| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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My picks:
24 gets 5 points
2 gets 4 points
43 and 44 are virtually identical!!! Each gets 2 points
32 gets 1.5 points (for ingenuity in surface)
15 gets 0.5 points
Merit list: 8,9,16,19,26,28,37 |
| 2. |
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| I felt that clue no's 1, 16, 26, 37 and 38 stood out from the rest, but I was unable to pick an outright winner. |
| 3. |
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| There were so many good clues to choose from this month, I ended up with a short list of 15, only one of which (1) I felt I could downgrade to a merit. Of the others, that still left many with the same sort of &lit treatment (17, 18, 21, 29, 43, 44) which I could not easily choose between, so I gave them all one point. In the end, I decided that 7 and 31 stood out for their original treatments and amusing surface readings and voted them first and second, but not quite enough above the pack for the full 5 and 4 points, leaving a handful of points to share between others. So some that I would have been very happy with as my first choice, given less competition, ended up with just half a point! |
| 4. |
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| Lots and lots of perfectly serviceable clues this month, nothing especially stood out as an obvious winner. |
| 5. |
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I’m not convinced that either “club” or “staff” is quite adequate as a definition on its own. Chambers makes it clear that, without some reference to the police, a truncheon is specifically a short staff or a staff of authority , whereas its use to convey cudgel or club is archaic. I used this (admittedly harsh) criterion to whittle down a mostly not very inspiring (though otherwise mostly reasonably sound) set of clues to quite a short short-list. There was, however, a small number of very good clues that did not offend against this criterion. I found it impossible to choose between 18, 21, 43 and 44 for the top spot – all very neat and economical &lits or semi-&lits – with the result that all scored rather less highly than they might otherwise have done.
Comments longer than 140 characters on specific clues:
2 An excellent idea for the s.i. (also used by 6), but let down by the connector “for”. For the clue to work cryptically using “for”, it would need to read “Arrangement of Chopin’s Second Nocturne needed for baton”, which would, of course, destroy the surface. Eg, “Arrangement of Chopin’s Second Nocturne – baton needed” would have been acceptable.
6 An excellent idea for the s.i. (also used by 2), & a good one for the definition, but spoiled in the execution. Why “We hear”? And why “expected”?
19 The definition is commendably accurate and the s.i. sound, if a little clunky, but the clue is badly let down by the little word “with”, which seems to play no valid part in either definition or s.i. and is hardly a valid connector.
31 This will have perplexed anyone not familiar with the Top Cat cartoon series (now nearly 50 years old), but, given that knowledge, a well constructed clue – neat & economical – with an original surface. |
| Comments on the clues |
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| 1. Badly-run techno club |
| 1. | Would have been better without the hyphen | | 2. | Beautifully concise. Would have preferred it without the hyphen, which seems to me to mislead by tying the anagram indicator to "run". | | 3. | Nice clue, but spoilt by the hyphen, which I think could have been omitted without too much of a problem. | | 4. | Shame about the hyphen, else I'd have rated this one of the winners | | 5. | a nice anagram, excellent surface & economical too. |
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| 2. Baton needed for arrangement of Chopin's Second Nocturne. |
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| 5. Carve eel, cunner – hot, cooked |
| 1. | Where is the definition? | | 2. | Makes no sense to me at all. |
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| 6. Chopin's 2nd Nocturne remixed?…We hear The Police expected a hit with it! |
| 1. | Good idea. But "we hear" is superfluous to the composition. | | 2. | To me, the "We hear" implies a homophone. | | 3. | Amusing clue. Very nice surface with remixed a perfect anagrind. | | 4. | Good but verbose. | | 5. | See general comments. |
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| 7. Club treasurer was short before he entered extraordinary number |
| 1. | A nice idea but 'extraordinary' does not work for me in the surface reading. | | 2. | Took me a long time to see this one – thanks for introducing UNCO to my vocabulary! | | 3. | Lovely misleading and amusing surface reading with a unique treatment amongst many good contenders |
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| 9. Con-hunter seen with it after breakout? |
| 1. | I think this lacks an anagram indicator |
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| 10. Constable's use of this for brushes often producing mottled colours? |
| 1. | I could not understand this. | | 2. | A very amusing and clever cryptic clue. | | 3. | My favourite clue this month and so different from all the others. | | 4. | Clever def., but needs wordplay to show the answer is 'truncheon' and not, say, 'baton' | | 5. | Nice cryptic definition |
