CCCWC September competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 3: As adman's rejected cha/t, he only wants sexy pics
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A clue to STEAR (Printer’s Devilry).
4 comments refer to this clue (from 4 competitors, 0 others)
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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| The quality of the clues was mixed, but it was good to see that everyone got the hang of P.D. clue writing, as it's quite a different proposition from normal clueing. Several clues fell down with an undevilled reading that made less sense than the devilled – this makes the clue very difficult to solve – including 23, 28 and 32. I also reluctantly excluded 10 (though I loved its bizarre devilled reading) and 12 (whose the devilled version was almost too smoothly worded). One clue, 6, contained an original idea, but overdid the devilry to the point where I thought it was unsolvable. The po/ly idea occurred to a lot of competitors, and 2 handled it best. But my points went to clues that managed to subtly shift the meaning or mood of the passage between the two readings, preferably adding something amusing along the way. These were 3, 20, 24, 29 and 31. |
| 2. |
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My overall impression is one of disappointment. Few entries convince in both readability and the extent to which the two versions differ.
Erring in favour of the latter of those qualities, my votes are:-
12 One from Pseud's Corner, surely. Both versions read well – 5 points
42 Clue is less convincing, but undevilled version reads very well – 4 points
24 My favourite amongst the rest. Witty and sound – 3 Points
3,13&29 1 point each
Regarding 12 it has astonished me that 'canal-ways' is not in C. and regarded as obscure by OED. It is not listed in my SOED 6th Edition. The term seems very familiar to me. |
| 3. |
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| Lots of sound and interesting ideas, but mostly turned out a little bland to gain my votes. Of the "post early" clues, the simple 14 made best use of the idea. I liked the simple 7 too, but the best clues give a clearer hint of the undevilled version, such as 11, 3 and 31. Best of all, in my view, though, was 13 with its very clever wording and re-punctuation providing a highly believable devilled version designed to mislead. I'd thought of "fast earner" but had not made the extra few brilliant steps involved in coming up with this clue. A cracker! |
| 4. |
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As a newcomer to the Centre and a relative novice in clue-writing, I can't claim deep technical expertise in judging merits of clues. I do understand that a key condition for a satisfactory PD clue is that the undevilled version makes good sense. Given that a clue meets that condition, I have simply looked for enjoyment in the submitted clues, and neatness, wit and, to some extent, brevity. I have indeed enjoyed most of this month's clues — thanks to all entrants! Near misses, to my mind, were 3, 5, 8, 13, 24 and 38. I award points to 14, the neatest of the "post early" group, 29 31, 33, 34 and 36.
Limiting total points so as not to give my inexpert view the same weight as those who have more experience, I'll give 1.5 points to 14, 29 and 34, and 1 point to 31, 33 and 36. |
