Comments on the clues |
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1. ——— battling with leader of Philistines, renders Goliath lifeless, prone? |
1. | A good attempt but lifeless to indicate 'less go' is stretching it a bit. | 2. | Over-contrived for a comp. anag. with its indirect 'lifeless Goliath ' = 'Goliath with no go' |
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2. A courageous person such as Io may be found here |
1. | A good idea but a bit of a stretch to get to the answer? | 2. | The wordplay seems a little clumsy. | 3. | .. 'Io' might be 'lion's heart' but not 'lion-heart' in my book |
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3. A stout fellow's portion of taglioni brought on a cardiac arrest very shortly after |
1. | I think "cardiac arrest very shortly" being "heart failure" minus "failure" is pushing it. | 2. | I can't see how 'a cardiac arrest very shortly' indicates 'heart' | 3. | Doesn't work very well for me. Which portion of taglioni? And difficult to get to Heart (even after the explanation!) | 4. | To be fair the solver requires some indication of which portion of taglioni, and the wordplay for 'heart' isn't clear. | 5. | Too imprecise (which portion of?)('c. arrest v.shortly'= heart??) = v. unfair to solvers. Besides, HF and CA are v different medical terms. | 6. | The wordplay is not precise enough here – 'portion of taglioni' too vague for lion and 'very shortly' cannot indicate subtraction of a word |
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4. A very brave person, he sat in gases and lit |
1. | Clearly not & lit., and the wordplay doesn't indicate that the gases are inside 'lit' | 2. | I want to like this more. It's a nice idea, but the use of 'lit' as an intransitive verb doesn't work for me, and there's no real indication | 3. | Can't see how this is an &lit? | 4. | 'gases' too vague to indicate O, N, Ar(see clue 29 in April comp.)Overall container isn't properly indicated. Foolhardy rather than brave ? | 5. | I like the surface(!) BUT clue is unfair to solve: how does one guess that 'gases' = ONAr (and not NArO, HeXe, OXeN, etc, etc)? | 6. | Gases is too vague here, there are hundreds! This is not an & Lit. clue – only the first four words are the definition |
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5. Action hero in brief tale is brave character |
1. | There's a problem with the grammar here. If Action is anagram indicator (instruction), then 'is' for equivalence doesn't seem to work | 2. | The anagram indicator should be an adjective or past participle rather than a straight verb for this clue to work eg 'extraordinary hero'. | 3. | 'Action' as an anag. indicator here is an imperative (verb), right? If so we have 'Action (x) IS (y)' – which doesn't make sense. |
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6. Another term for dare-devil, I fancy |
1. | Is the anagram indicator 'devil' or 'fancy'? How is anagram fodder composed? I'm sorry if I've missed it, but I don't see it. | 2. | Very neat & lit. clue | 3. | A novel &lit, though I have reservations about how close the meanings of daredevil and lionheart are. | 4. | Don't know if I am missing something, how does L become part of fodder? A fantastic clue if L = dare devil, but…. | 5. | Better without the comma, though a dare-devil is rash rather than courageous I fancy. | 6. | Very nice '& lit.'. Succinct (6 words) and phrased in natural English. An experienced craftsman at work? | 7. | The sort of clue that makes you think "I wish I'd thought of that." Superb, concise &lit clue with well disguised anagrind. | 8. | Where is that L coming from? |
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7. Anti-hero left – replaced by extreme opposite perhaps |
1. | I like the anagram fodder, and the surface it led to, but "replaced by" doesn't work for me as anagram indicator | 2. | Should be 'for' rather than 'by' for the wordplay to work. | 3. | Reading this as wordplay/def., i.e. the clue, it doesn't quite make sense to me: what's the 'by' doing? |
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8. As part of battalion – hear the King. |
1. | Too generic a definition perhaps, a little tweaking would have helped | 2. | Definition is too vague and surface seems disjointed. | 3. | Nicely hidden but the surface reading isn't brilliant. |
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9. As the lead, actor's thin role is appalling in Hercules |
