CCCWC May competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 3: Arsenal,possibly, missing the right foot of midfield dynamo
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A clue to POWERHOUSE.
4 comments refer to this clue (from 4 competitors, 0 others)
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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| Plenty of imaginative clues, I had difficulty drawing up a list of five and choosing between these. In the end, I decided that clue 39 clinched five points for wit, relevance and a clear definition. Clue 42 was the best using 'superhero', again benefiting from a clear definition; 4 points. I gave 3 points to clue 51, my only reservation being whether the definition is sufficiently precise. I hold the same reservation with respect to the otherwise excellent clue 27 (1 point) – is a 'live wire' really a 'powerhouse'? Clue 3 nicely exploits a football theme, and 'dynamo' seems to me a clear definition – 2 points. |
| 2. |
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| Only clues 3, 6, 24, 30, 33, 46, and 55 eschewed anagrams and the obvious division power/house. So 5 points to the best of these, clue 46; 3 points to clue 6; and 1 point to each of the rest. Clue 26 took my fancy and received 2 points despite its power/house split. The imaginative clue 37 almost received points. |
| 3. |
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| What I noticed this month were several clues with bizarre or highly implausible surface readings, where the clue writer had forced unrelated elements together, perhaps in the hope of producing something amusing. Examples are 5, 13, 24, 36 and 11, whose long explanation was unconvincing. 3 on the other hand has a great surface, but I thought it marginally too difficult. Not many misleading definitions, but a few decent puns, the best of which is 23's "the one with the drive?". This is the one clue that made me chuckle, and I gave it top marks. 27 is concise and misleading, 39 has a good topical surface, and 9, 14 and 19 all read well. 37 and 43 contain original ideas, but neither works very well cryptically. Another good turn-out, and rather easier than last month to choose the best clues. |
| 4. |
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A good bunch this month.
1st (2.5 points) 39
2nd= (2 points each): 30, 52
4th= (1 point each): 9, 17, 19, 35, 38, 47, 49 (although this isn't an &lit. — 'a dynamo' is not part of the wordplay — it's a semi &lit.)
11th= (0.5 points each): 3 (the surface would have been true if the commas had been left out: as it is they don't help and reduce the Flamini-absence quality of the clue), 29, 41 |
