| Comments on the clues |
|---|
| 1. Amusement centres? (7) |
| 1. | As clever & witty as this is, I am unconvinced regarding any fair play here. |
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| 2. Another simple diagnosis basically for depressions (7) |
| 1. | How does 'another' indicate an anagram? how does 'basically' indicate a first letter? | | 2. | Plural depressions doesn't go well in the surface. |
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| 3. Are you happy for us to sink in the Boat Race? |
| 1. | I'm not sure how fair this is but it's clever & points here. |
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| 4. Attractive features of American coins having President Lincoln's face (7) |
| 1. | I've not come across P=President before and struggling to find dictionary support |
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| 5. Awkward display picture smiles |
| 1. | don't recognise DP = display picture (not in my Chambers). Maybe 'displaced person' would have been better, and made a more credible surface | | 2. | I can't find DP in Chambers; do I need a new edition? | | 3. | I don't know that the clue really defines dimples for it to be an &lit |
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| 6. Badly misled about Penny's depressions |
| 1. | Plural depressions is wrong in surface reading |
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| 7. Brits' own D-day change might make hills from these hollows. |
| 1. | neat logic but a bit too obscure? | | 2. | Merit because I appreciate the clue but I don't think it could reasonably be solved by most |
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| 10. Cheeky features of Democrat MP caught up in imbroglio of lies (7) |
| 1. | It's a pity we don't have 'Democrat MPs'. We have Libdems and the USA have congressmen |
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| 11. Comic smiled softly inside, showing these? |
| 1. | Wouldn't the point of an "inside" (inward?) smile be that you don't show much at all? | | 2. | if the comic smiled *inside*, how are we there dimples? |
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| 13. Daughter scratching head of zits creates hollows in skin |
| 1. | Not a pleasant visualization, but a good misleading surface. Points here. | | 2. | yuck | | 3. | Half a point for 'zits' |
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| 14. Dents on the face? Means one's hiding 'the devil within'! (7) |
| 1. | Clever but too dependent on the solver recognising the quote | | 2. | appreciate the clue, but the definition reference is too obscure for solvers |
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| 15. Detective Patterson, perhaps, arrests parliamentarian creating depressions |
| 1. | prefer detective inspector | | 2. | Never heard of him… that's the trouble with having so many programs these days |
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| 16. Ditches cheeky quality |
| 1. | 'Ditches' doesn't work for me |
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| 17. DP with smile perhaps showing these? |
| 1. | don't recognise DP = display picture (not in my Chambers). Maybe 'displaced person' would have been better, and made a more credible surface | | 2. | "smile" anagram nice but surface shouldn't need explaining | | 3. | I can't see DP in Chambers, a pity as it's a nice concise clue |
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| 18. Driving aids show spots primarily designated for parking |
| 1. | sorry I don't understand this | | 2. | Very neat wordplay |
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| 19. Easy cycling with glimpse of Dales’ attractive features |
| 1. | Nice clue bringing back memories of cycling in the Dales |
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| 20. Ed limps, and you can see these when he smiles. |
| 1. | What tells us that "Ed limps" is an anagram? You need to add one | | 2. | Bringing in a random person is always a weakness unless there is a genial limping Ed in the news…. | | 3. | 'Ed limps' needs an anagram indicator |
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| 21. Extraordinary primary features of performer Douglas's smile |
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| 22. Feeble-minded, half of people first start getting depressions (6) |
| 1. | 'First start' imho is not a fair indicator for S Maybe 'begin to start'? |
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| 23. First of facial bumps turned into indentations |
| 1. | ideally you need to signal the p and d | | 2. | p after turning vertically becomes b. Horizontally, it becomes q. So it has to turn twice…once vertically and once Horizontally to become d. | | 3. | I really like p turned to get d. Very original | | 4. | great clue, only merit though because the wordplay only works in lower case |
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| 24. Frontal feature that embellishes beams ? (7) |
| 1. | I think there may be a better choice than 'frontal' |
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| 25. Gaps found in the boat race in East London |