1. | 'Leading actor with thin role is appalling in Hercules for example' | 2. | Don't see how A = 'As the lead, actor's'. (A = actor's lead) | 3. | It should be (A+THINROLE)*. Nice surface. |
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10. Brave being married women ignored by rude mother-in-law |
1. | Nice idea compromised by the need to use 'women' and not 'woman' | 2. | Deletion of extremities might have worked better. Surface not very convincing | 3. | The surface doesn't quite make sense with 'women' in the plural (see 42). | 4. | Nice try but both 'women' and 'mother-in-law' need to be either singular or plural to make sense. |
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11. Brave fellow to follow receiving pardon with refusal to go back (4-5) |
1. | pardon = EH rather indirect (as a solver it'd make me unsure of the answer); surface reading OK but not brill. | 2. | The wordplay is rather convoluted and the surface a bit ungainly. |
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12. "Brave King" premieres held exclusively at Rialto Theater. |
1. | 'premieres' needs 'of' after it | 2. | King (of the jungle) = lion seems a little indirect and the initial indicator doesn't quite work. |
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13. Brave man endlessly upset mother-in-law |
1. | Succinct and amusing. | 2. | Same idea as 10 but much better constructed | 3. | Lovely surface but carelessly imprecise with 'endlessly upset': it's 'mother-in-law' that's endless. | 4. | This is a nice idea, but 'endlessly' should come at the end of the clue (see clue 42) | 5. | Endlessly point normally to 'end'. 'Ends' needs to be used for both the ends. |
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14. Brave man in boxing ring after 50, donning short suit (4,5) |
1. | Works OK as a clue. Surface reading promising until we get to the unnatural-sounding 'donning short suit'. | 2. | Nice wordplay for 'lion', surface seems awkward. | 3. | Liked the first half but the second let it down. How about "he has style"? |
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15. Brave man left antihero confused. |
1. | Works fine as a clue; surface OK but not brilliant. | 2. | Not sure what the surface means ? |
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16. Brave person heard to use faulty hotel I ran |
1. | I believe anagrams should be seen and not heard | 2. | Surface seems a bit odd | 3. | 'Heard to use' is superfluous to the def. and wordplay | 4. | Don't see what 'heard to use' does in the clue (i.e. wordplay + def.) | 5. | 'heard to use' seems redundant to wordplay and definition. |
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17. Capturing rook left one ready to mate champion |
1. | Original idea and cleverly misleading surface | 2. | Seamless the way the chess references have been woven in. Great clue. Not an anagram as most others, a refreshing change | 3. | Beautifully worded surface from cleverly worked wordplay, though the def. is imprecise, needing a 'maybe'. | 4. | "Ready to mate" is excellent wordplay which in conjunction with "rook" gives a well disguised surface reading. |
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18. Courageous person I love maybe? |
1. | 'Maybe' isn't quite enough to indicate the unorthodox wordplay | 2. | Wordplay is a bit too vague to be fair to the solver. | 3. | I don't see how lion-heart can justifiably mean lion's heart (io) | 4. | Too much of a stretch | 5. | This would be too hard to solve. Some ref to cat needed? |
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19. Dashing hero in tale dispatching enemy leader? |
1. | Would have preferred 'enemy's leader' | 2. | I don't buy that 'enemy leader' is accurate for 'enemy's leader' = E. | 3. | Good wordplay but the definition seems a little strained (see clue 21). | 4. | If "enemy" had been given an apostrophe 's' I would have awarded points. |
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20. Doctor I enthral with love is a man of great courage |
1. | Link word should be 'for' or 'giving' rather than 'is'. | 2. | Good. A straightforward clue with a nice surface, wordplay and def. | 3. | If 'doctor' is an imperative in the wordplay, "doctor (x) is (y)" doesn't make sense. | 4. | Grammar issue with the construction, 'is' for equivalence doesn't seem to work | 5. | The 'is' spoils the cryptic reading as it needs an anagram indicator like 'doctored' |
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21. Dynamic hero in tale, having no end of courage? |
