| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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| a) Reading through the clues, I have the impression that DINNER-TIME proved a tougher challenge than might have been expected. I think there are a few near-misses, but no clue which works on all levels. This has made it difficult to fix the order for my chosen five. However:- First place, 5 points, to clue 2. The surface sense isn't perfect, and the capital letter is awkward, but 'lapses' is very nice and 'announcement of a gong?' is probably the best definition among the 48 clues. Second place, 4 points, I award to clue 44. Probably the best use of 'indeterminate', but a rather stretched definition (as so often with &lits.) and regrettable anacoluthon. In third place, for 3 points, I put clue 21. I'm not very keen on composite anagrams, but 'Rennie' is entertaining in the context of 'dodgy naan'. Anacoluthon again, I'm afraid. In fourth place, for 2 points, I put clue 10. This dares to be different, but 'with' is awkward, the spelling of 'interne' is a give-away and the definition is weak - better for DINNER than DINNER-TIME. One point for fifth place to clue 5; 'peak fare period' is very good, and I wonder whether 'Afternoon and...' could simply have been omitted. I hope this doesn't seem too churlish; there are some fine ideas in these clues, but, in my opinion, none of them fully comes off. |
| 2. |
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b) There were more reasonable candidates for points than I initially supposed on first reading - well over a dozen clues with significant merits, though most also had flaws and none was truly outstanding. Of the many anagrammatic approaches, quite a few (eg, "red mite" and "deer in mint") led to surfaces that were hardly convincing. And heavens above! All those gongs and bells announcing dinner - I hadn't realized that the domestic habits of the Edwardians were still alive and well in so many households in 2008.
3.5 points:
32. Out to lunch, then? No, entire mind's active!
This is marginally more successful that 19, which uses the same anagram, because the word "entire" fits the surface rather better. The definition is equally original, has the required question-mark and is (just!) on the right side of the border-line of acceptability.
3 points:
19. Fast reaching conclusion now entire mind's made up
A highly original and skillfully concealed definition (though it really needs a question-mark), and one can't fault the subsidiary indication. The only other (minor) shortcoming is that the phrase "entire mind" is slightly peculiar in this context, which weakens the surface.
2 points each:
22. Inn merited dressing up then? 23. Inn merited liquid lunch break
Both these are neat, economical and sound, but with slightly less sparkle than 19 and 32.
36. There'll be a piece of dessert and more in me after it's over
This is ingenious and neatly crafted (if one can stomach - and I can - the outrageous "more in" for "inner"!). I personally much dislike the "piece of dessert" for D device, but it is so widely accepted that it would be unfair to penalize it.
1 point each:
4. After work, tired men will eat at home when?
The "when?" at the end of this clue is rather inelegant, which is a pity, as, up to that point, both surface and wordplay are very neat. Something like "Now [ie, at the time in question], after work, tired men will eat at home" would, I think, have been a considerable improvement.
9. Big noise not to get Order of Merit? A gong is surely due now
A good idea, well executed, but "ne" for "not" without an indicator that it is an obsolete usage is a weakness. On the gong motif, see above.
0.5 point:
43. When Mr. Wolf calls, Red Ridin' and me (holding net!) lose colour and tremble
An original idea and a pleasing definition in the context, but the wordplay is rather strained, relying upon Little Red Riding Hood's becoming simply "Red Ridin'", "me" for "I" and an inconvenient "net" (with its unnecessary exclamation-mark) that, as I remember it, doesn't come into the fairy tale. |
| 3. |
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| c) Clue 11 got a point purely for cheek! |
| 4. |
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| d) 39 - Touch of class. 19 - Perfectly disguised. 9 - Another classy clue. 14 - Jolly good. 21 - Nice compound. |
| 5. |
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e) Some excellent entries here. I tended to favour those that concealed the context of the definition well.
In reverse order, 5th (1 pt) No. 4, 4th (2pts) 36 and, then, the three that stood out , 3rd (3 pts) 10 tho you could nit-pick and say there would not necessarily be a bill and than the interne was maybe not dim but we'll let it go 2nd (4 pts) 47, 1st 5 pts 19 - I thought this was really excellent with the surface context very convincing. |
| 6. |
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| f) Despite the fact that a high number of entries made for repetition of anagram fodder, I found a good variety in the clues. There were several near misses for my points. The most amusing and enjoyable clues used misleading terms for the definition, not always matched by precision. Too many clues alluded to the meal rather than the time. I was sorry that the clue with 'before Batman' (45) did not quite work for this reason, similarly (21). Some clues were insufficiently specific about which mealtime was indicated, including (11) Burg? and (12) Call to the table. Some clues were marred by slight clumsiness in the surface reading such as (2) After Darling's latest...., (39) What gong conveys... and (4) After work... and I couldn't think what context, other than a crossword clue, one would read about (7) Angry red mite... |
| 7. |
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| g) A lot of clues, with a few howlers and few that stood out. I liked the Batman reference, but think it's perhaps a leap too far! |
| 8. |
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| h) Not as good a set of clues as I'd expected, given the friendliness of the word. The main problem seems to have been too many competitors spotting an '& lit.' opportunity, and then delivering either an unconvincing clue or a very obvious one (though I was well-disposed to 36 for its nice wording). I'd have liked to see more misleading definitions and contexts, like 10 and 2. |
| 9. |
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i) I thought this a disappointing collection - not so much in terms of unsoundness, more because of too many contrived anagrams and so clues that read clunkingly artificially. No doubt a student of social mores would find aspects of the entries to be of interest, given that some of the clues presuppose a midday meal while other contestants clearly eat dinner in the evening, or at least presume that others do so. My favourites were those that either attempted an &lit or found a misleading surface (usually gong-related; more for the sociologists?) My favourites (top to bottom) were
#19 "Fast" perhaps suggests a longer wait than is likely, end "entire mind" reads strangely, but the misleading definition is neatly sneaked in before you're aware of it, and even then needs some thought to clarify where it ends and the wordplay begins.