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| 11. Copper stick |
| 1. | Crisp, but I feel it needs some wordplay |
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| 14. Cut single I need to fulfil hundred |
| 1. | Where is the definition? |
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| 16. Fanciful diving from Hindu converting Swimming Club (9) |
| 1. | What does the surface mean? | | 2. | nicely thought out. Well done | | 3. | nicely blended surface treatment |
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| 17. First requirement of copper intercepting criminal on the run? |
| 1. | In most respects an excellent clue, but I find “first requirement” to indicate “first letter” too much of a stretch. |
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| 18. Flailing a ———, one can hurt crook |
| 1. | Shame about that superfluous second anagrind! Had the clue simply read "A ———? One can hurt crook" I would have given it a few more marks |
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| 19. Formal meal's cancelled at outset – restaurant's closing, run previously with short staff |
| 1. | Very nice surface. I enjoyed the use of "short staff". | | 2. | See general comments. |
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| 20. Holding club, crunch blue not surprisingly! |
| 1. | What is "crunch blue not" supposed to mean? |
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| 21. It may be used to subdue criminal caught on the run |
| 1. | The best of the "on the run" clues. lovely use of criminal as the anagrind. |
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| 23. Lunatic caught on the run; one secure in police hands we hope. |
| 1. | Best of the 'on the run' clues, with a clever definition |
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| 24. One devoted to clubbing – count on her raving, ‘Love to go out!’ |
| 1. | Very neat construction with original and clever surface. |
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| 26. Police club gives a pound off midday meal with turkey starter. |
| 1. | I do not think you can use lower-case 'turkey' to clue TR | | 2. | For TR, "Turkey" should be capitalised. | | 3. | I like it. Excellent surface reading. | | 4. | Perfectly OK cryptically and wrt surface reading, but lacking "sparkle" |
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| 28. Police staff used to strike (9) |
| 1. | Nice, but too easy to crack, as the entire sentence serves as a simple definition too. |
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| 31. Run TC! He fouled on Officer Dibble's equipment? |
| 1. | 2 points for reminding me of the animated Bilko, though I don't think he'd ever have stooped so low… | | 2. | Very good anagram | | 3. | Simple anagram but love the imagery. That's a cartoon I'd like to see! | | 4. | Novel treatment and amusing | | 5. | See general comments. |
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| 32. Spin 0 hunt with CERN staff? |
| 1. | I needed the explanation. Very clever clue. | | 2. | Lovely topical reference to the elusive Higgs boson, though 'with' jars slightly in the surface. | | 3. | Ingenious and imaginative, but the "with" in the middle of the anagram spoils it. | | 4. | Good to see a physics-based clue | | 5. | Pretty innovative, well done. |
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| 34. Staff producing formal midday meal with bits of trout for starter |
| 1. | I thought "bits of" wasn't sufficient: it could justify any 2, 3 or 4 letters from "rout", in any order. |
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| 35. Staff time manage with Swiss time |
| 1. | CH = Switzerland, not Swiss | | 2. | CH is Switzerland not Swiss |
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| 36. Staff told to prepare lukewarm bath in kinky note |
| 1. | "Told" suggests homophone. | | 2. | Lukewarm = C H is rather indirect |
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| 37. The Officers' Club? |
| 1. | Short and sweet. very nice. | | 2. | I like the economy of this clue. This is preferable to a clue that tries too hard. | | 3. | Good one, but could have been better with a wordplay. |
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| 38. Torch runner endlessly trained to present the baton |
| 1. | Endlessly or essentially? | | 2. | Very neat and clever clue. I enjoyed trained as the anagrind and the use of "present" | | 3. | Very nice Olympic reference. | | 4. | I like it. Well worked and good surface reading. |
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| 39. Trustee left out of noon social buffet with a short staff (9) |
| 1. | Interesting idea (among many), but surely "a short staff" should be noun not verb! |
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| 40. Turkey meal without starter for staff |
| 1. | Best of the (l)uncheon clues | | 2. | The crisper of the two (this and 26) along these lines – and much better than the equivalent one I devised but didn't use in the end! |
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| 41. Turn, turn, echo before noon; this'll beat you! |
| 1. | To me, the first "turn" indicates reversal rather than anagram. |
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| 43. What's cracked head of criminal on the run? |
| 1. | Neatest of several clues using this construction. |
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