1. | Good & lit. clue | 2. | Nicely worked & lit. but needs a 'possibly' (maybe instead of 'dynamic') since a L. is not necessarily from a tale. | 3. | Excellent &lit clue which I placed just second to 6 |
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22. Extraordinarily the arial font wants fat for a
very bold type (9) |
1. | It's a nice idea, but the 'fat' makes the surface a bit too nonsensical for me. | 2. | It's really an 'anag. minus anag.' ('f,a,t' aren't consecutive in 'the Arial font'. So 'fat' needs an anag. indicator too. | 3. | Good idea, but not convinced that 'wants' serves the purpose as deletion indicator | 4. | A second anagram indicator is required for this type of composite clue, eg 'wants liquid fat'. |
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23. Fearless 10! (4-5) |
1. | Fearless is an adjective, lion-heart is a noun | 2. | Wordplay is a bit too vague to be fair to the solver (see 48). Definition should be a noun. | 3. | If one buys that 10 = io (probably acceptable), as stated 'io' is 'lion's heart': but not 'lion-heart' for me. | 4. | As with other clues relying only on 'IO' too much of a stretch | 5. | Insufficient. |
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24. Fifty-one and another shuffled, to find a trump card |
1. | I don't get the definition, this is a false & Lit. claim | 2. | Lovely wordplay but 'trump card' as a def of L. is pushing it. Why the unnecessary comma? | 3. | Definition seems unconvincing, not an &lit clue. |
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25. "Fifty-one and up for it!" admitted Richard the First |
1. | 'Richard the First' is trying to be both def. and part of the wordplay here, which won't do | 2. | To be fair to the solver the definition should not overlap with part of the wordplay (see also 59). | 3. | I really want to like this clue but can't bring myself to accept Richard the First = R and don't like it doing double duty as definition | 4. | .. Richard the first = R? Uh-uh. Could have had: '…admitted Richard's first' (!) | 5. | A shame Richard I died long before he got to 51! |
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26. Following end of free-for-all, unhappy antihero becomes courageous fellow |
1. | Bit of a contrived surface, otherwise works well | 2. | Works OK without being brilliant. | 3. | Surface reading seems awkward. |
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27. Ganglion cell nucleus has a lot of nerve! (4-5) |
1. | 'Ganglion cell has this', definition required is a noun. | 2. | I like the pun but I think there are too many jumps to be fair to the solver. Also, this seems to define an adjective, not a noun | 3. | I think I'd have liked this more if "lion" didn't appear at the end of a word. | 4. | Too indirect for me (I wouldn't be SURE I'd solved it correctly). Also for accuracy needs a possessive: 'nucleus of ganglion cell'. |
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28. Hero: an exemplary figure, inspiration girds this man |
1. | Is 'hero: an exemplary figure' supposed to define lion? If so this seems too close to the overall definition | 2. | Isn't this a def. + wordplay clue rather than the whole clue being both def. and wordplay (& lit.)? | 3. | Does 'art' = 'inspiration' ? |
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29. Hero left antihero reeling (4-5) |
1. | Nothing wrong with this clue – but not stand-out nor unique in this comp. |
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30. Horatius proved to be one in a million – hear the cheers! |
1. | Nice surface. Not keen on the redundant 'cheers' | 2. | The 'cheers' is a bit of padding, if only that had been tweaked would be much better. | 3. | Nicely disguised def. and reads smoothly, pity about the superfluous cheers! | 4. | very smoothly constructed surface. I like the deceptive splitting of the wordplay across the phrase "one in a million" | 5. | Problem is, you've added 'cheers' for the surface reading but it is completely redundant in the (real) clue. | 6. | A good attempt at hiding the answer, but the surface reading doesn't quite gel. |
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31. Io the Brave? |
1. | Like others of its ilk, a bit of a stretch to get 'there' | 2. | 'Io' clues 'heart of lion' and 'lion's heart' but in my book not 'lion-heart'. | 3. | It's the wordplay that's questionable rather than the definition (Brave Io ?) |
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32. Killer of Judean people – Hitler on a rampage |
