| Comments on the clues |
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| 1. 1984 is an example of novel sexist bile |
| 1. | Nice simple clue, but "sexist bile" isn't a unique anagram fodder among the clues, & the 1984/book reference isn't unique, either. |
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| 2. 50% cut announced: a French bed left, final price: 366 |
| 1. | I don't think I can accept '366' as an accurate definition for bissextile | | 2. | Sorry, but "bissex" and "bisects" are not announced or pronounced the same! |
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| 3. All modern summer Olympiads have taken place during this cycling event |
| 1. | Nice idea, but surely this is just a cryptic definition and not & lit? | | 2. | Reference to the Olympics (or Olympiad) isn't unique amongst the clues here. Like the reference to cycling, though. | | 3. | Aside from 1900, but that's me being picky. Nice idea, but surface doesn't make sense. |
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| 5. Best Isle XI played on 29th February |
| 1. | Don't like Roman numerals in clues – it too quickly draws attention to what's to be anagrammed. |
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| 7. Book – is it old hat, like 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'? |
| 1. | Best clue in my opinion | | 2. | Another 1984/book reference. | | 3. | would have earned points, but tile is slang for hat rather than 'old.' |
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| 8. Brit regularly mating in series of steps with one extra inserted? |
| 1. | I think the definition is a little weak here | | 2. | "stile" = series of steps? Sounds laboured. |
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| 9. Brotherhood's overture is precursor of Smith’s time in forced isolation (as in 1984) |
| 1. | It looks like 'precursor' is indicating the first letter, but that's not what it means | | 2. | Don't like stuff in brackets. And it's another 1984/book reference. | | 3. | I don't see "precursor" as an initial indicator, unless I'm missing something. | | 4. | "as in 1984" is not fully satisfactory as a definition, but the Orwellian surface is imaginatively handled – more so than in 7 & 28 |
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| 10. Could Dutch courage be found this year in a bottle? Too much is lost in the "swinging sixties". |
| 1. | Original definition and wordplay ideas, but not very elegantly merged | | 2. | The indication to replace OTT with the sixties anagram is not very clear | | 3. | Too convoluted. |
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| 11. Eve's best time to pop the question again's at 2 o'clock, astrologically |
| 1. | "position 60 degrees away in zodiac" and "astrologically" – too abstruse! |
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| 12. For example, this year Britain is getting Congress to provide cover |
| 1. | Nice. | | 2. | A good attempt at a reference to the olympics, but it's Britain providing the cover rather than congress |
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| 13. Four year transform? |
| 1. | The pun is a bit specialised | | 2. | Wordplay-shmwordplay. The reference to Fourier transforms (and hence periodicity) doesn't lead one neatly to the solution. | | 3. | What is a transform in the context of BISSEXTILE? |
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| 14. Furious sexist consumed by rage when ladies propose? |
| 1. | A sexist/bile clue – one of several. | | 2. | Bile is irritability rather than rage |
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| 15. Having a day to make 366, I belt sixes recklessly |
| 1. | Not the only "I belt sixes" anagram fodder amongst the clues. |
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| 16. Having an extra day’s time after sex in ill humour? (10) |
| 1. | Explanation is a bit convoluted. |
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| 18. Humour about spot of satisfactory rumpy-pumpy (transitive) only once every four years? |
| 1. | Don't like parts of clues in brackets. |
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| 19. I belt sixes all over the place in this year's additional one-day feature. |
| 1. | Not the only "I belt sixes" anagram fodder amongst the clues. | | 2. | Excellent, but bad that you missed out on 2020, curiously the 20th clue! |
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| 20. I belt sixes all over the place in Twenty20, maybe? |
| 1. | Not the only "I belt sixes" anagram fodder amongst the clues. | | 2. | A likely winner, I guess! Toss-up with 7. | | 3. | Very sound clue- excellent | | 4. | Fantastic. |
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| 21. In this a girl may propose to disseminate sexist bile. |
| 1. | A sexist/bile clue – one of several. |
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| 22. In which bachelor finds spinster, losing her head, taking lead in love without restraint? |
| 1. | Very good idea but the wordplay seems to labour somewhat in getting the L into TIE. Worth points, though. |
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| 24. Is it time hacking anger's shown with introduction of extra Sun? |
| 1. | Great idea, the wordplay is a bit rough but it works |
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| 27. Join the sexiest lib for that extra day in the month! |
| 1. | Nice. But is "join" the most appropriate word to indicate an anagram? | | 2. | can't see an anagram indicator (join the?) |
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| 28. Like Nineteen Eighty-Four, say, book is spinning lies about former time |
| 1. | Another 1984/book clue. |
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| 29. Olympic year? Britain is special choice mostly backed to host it |
| 1. | Seems to me that the letter S appears three times here! |
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| 30. Sexist bile sadly characteristic of 2012, for instance. |
| 1. | A sexist/bile clue – one of several. |
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| 31. Sexist fool beset by anger when she proposes? |
| 1. | A sexist/bile clue – one of several. |
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| 32. Sixties belles not half wrinkly in 2012? |
| 1. | Succinct, sound and amusing | | 2. | A very nice surface, but the definition is not really adequate |
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| 33. Sixties rebel not about to recollect 1960, 1964 or 1968? |
| 1. | Nice. No other clues have used "sixties (re)bel". | | 2. | would have earned points, but anagrind needs to be intransitive verb. Recollect isn't | | 3. | Excellent surface, except for the slightly awkward fact that 1960 was not really part of the "Sixties" in that sense |
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| 34. Sophie Ellis Bextor has lost her loop carelessly this year. |
| 1. | Well spotted, but the extra letters proved too difficult to dispose of neatly |
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| 36. The day when a bird losing head is let loose to grab old lover? |
| 1. | Wordplay fine but definition seems inaccurate to me |
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| 37. The only time women should propose? Awful, sexist bile! |
| 1. | A sexist/bile clue – one of several. |
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| 39. What could have made 'Liberal Sixties' be a time of female emancipation? |
| 1. | "time of female emancipation" and definition is a bit too great. |
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| 41. When winter's extra long, buy a hat for it, they say |
| 1. | I can find no evidence that it's pronounced 'buy sex tile', only 'biss' | | 2. | Hom? Homburg? How does this fit in? | | 3. | Not a correct homophone – it's BISS sex tile |
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| 42. XI playing with less bite in period of extra time |
| 1. | Great definition idea | | 2. | Don't like Roman numerals. | | 3. | For an easy anagram, this is brilliant. | | 4. | XI rather than team is a bit clunky |
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