CCCWC June competition voters’ comments on Clue no. 5

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CCCWC June competition voters’ comments

Clue no. 5: Barbara winds a lad with punch

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A clue to ORATES (Printer’s Devilry).
4 comments refer to this clue (from 3 competitors, 1 other)
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Comments on the clue

1.	Nice idea. I might not have minded the use of a proper noun if the break had not occrred at the end of a word.
2.	A sound clue but both devilled and undevilled versions are just too strange

Comments on the competition
1.
As is common in PD, the undevilled versions often make some kind of sense, but were they to appear in a 'real' puzzle, would give the solver no indication of the word required. Compare the two statements (in which no attempt has been made at 'devilry'): 'Smoking is bad for your health' and 'Fred bought a new pair of shoes'. One is sensible and recognizable, the other is irrelevant waffle. The PD cluer should aim for a valid statement rather than a collection of words which in themselves have little meaning. Clue3 made more sense than the rest but could have been improved, whereas 5 was a good example of a clue which made perfect sense, but was unverifiable, not necessarily 'true' and therefore 'non-sense'.
2.
Undevilled versions should not be compromised in any waay to improve the devilled version, eg an initially promising 5, 8, 11, 17, etc.