Comments on the clues |
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1. A sob and a fir will expose you to a flighty, light-headed person! |
1. | Difficult to solve this one as the definition doesn't immediately leap out at the solver | 2. | No clear anagram indicator, and not sure where this definition has come from. Surface reading is pretty meaningless too. | 3. | Don't like the two "a"s and I don't understand the definition at all. The surface is also a tad forced. | 4. | The definition is inadequate, and the indefinite articles in the wordplay should not have been there. |
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2. Abuse, if French, for Brit. |
1. | Brave try, but the comma between 'Abuse' and 'if' is undesirable in the case of an imperative anagrind; 'Ragging…'? | 2. | Clever, though it seems to me that using B for Brit is stretching things | 3. | Indirect anagram but worth points as 'if French' could really only be 'SI' and it works well. | 4. | 'Brit' cannot be abbreviated to B, only British or Britain can | 5. | This is an example of an indirect anagram (if French = SI), which solvers tend not to like. | 6. | … but not B as BRIT! | 7. | Not keen on the indirect anagram. |
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3. All over in France, one that's British-like (6) |
1. | This is an & Lit, but I was not keen on 'British-like' = SO. | 2. | Nice idea, I'm struggling to accept 'British-like' = 'B SO' and the superfluous 'that's' |
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4. An Englishman abroad – cut flower then lie back. (6) |
1. | Not much of a surface reading here | 2. | The wordplay works but the surface doesn't really make sense. | 3. | It has to be an Englishman in FRANCE, and there must be some indication that the reference is contemptuous. |
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6. Another term for British hack Boris, leader of fogies! (6) |
1. | There must be some indication that it is a contemptuous term used by French people. | 2. | This is not an &lit – definition and s.i. are not coterminous; indeed they do not even overlap. |
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7. Bigoted Frogs – God! – get this Englishman furious! |
1. | Doesn't the anagrind (furious) need to be adjacent to the anagrist (God get rosbif)? | 2. | This was one of the very few technically correct clues where all three crucial aspects of the definition (contemptuous, French, British) wer | 3. | Definition seems to be between the anagram and its indicator. |
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8. Boris, batty fellow, a caricature Englishman |
1. | The best of the Borises in my opinion. | 2. | No mention of the crucial French aspect. | 3. | The best Boris clue for me. | 4. | Much the best of the Borises, but the definition would have been made more accurate by the addition of "abroad". |
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9. Briton on the Côte d'Azur? Guy shunning exercise lies back |
1. | Liked this a lot; 'guy' and 'lies' both delightfully misleading. | 2. | No mention of the crucial contemptuous aspect. | 3. | Lovely picture of Briton enjoying the sun for a change. I liked this clue very much. |
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10. Description of Brits cooking T-bone. |
1. | T-bone doesn't really work for me |
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11. Dish of ribs giving Brit a bad name |
1. | 'Brit a bad name' doesn't seem to work as a definition. I might have awarded points if it had been expressed as 'bad name for Brit' | 2. | No mention of the crucial French element. |
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12. Doctor Bors provided classification of the English emanating from frogs |
1. | The surface seems rather forced (though I apologise if Dr Bors is an actual person/character). | 2. | I don't know who Doctor Bors is, but it needs to be Frogs when referring to the French. |
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13. Eg, yelling "A bas, —!", it is way out of order – a base Froggy's libel, init? |
1. | Quite a complex composite anagram that does not read very smoothly, and the definition is not clear | 2. | Nice work on the comparative anagram but the surface is clunky. | 3. | Much too long a composite anagram. | 4. | Huh? | 5. | To convoluted. |
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14. Elementary recipe of stereotypical Brit incites French – or Froggy – riposte? |
1. | Initial letter indication seems a bit iffy to me. Not & lit. if definition is separate to wordplay! | 2. | It should have been "French or Froggy riposte?". |
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15. Endless stamina makes a comeback, involving outsize Brit in France |
1. | No real indication of the essential 'contemptuous'. |
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16. English entertained by this foreign foe's rib? |
1. | Good attempt at an &lit., though 'rib' is a little strained. | 2. | No indication of the French connection. | 3. | This is a great surface, but the cryptic instruction is a bit too strained |
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17. "F——— Boris!" snarled a Brit to Sarko maybe contemptuously. |
1. | Quite liked the "F-Boris!", but trying to remember who Sarko was… | 2. | Amusing! | 3. | I did not like Boris, which is not essentially a British name. |
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18. Father returned, carrying chopped French wood for the Englishman (6) |
1. | I'm not keen on the indirect anagram here. 'Englishman' seems inadequate as a definition to me | 2. | Indirect anagram, and the definition lacks detail. | 3. | Nice idea, but not a fan of the indirect anagram | 4. | Too much of a leap to the anagram fodder. |
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19. Fellow coming in for tea at top bistro abroad? |
1. | Nice idea for wordplay, the whole as a definition seems a little weak in my opinion though | 2. | Nicely misleading cryptic reading and good definition |
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20. Forbids criminal to dump dead Englishman in France? (6) |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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21. French call US king with huge FBI mix-up |
1. | I like the wordplay, can't convince myself to accept 'French call US' as a definition though |
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22. French entree: tough, fibrous, not of the best quality |
1. | A fine surface reading | 2. | Sorry but definition doesn't seem right to me, 'tough' dubious as an anagrind and instruction to subtract U not quite right | 3. | Can't see the definition here. |
