CCCWC May competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 49: We hope ours turns a dynamo
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A clue to POWERHOUSE.
2 comments refer to this clue (from 2 competitors, 0 others)
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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Much less unsoundness than usual, and an abundance of well-crafted or at least perfectly acceptable clues from which to choose (though quite a few depended upon one of a handful of popular anagrammatic approaches). Top honours must go to those clues that were both sound and exhibited one or more of: especially neat and economical wordplay, originality of approach or a particularly convincing and apposite surface – in short, those with an extra bit of sparkle
5 points: 35, a particularly neat (and, for a refreshing change, genuine!) &lit.
4 points: 30, which offers a first-rate surface (even more topical now than when the competition was announced) and melds a sound definition entirely naturally with a cleverly crafted subsidiary indication.
2 points: 8 – an original well-crafted anagram, slightly let down by a definition which, though perfectly acceptable in itself, does not live up to the promise of an excellent surface offered by the subsidiary indication.
1.5 points: 49 – neat wordplay well melded with a sound definition and admirably economical, but, although it is arguably a semi-&lit, the surface is slightly artificial.
0.5 point each:
15 and 19 – neat and well-constructed, but a bit lacking in surface sparkle.
23 – a good twist to the definition, which is well suited to the surface, but the arbitrary introduction of a surname simply in order to suit the wordplay is always a weakness.
27 – hard to beat for economy and entirely sound, but not the most exhilarating of surfaces.
39 – a good topical surface, but the “not half” device has become a bit hackneyed.
Honourable mentions to 45 and 51, which deserve credit for originality of approach, but which are both too flawed to gain points against strong competition. In 45, even if one accepts ‘e’ for “electricity” (which is supported by Cassell’s Dictionary of Abbreviations, if not by Chambers),“generator uses” simply doesn’t hack it as an a.i. or as a connector or as the two together, causing the comp. anag. to fail. 51 offers a gloriously original anagram, but “Rufus T. Firefly, perhaps?” is, surely, inadequate as a definition of “powerhouse”. 52 too has admirable qualities (especially the double meaning of “supply”), but, in my book, “alternating” is not an adequate indicator for “take every second letter of the preceding two words”. |
| 2. |
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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 |
