, but sounds a little contrived
29. False move with cad beginning to trick foe
1.Different fodder but a bit awkward.
30. False trick coin (3-5)
1.You need an 'as' or similar to allow a noun to define an adjective.
31. Fleetwood Mac in wrong turn leaving motorway: ELO unexpectedly playing Little Lies
1.An unlikely scenario, and a tenuous definition, but an ingenious construction that made me laugh.
2.Fun clue and a good anagram spot
32. Harry de facto, admitting wife’s hypocritical (3-5)
1."De facto" doesn't make sense in sentence at all
2.Comma splice.
34. Initially Trump wrote about one Democrat: “Duplicitous!”
1.Tricky but neat wordplay. Surface is somewhat unbelievable as duplicitous is far too hard for Donald to spell.
2.Initially spoils the story somewhat
35. Insincere act few do mistakenly
1.Don’t think two-faced acts are by mistake . Nice simple clue nevertheless
2.def + wp, not &lit: just as well because if &lit you'd have noun phrase defining adjective.
3.Succinct and straightforward wordplay
36. Janus and hypocritical?
1.But Janus does not mean two-faced; "like janus" is more accurate
2.Should be "like Janus"?
37. King of hearts, say, with deuce, following ace on top of deck
1.Good idea, but the def. indicates a noun not an adjective
2.King of hearts may be two-faced, but "King of hearts" and "two-faced" are far from synonyms… one's an adj one a noun
3.clever and unusual definition; good charade
4.Nicely dealt.
38. Like Zaphod's cow – fated to be cooked
1.Enjoyed the hitch-hikers reference!
2.Great for those who get the reference!
3.definition perhaps a bit esoteric, but a very clever and skilfully constructed clue
4.I appreciated the novelty aspect.
5.Not sure "two-headed" is the same thing as "two-faced"
39. Looking both ways somehow starts to dispel fears of every anxious walker crossing traffic
1.A bit long, but a more interesting surface than many
2.Longer than ideal but hard to make this sort of clue read well – well done.
3.Really nice surface!
40. Lying down after imbibing fifth of Scotch, inebriated sailors must be discharged
1.Nice (long?) story. C selection odd (a tot of captain's rum?) Somehow need to bring the sailors together before dismissing.
2.indirect anagram "inebriated sailors"
3."imbibing" unnecessary in the wordplay
41. Lying in midst of pasture, a cow fed freely
1.Good clue
2.Nice story disguising definition.
3.Nice anagram
44. Pair confronted double-dealing
1.Straightforward succinct clue but limited in surface story.
45. Pair Confronted Janus
1.Janus does not mean two-faced: "like Janus" is a more accurate meaning
47. Perhaps Janus will be the ruin of de-facto Western leader. (3, 5)
1.Don't understand how an ancient god "will be" anything
48. Shifty, like Janus
1.nice economy; good to see "like" and not just Janus as def!
50. The week officially starts having coffee brought round with a couple of mugs (3-5)
1.Hurrah for a misleading surface. Great clue.
2.Loved the def!
51. To confront daughter drinking whiskey is hypocritical (3-5)
1.W= whiskey not listed as a standard abbreviation in dictionaries
2.surface story needs "for" after "daughter"
3.It works, is different and has a good surface story.
52. Unconventional wife; de facto deceitful!
1.good snag ind; solid economical clue
55. Where we do act deceitfully, fine being so described?
1.Nice
2.I can't quite decide if you're padding with 'so'. Gets the benefit of the doubt given the &lit.