| Comments on the clues |
|---|
| 1. Act as if it's no trouble providing what customers want |
| 1. | Lovely anagram but I’m not really convinced by ‘trouble’ as a nounal anagram indicator | | 2. | The strongest clue in this round. The customer is always right! | | 3. | I can't see how a nounal anagrind works here | | 4. | Very nice surface. Trouble is straining as an anagrind? | | 5. | Anagrind should be troubled, I think | | 6. | One of those occasions when you realise it's a bit silly to be sniffy about nouns as indicators. Nice clue. |
|
| 2. Complacency made ass of Titanic |
|
| 3. Confusing as if this ends doing content (11) |
| 1. | I think it would need to be 'this's ends' / 'ends of this'. |
|
| 4. Conservative removed from fascist action resulting in reparation |
| 1. | Reparation doesn't seem a great synonym for satisfaction | | 2. | I don't like 'resulting in' as an anagrind – it does not suggest mixing the letters | | 3. | Resulting in – not sure how this gets to an anagram? |
|
| 5. Content being placed bottom: if so I can't fall |
| 1. | I just don't get 'fall' as an anagrind | | 2. | The story is struggling here? |
|
| 6. Content from Agama, in the 2010 Eurovision qualifiers |
| 1. | Surely unsolvable to most? |
|
| 7. Content of a tin is cast all over the place |
| 1. | Nice surface & points from me. | | 2. | Very tidy, but beaten for me by some more compelling offerings |
|
| 8. Contentment, extremely abundant, is in fact so effervescent! (12) |
| 1. | Sound, but what is being said here? |
|
| 10. Contentment is found in fantastic concoction that has chocolate centre |
| 1. | Needs to be chocolate's centre |
|
| 12. Day is set for completion |
| 1. | Love the simplicity and on a first read through this was my favourite clue but on reflection the definition seems rather loose. | | 2. | Excellent – succinct, precise and misleading surface. | | 3. | Very tidy, but beaten for me by some more interesting offerings | | 4. | Neat. |
|
| 13. Delight at Stuart's first swinging fast around stump. What drama! |
| 1. | Don't like I=stump … and what about the 'what' | | 2. | A really lovely surface, but I'm struggling a bit with delight equaling satisfaction, and with that "at"? |
|
| 16. Encounter with fit ass possibly gives delight |
| 1. | Points for cheek, if I may put it like that. |
|
| 17. Estella's houseparty for Pride |
| 1. | It would have worked ok with'house party' … and it's not &lit, just a normally constructed wordpaly / linkword / definition clue | | 2. | The dubious concatenation of house and party, aside, I fail to see how this is an &lit. Maybe I am missing something. |
|
| 18. Every other smart character is a woman followed by a man. Joy! |
| 1. | Don't like 'a man' = action | | 2. | Entertaining for its sheer exuberance, but many elements are a bit strained. | | 3. | F abbreviates female/feminine, not a woman. X2 step. Can you indicate a qualifier (action) by what's qualified, even with indef article? |
|
| 20. Happiness was being an MP leading that Cockney bloke's party. |
| 1. | Good, but referencing something real would be stronger |
|
| 22. If slighted, fanatic egoists may seek this for example |
| 1. | Lovely. Every element of this clue really pulls its weight in achieving the pleasing end result. | | 2. | I don't feel 'seek' works as a connector in the cryptic reading and all the fodder for the composite anagram is indirect. |
|
| 23. In Sophia's case it's resolved with Act of Settlement |
| 1. | I like this clue a lot. It needs explaining though, for me anyway, which weakens it a little . | | 2. | Everything adds up. Not sure I'd solve it. Nice though. |
|
| 25. It's a No. 1 from sixties rock group |
| 1. | A good attempt at an &lit but I feel you need "rocks" for the correct cryptic reading. This will of course tarnish the surface reading. | | 2. | Very clever. Not entirely satisfied with ‘rock’ (as opposed to ‘rocks’ or ‘rocking’) but points nonetheless. | | 3. | Rock doesn't work used that way … would need to be first word or changed to rocked / rocking | | 4. | So neat. |
|
| 26. It's a small, silly fellow's war for pride |
| 1. | not sure if Chambers has S for Small? | | 2. | Indeed. Perhaps pride isn't quite satisfaction though? |
|
| 27. It's sad about contingent rejecting democratic settlement |
| 1. | D in democratic needs capitalisation | | 2. | Very tidy, but a little wan compared to some of the more colourful clues |
|
| 28. Joy Division after New Order at ISS |
| 1. | Tony Wilson would be very satisfied, bu the randomness of the ISS is too much for me. | | 2. | Don't you need something surface-destroying like 'New Order of/for/with/in at ISS'? |
|
| 29. Joy Division’s following assembled in Salford originally |
| 1. | Points for a great surface and because I'm a big Joy Div fan (although "joy" isn't quite "satisfaction" for me?). | | 2. | Good transmission. |
|
| 30. Justice is fantastic with I so wronged |
| 1. | Ungrammatical – needs to be 'with me' | | 2. | Could this sentence exist outside of a crossword? |
|
| 31. Love is fantastic, providing happiness |
| 1. | Unfortunately no anagram indicator? | | 2. | Nice anagram but I can’t see ‘providing’ as an anagram indicator | | 3. | anagram indicator? |
|
| 33. Payback is origin of fighting in weekend battle |
|
| 34. Performance after fast is fantastic, causes happiness (12) |
| 1. | This is perfectly fine, but it's beaten by clues with more compelling stories. |
|
| 35. Pleasure is fantastic! O Doctor! |
| 1. | Doctor as imperative verb anagram indicator must come before the fodder | | 2. | Imperative anagram indicator needs to precede letters rearranged. | | 3. | 'Doctor' should proceed the fodder. It could be 'Doctored' in this case but that clearly ruins the surface reading. | | 4. | I prefer clues that have more natural sounding language. |
|
| 36. Pleasure makes a stoic faint (12) |
| 1. | Don't think 'makes'[ works as an anagrind here | | 2. | Makes is not "make s" in my book | | 3. | Very nice, points here surely. What is 'fodder' in this context? |
|
| 37. Possible outcome of a basically speedy fist movement? (12) |
| 1. | Not convinced that basically identifies first letter | | 2. | I like most of this clue, but how is basically speedy = s? | | 3. | A bit too vulgar for this gentle of pastimes? | | 4. | Can basically select the first letter? |
|
| 38. Rearranging Titanic sofas for passengers' pleasure ( 12 ) |
| 1. | Would have been better without the redundant "passengers" | | 2. | And 'passengers''? | | 3. | What is "passengers" role here? | | 4. | I'm unsure, but I think that 'passengers'' is a redundant word. Nice anagram however. | | 5. | 'Passengers'' is superfluous | | 6. | Best Titanic, best sofas. Witty. |
|
| 39. Reform a fascist into making amends (12) |
| 1. | Simple but well-constructed |
|
| 42. Single in 60s ? A happy state to be in. |
| 1. | Two very broad definitions. I wonder if there is another answer if I trawl a list of 60s singles. A very nice surface, though. | | 2. | Amusing and points here. | | 3. | Simple and well worked. The actuarial tables may discourage you though. |
|
| 43. Starting to settle, it is an act of redress |
|
| 44. Stones unable to gather any at all! |
|
|