#4 Another clever construction. Turning the clue into a question is an attractive way of avoiding having to find a clumsy synonym for "time".
#9 "Order of Merit" is admirable. The weakness (and the reason why I didn't rank this higher) lies in "surely", needed for the surface but not the definition. Why not "a gong might..." or similar?
#5 I'm not sure about "peak" but I like the idea involved.
#2 The ? makes the gong much more acceptable. But however superficially attractive the surface is, in the end it's hard to see much sense in it. Elevation to the Lords, maybe, but an award? |
| 10. |
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| j) A tougher challenge than it looked. Sometimes when you see poorish clues (including your own) you can almost see brains struggling to produec a worthy effort, but when you see good clues all the brain machinery has beenn hidden behind the scenes, as it has in my first choice here : No 9. These others tag along behind and the jangling brains becomes very evident in places: Nos 10, 14, 21, 46. No 2 was nice at first sight but I couldn't quite persude myself to make dinnertime synonymous with an announcement |
| 11. |
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k) 4 pts to no. 39 (nicely coherent surface). 4 pts to no. 19 (likewise, good misdirection). 3 pts to no. 5 (clever alternative way of providing the def.). 3 pts to no. 4. 1 pt to no. 44 (my favourite of the 'indeterminates'). 1 pt to no. 34 (had potential but phrasing felt under-honed).
Several seemed to be cluing "dinner" (the meal), rather than "dinner time" (the moment scheduled for it). Some strained anags. One clue which was very similar to my own, I disregarded for fairness' sake. Special mention (but not points) to no. 45, whose explanation made me go "ouch!" |
| 12. |
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| l) This was an interesting clue-writing challenge with a friendly selection of letters offset by a damnably tricky word to define (especially as the word 'time' was not available for use within definitions). There was, as a consequence, an abundance of somewhat unsatisfactory clues as clue-writers struggled to find a misleading means of defining the word whilst maintaining accuracy. However, there was one totally outstanding clue, made to seem all the more special by the apparent difficulty that everyone else encountered - this was #19: a brilliantly misleading definition, masterfully joined to a thematically consistently and soundly realised wordplay part - my hat goes off to the clever so-and-so that thought it up! I ranked #4 second - a well constructed clue, tarnished by the awkwardness of the 'when', which plays no part in the cryptic wordplay. My top 5 was completed by #9, #34 and #15 all sound clues with passable surfaces. |
| 13. |
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| m) Points based on clarity and cleverness/individuality, neither of which I managed myself! |
| 14. |
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| n) The first thing that struck me was how many clues used 'dinner time' to refer to the meal itself rather than the time it was eaten; that is, you can eat a 'breakfast', but not eat a 'dinner time'. Secondly, I know I harp on about it, but you cannot expect the solver firsly to find the word you are suggesting, then to unjumble it: the anagram must be provided by the setter. In other words, you cannot have a clue to a clue. A couple of references to gongs: I wonder how many solvers these days would know what you're talking about. Ah, happy days! |
| 15. |
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| o) Despite the number of entries, it was easy to reduce it to a third considering the normal criteria of soundness, natural surface reading, misleading context, etc. Beyond this, although not the over-riding consideration, I looked for a clear differentiation of 'dinner-time' from simply 'dinner'. Some otherwise good clues (e.g. 36) I marked down compared to some others for this. I always like clues that amuse or interest me and can forgive a little unsoundness with this as compensation. 43, 45 and 48 all made me laugh, but only 48 was close enough to sound to be forgiven. Although I would not submit this myself because of the convention that 'for' as a link word only works one way, personally I've never agreed with this anyway. Clue 25 made the short-list, but I considered use of 'time' from the answer in the clue word to be too much of a weakness for it to score points. Clues 23 and 44 were other near-contenders, but fell down on the definition compared to my final choices. Although not my first choice, I thought clue 37 was a unique and interesting idea. |
