CCCWC August competition voters’ comments

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A clue to OXHEAD.
90 comments were received for this competition (from 10 competitors, 4 others)
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Comments on the competition
1.
Some very clever clues but I particularly liked the elegance of clues 50 and 36, which I gave 5 and 4 points respectively
2.
Some great clues:)
3.
A pretty uninspiring collection, so I awarded far fewer than 15 pointa, Sometimes it pays to keep it simple (as with the HOAXED anagram) rather than try to be too clever. For instance, who on earth would come up with 'Oxford head' when faced with 'dean' in a clue? I refer to clue 9. We shall see what the judges are made of by the number of points they give this one!
4.
Not an easy word to clue well given the scope of its limited definitions. There were quite a few desperate attempts to be different which did not quite come off because the cryptic wordplay was faulty or the resulting surface story was absurd. So the few entries that were, in some measure, original, amusing and sound really caught the eye and received my votes even though one or two cryptically stretched the definition more than a bit!

Comments on the clues

1. A top university, not for admitting the fellow that's one!

1.	Nice idea and construction, but difficult to see this as pointing uniquely to 'oxhead' as an &lit
2.	The best & lit. clue

2. Alec hoaxed Hector (6)

1.	This anagrind needs to be before the fodder
2.	Not convinced with 'Hector' as anagrind unless it is in the imperative
3.	Imperative anagrind following fodder doesn't work. Swap names round and the clue's fine.
4.	Does the def. refer to 'smart Alec'? If so, not really a stupid person.

3. Alexander’s horse brandished a neat crown

1.	Surface doesn't make sense. Bucephalus definition needs translation indicator
2.	The leap from 'brand' to 'brandish' is very tenuous
3.	Too many obscure connections for my liking

4. Alexander's horse was literally an ass

1.	Bucephalus definition needs translation indicator
2.	Simplest and best of the warhorses.

6. Box the bad, initially discarded part of slaughtered cattle (6)

1.	Surface not convincing at all, why box something that's bad and discarded?

7. Bucephalus haunch a dolt

1.	Surface makes little sense. "Bucephalus" overloaded and first def needs translation indicator
2.	2½ definitions maybe, using 'Bucephalus' twice

8. By pursuing love with that man, lady's exposed as stupid

1.	Shame about the "as"
2.	"By pursuing love" for OX is excellent, but, to me, "that man" is HIM not HE, while "lady's exposed" for “omit outside letters” is a stretch

9. Dean, maybe, having mislaid his car, is a numskull.

1.	Rather indirect in both elements of wordplay. In any case, no Oxford college has a Dean as its head.

10. Dope – excessive amount consumed by hospital drug academy

1.	OD is the consumer not the consumed
2.	Nearly v. good but 'hospital drug academy' is unconvincing in the surface

11. Dope from old Times leader

1.	Neat wordplay, jars a bit with definition.
2.	Neatly constructed charade
3.	Head is clued as head with the same meaning, Otherwise a nice clue

12. Dope ring backed by union of Triads transporting ecstasy to the West (6)

1.	Wordplay seems to lead to OEHXAD
2.	How does X = ecstasy?

13. Dotty hoaxed dolt

1.	Hoaxed* was bound to be too common

14. Dumbo and what's in box he adulterated

1.	Surface not so great – it's the contents rather than the box that would be adulterated

15. Easily hoaxed idiot

1.	Easily spotted by others too!

16. First off, Buffalo Bill strangles the man for dope (6)

1.	The wordplay works but the surface doesn't

18. Fool old man on a date stealing a kiss (6)

1.	‘Stealing’ means ‘removing’, ‘snatching’ might be better.

19. Foolish ex had admitted love for an idiot

1.	Tense of containment indicator ugly.
2.	O should be in front – EXHAD* is not “around” O
3.	The O is outside the anagram!

21. Heads off to box the mad old dolt (6)

1.	"To" isn't the right preposition in wordplay, it's "heads off from"
2.	Don't see the need for archaic indicator. An alternative for 'heads' might have suited better to avoid something part of the entry itself

22. Idiot box, headache essentially

1.	'essentially' to show hidden but not in the centre doesn't work so well
2.	'Essentially' is one of those indicator words that often spoils a good clue

24. Idiot had taken a container without lid first (6)

1.	The wordplay "<subject> taken a" has faulty grammar
2.	Appears to lead to OXHAD

25. I'm horny over ten hours each day

1.	A different take, with some humour thrown in. But 'horny' isn't quite 'horned'. Some indication of cryptic definition may have helped
2.	Nice surface and definition
3.	Very good charade
4.	My winner by miles
5.	My stand-out winner – clever clue with simple construction, original and amusing. Bravo!

