CCCWC September competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 27: Married, occupying bunk beds
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A clue to BONES.
3 comments refer to this clue (from 3 competitors, 0 others)
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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| I didn't think there was a single outstanding clue, but feel that 40 works very smoothly and give it 5 points. 27 earns four points for neat use of 'bunk', narrowly ahead of 37 where I felt that the plural 'disagreements' was rather awkward. 39 is a neat little &lit., earning 2 points, and I gave a point to 21 for a brave rock reference. |
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| Good to see many competitors keeping their clues short this time, even if the explanations are getting ever longer, 5 being the ultimate example of both. With so many definitions and so few letters, a BONES clue didn't need to be fancy. 13 and 27 stood out as simple ideas well handled to make satsifying clues, then 43 as a misleading definition and 32 and 39 as neatly worded & lits. 21's B(rian J)ones and 16's b(l)on(d)es both had the potential for a brilliant clue, but the cryptic elements didn't work for me. 23's definition 'hide inside' was too tenuous to carry an otherwise good idea. I also had my doubts about the promising-looking 36: for an & lit. 'remains of' must mean 'a part of' which it doesn't; otherwise 'of' must mean 'in', which it also doesn't. |
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Clues awarded marks;
Clues 33 and 39, (5 & 4 points) are both excellent & lits. and hard to separate. I awarded top marks to 33 only because I think the origin of ‘bones’ lies in the field of surgery, rather than general practice. The clue could, however, have done without the exclamation mark. I think 2 (1 point), would be better as ‘A large number’ and perhaps ‘core’ instead of ‘heart’. 28,1 point) could have been improved with a ? and full stop after McCoy, and a dash between nurse and one. 32 ( 1 point), is a competent enough hidden & lit, but a little pedestrian. 46, (3 points), is an excellent clue, but relies on specialist knowledge which is not generally available.
Clues to which I nearly gave marks are as follows;
24 ‘I may come’ isn’t quite right. It does come. Suggest a better wording would be ‘One included in designation etc….?’ or ‘One defined by “Bachelor of Surgery ?” 27 ‘bunk beds’ is a great ruse, but I don’t think ‘one’ = ‘married’ is justified. 36 ‘a’ is redundant and ‘Remains’ does not indicate hidden – ‘bits’ would have put this clue in the scoring range..
47 Nearly very good, but the solver is left asking what is being defined. Suggest the following wording would have improved; “ These, incorporating calcium primarily, can form skulls”. 48 I’m not quite convinced that ‘bonuses’ equate to ‘tips’. 51 The clue started well but lost its way. It would have been better expressed as “ You may find a number in rubbish”.
There are several clues which rely solely on multiple definitions without wordplay. These are okay for a compiler to include in a puzzle as fillers, but they are rarely going to win clue competitions, where something special is required. A couple of competitors have described 'bones' as 'essentials'. They are taking liberties with 'bare bones' – definitions should not be stretched to suit wordplay.
As a first time entrant to this competition, I’m very impressed by the hidden voting system, which makes absolutely sure that there’s no elitism. |