| 1. | not keen on gaps – maybe "signs of sinking" or similar would have been better? | | 2. | Gaps = dimples is too far removed for my liking |
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| 26. Gloomy, disturbed sleep, short of energy – these are signs of depression |
| 1. | Very good, hopefully this is up there. Points here. | | 2. | I quite like this, but dimples are depressions not signs of depressions | | 3. | Here singular depression is wrong for the definition |
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| 27. Hal Block led imps astray |
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| 29. Idle MPs can create hollow impressions? |
| 1. | True sadly. Good clue & points here. | | 2. | great definition |
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| 30. Imps led astray – on the face of it, they're utterly dense |
| 1. | I puzzled over this… dents = dense… hmmmm | | 2. | dense and dents aren't homophones for me. the homophone should also normally be the clue word. dimples isn't a homophone with anything |
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| 33. Misplayed shot always leaves dents on golf ball |
| 1. | nice idea but I think you need to signal AY directly rather than via always | | 2. | Not sure it's true, but a lovely clue |
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| 36. MP's idle dithering is more than a bit of a cheek |
| 1. | This grew on me when I realised how it works, clever pluralising! |
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| 37. MPs lied about cheeky recesses |
| 1. | Nicely minimal – points from me. | | 2. | great definition |
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| 38. MPs lied about depressions one might have to face |
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| 39. MPs lied, being corrupted? We're a bit depressed |
| 1. | Nice clue, but I prefer the Honourable members of 29 and 39 | | 2. | I think there may be a better anagrind than 'being corrupted' which is slightly awkward |
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| 40. Not oddly admit maps with the French cheeky features |
| 1. | weird surface | | 2. | The surface isn't smooth because the wordplay is forced | | 3. | not clear what the surface reading is meant to mean |
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| 41. Pattern glimpsed while putting away golf balls? |
| 1. | I like this, although not sure whether 'pattern' or 'balls' is the anagram indicator? | | 2. | are dimples balls? |
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| 42. Penny smiled crookedly to show little clefts in cheeks (7) |
| 1. | Very natural surface reading | | 2. | The definition makes this a bit too easy |
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| 43. Revealed in altered edges of deep smile |
| 1. | Clever, points here. | | 2. | almost a nice &lit, but "altered" doesn't really add to the definition. putting the anagrind where "revealed" is would be an improvement |
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| 44. Scratching head in spots after onset of dermatitis leaves craters |
| 1. | yuck (again!) | | 2. | 'head in' doesn't feel quite right, maybe 'top of'… |
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| 46. Smiles depart as a result of these hollows running with tears. |
| 1. | Subtractive anagrams are my pet hate. They are seldom worth the effort. And the surface means what? | | 2. | clever but not really true so it feels contrived. smiles depart with tears regardless of any dimples |
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| 47. Stupid lower classes taking second class road! It's the pits! |
| 1. | 'taking' to me suggests including. Maybe 'avoiding' would be better? |
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| 48. Swinger’s balls are covered with these steaming, limp ends of asparagus and cabbage (7) |
| 1. | Not an image that makes me want to give points…. | | 2. | gave me a laugh |
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| 49. These were noticed when Carey Mulligan craftily smiled welcoming the first producer |
| 1. | Not fair; I guarantee 99% of solvers have never heard of her dimples! | | 2. | I think the definition is a bit oblique, especially since it overlaps with the wordplay |
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| 50. They appear smiling and easy as son gives way to daughter |
| 1. | Most original, points here. | | 2. | I like the wordplay, but the surface doesn't really make sense |
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| 51. Unsettled spell mostly following cloudy depressions |
| 1. | The only convincing "depressions" – the meteorological surface is a great idea |
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| 54. With member inserted, slide about in holes. |
| 1. | crikey | | 2. | I suspect this could be up there. A double entendre? I can't give it one (point that is)! | | 3. | Sounds very rude. How can one member inhabit more than one hole? |
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