26. In paradox, he, a donkey

1.	The hidden wordplay/surface combo is great. I think the definition is very imprecise though
2.	Nice find

28. Incompetent neatness?

1.	Need to indicate that 'neatness' must be split
2.	Nice idea but baulked a bit at the oxymoron surface reading and the broadness of the def.

29. Lower class symbol of cuckoldry

1.	A cryptic def maybe but can't see this as an &lit

30. 'Lummox', he admitted, encapsulates him

1.	Nice hidden clue that would be improved by a ?

31. Might he be easily hoaxed?

1.	Hoaxed* too easily spotted to be unique

33. Neatness exhibited by genius? Just the opposite!

1.	Need to indicate that 'neatness' must be split

34. No 10 has lost the initiative – the leader is a buffoon (6)

1.	X interrupts the thing being chopped and its chopper. Great surface though.
2.	I don't feel that 'initiative' works as a first letter indicator

35. No kiss for Uncle Ned, Norman Watt-Roy or Chaz Jankel?

1.	The definition is too indirect and synonyms aren't used irl for proper nouns
2.	Blockhead = definition, yet does not appear in your clue.

36. Noodle's some way from traditional soup.

Good idea

38. Numbskull Chief, not Sitting Bull

1.	Very confusing. What is not sitting or being excluded? And how does head ox become oxhead?
2.	How do you rearrange the components? What are you excluding with 'not Sitting'?

39. O indicated by this in clue of wife's unfaithfulness? Ximenes would not approve!

1.	I accept the wordplay with the warning but it's undisguised and not gelling with surface

40. "O, kiss man!" – Alexander's dictate starts Bucephalus

1.	I know Bucephalus translates as oxhead but you need to indicate that a translation is required

42. Old idiot box without top lead

1.	Can't see need for archaic indicator

43. One could easily be hoaxed

1.	Hoaxed* too easily spotted and replicated
2.	Best of the simple anagram of hoaxed

44. One's first ex had strayed

1.	Very loose definition. It doesn't just happen to idiots!

46. Ring ex had melted down, was really foolish.

1.	Part of speech mismatch in definition.
2.	Definition seems grammatically wrong?
3.	Definition indicates wrong part of speech.

47. Short of stock, brand leader's tip to draft worker

1.	An original definition, but the deletion of O is very awkward

48. Simple translation of Alexander’s.

1.	Don't quite see how this works other than the 'simple' part
2.	Probably pretty universally an unseen translation! Fiendish.
3.	Three obscure connections make this unsolvable
4.	Highly ingenious, but, though "horse" is an obscure synonym for "translation", I feel that, in the clue, too much is being asked of the word

49. Slow van after level crossing

1.	Not convinced that crossing = cross for X

50. Steer needed before he'd get answer?

1.	Doesn't read grammatically well for the containment part
2.	"He'd getting/(gets?) answer" needed for the cryptic reading, which is of course nonsense.
3.	Good definition, but not keen on ‘get’ as a containment indicator, and for the cryptic sense it needs ‘gets’
4.	"needed" is a cop-out

51. Steer president towards Lyonnaise specialty.

1.	Def a bit vague, and ox for calf is a bit of a stretch; 'towards' as link indicator also not very appropriate
2.	This relies on a very obscure bit of knowledge

53. "The inspiration for the first letter's in this box," he added

1.	I am happy with the definition but "this" is extraneous in fodder

54. The Minotaur was such an idiot

1.	Minotaur has a body and tail as well? And the construction seems to suggest 'ox-headed'

57. Twerp is neatness personified

1.	Liked this the best among the 'neatness' clues
2.	Need to indicate that 'neatness' must be split

59. Upper part of lower hexad, properly arranged, needs nothing to introduce it

1.	Not sure I understand the surface reading

60. Where to go for neat dope (6)

1.	Amusing charade, perhaps in need of a ?
2.	Quirky but likeable idea – perhaps would be fairer with a ? but original and amusing.