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23. French name for British is distasteful |
1. | Nicely succinct | 2. | I am not all that happy with 'distasteful' as an anagram indicator, and I am not all that clear how the clue works. | 3. | not too happy with distasteful anagrind |
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24. French name for Englishman's order of ribs |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. | 2. | Well-constructed clue, though would definitely appear in a Monday rather than a Friday puzzle. |
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25. French potentate has sent back rubbish bit of foreign meat |
1. | The definition is wrong, and I'm not sure about the wordplay. |
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26. French term for English Rose: detailed key provided |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. | 2. | Detailed is not de-tailed for me |
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27. Frog's equivalent term for British is fitting |
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28. Frog's innards shouldn't be ingested for starters – that's an insult to the English. |
1. | Very good clue well constructed |
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29. Frogs! No good sloppy assuming swing both ways – that's the French for me! |
1. | Some nice ideas but the surface does not read very smoothly | 2. | Solving this would rely on me knowing the setter's nationality. |
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30. Frogs' term for British, I suspect |
1. | This is the best clue for me though I'd have thought that the 'I suspect' ruins its '&lit' claim (but bear in mind that I am a novice). | 2. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. | 3. | Can't see where the 's' is in the anagram fodder |
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31. Head of Department away, forbids switching French for English |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. | 2. | My favourite. Like the misleading context | 3. | Nicely disguised clue |
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32. In bistro it's no term for Brit that's tried starter of frog |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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33. In France, a British man spins lies after Euro drops 50% |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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34. In France, with a bénédictine, one is a stereotypical Englishman |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous, and you seem to need another 'in France'. |
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35. Initially representing our stalwart Britisher in France. |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous — indeed, 'stalwart' suggests the opposite. |
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36. Is old boy rioting in revolutionary France a Brit? |
1. | I'm personally not keen on indirect anagrams like this, would find it more acceptable if O & B appeared consecutively in the answer | 2. | No real indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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37. Jibe from the neighbours, if Bros is played? |
1. | Unique idea and quite humerous | 2. | Very good, in particular by avoiding English/British in the definition! |
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38. Made up fib or singular term in France for an English person (6) |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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39. Men returning with tales about Englishman abroad |
1. | No indication that the term is contemptuous, or used by French people. | 2. | Nicely deceptive definition |
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41. Nice monicker for Brit, perhaps? Yes and No! |
1. | I like the clever use of 'Nice' but there is no real wordplay. |
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42. Nice term for British is soppy |
1. | 'For British' doing double duty in definition & anagram fodder makes the attempt to mislead a little unfair in my opinion | 2. | No indication that the term is contemptuous. |
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44. Out of ribs? Typical English kitchen! |
1. | Not sure that I see the definition part here |
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45. Primarily rudeness of speech blathered in France (6) |
1. | No indication that it relates to British people. |
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46. Ragged Brit doesn't have time for endless small talk from badmouthing Frenchman! |
1. | Too complex for such a short word. |
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48. Ridicule of sorry Brits in French Premiers |
1. | Seems to suggest a plural. |
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49. Right to sob uncontrollably if one's called overseas? |
1. | No reference to French/British. | 2. | Wordplay fine but the definition seems a little weak to me |
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51. Slur for British is ——— |
1. | No reference to the French. | 2. | One of my favourites, a nice succinct & lit. |
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52. Term for Britisher in France scoffing outsize chump of lamb! |
1. | I think 'chump' means top, alas. | 2. | Not &lit, I my opinion, as the definition is perhaps too precise. |
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53. Term of derision coming from the flipping French squashing one British native |
1. | It would have been better without the 'the'. |
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54. This tag could make confounded Frogs bait Brit |
1. | Hmmm, I was not sure about this. So I gave it a Merit. |
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55. To whom Frog's bile is directed after having leg pulled? |
1. | There's a problem since L E G are three detached letters and cannot be removed as a single unit | 2. | I'd have preferred an indication that the 'pulled' letters are out of order | 3. | Good spot with that anagram. | 4. | Perfect compound and nice surface |
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56. Unfortunate having lost British parents? Au contraire, peut-être. |
1. | I think I need an explanation of the explanation! |
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57. Was Boris confused with fellow Englishman? |
1. | Good idea but definition doesn't indicate the Frenchness |
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