1. | Sound clue, poignant in its implied comparison with the ghastly Crusades and the hatred they created. | 2. | Richard I is an example of a lion-heart so this definition is too indirect (see clue 34). |
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33. Latin hero, perhaps, like Julius Caesar? |
1. | I'm not sure 'perhaps' is a valid anagram indicator – 'possibly' might be better | 2. | This inadvertently clues an adj.('..like JC'). PS: some judges (Azed?) consider possible/y to be good anagr-inds but NOT perhaps/maybe. | 3. | 'perhaps' isn't really a proper anagram indicator (see 34) |
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34. Latin hero trashed King Richard's reputation? |
1. | Not convinced by the def: (KR's) 'reputation' | 2. | Not sure what the surface means. |
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35. Latrine hard work? Nothing in it with Ajax, for example |
1. | Nice misleading surface | 2. | Only the unfortunate 'with' mars what is otherwise an excellent, original clue. | 3. | Great idea & wordplay. However, "with" is not an appropriate link between wordplay and defn. If only "for" had been used. What a pity! | 4. | Nice devious surface, clever wording, technically sound; different form the crowd. | 5. | 'with' plays no part in wordplay or definition. |
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36. Leo, darling, meet Richard |
1. | Nice idea, doesn't completely get there though | 2. | The definition seems rather vague. | 3. | I like the idea, but think 'Richard' is not specific enough as a definition | 4. | Technically fine and nicely succinct. | 5. | Which Richard – worth a merit though |
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37. Light Infantry has another possible recipient of the VC ? (4-5) |
1. | Good surface, but I don't buy 'possible' as and anagram indicator | 2. | 'possible' isn't really an anagram indicator as it doesn't properly convey a sense of rearrangement. | 3. | Nice wordplay and accurate def. | 4. | I feel 'possible' isn't sound as an anagram indicator. It would have been a very good clue if you'd used 'possibly another' |
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38. Locksley's leader, a hero in time at war? |
1. | The presence of 'in time' seems like an intrusion, otherwise a great clue | 2. | Good attempt at an &lit, but 'at war' isn't really an anagram indicator and the surface definition requires 'time of war'. |
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39. Monarch, fluttering on the air, has first landing |
1. | I feel 'monarch' is imprecise as a definition. Should read first OF or first IN to indicate initial letter. | 2. | Really nice try (love the def. in context); but 'first landing' meaningless, 'first to (=of) land' would have done. | 3. | The definition is not specific enough and the wordplay should indicate that the L comes first. |
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40. National hero on a drawn out Crusade? |
1. | Gave this one long thought but not convinced by "crusade" as an anagrind. | 2. | 'Crusade' isn't really an anagram indicator as it doesn't properly convey a sense of rearrangement. |
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41. No chicken left, a heron's shot and eaten by the computer department! |
1. | Disguised def and nice tale, though a bit wordy. Exclamation marks tend to look naff ("Gee, I'm so funny"). | 2. | Surreal !! |
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42. No chicken stuffing in mother-in-law’s spread |
1. | Best of the mothers-in-law | 2. | Clever wordplay to exploit the mother-in-law idea. | 3. | Good alternative take, and nicely done too | 4. | Great example for budding cluists: surface reading disguises both the real def. and wordplay. Naturally phrased. Succinct. Touch of humour. | 5. | I really like this clue, and was sorry I had only 2 points to spare. Would not be surprised if others rate this worthy of more. | 6. | Love the definition |
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43. No retreating he engages in overthrowing trial |
1. | I don't think a word can overthrow itself, even metaphorically | 2. | Nice try but the (& lit.) def. is too imprecise for me; needed at least a question-mark. | 3. | The definition is rather tortuous and 'overthrowing' seems awkward as an anagram indicator. |
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44. No scaredy-cat ! |
1. | No wordplay. This could be a clue for 'lion' or 'tiger' or many other things | 2. | I can't decide if there's quite enough in this CD to work. | 3. | Nice idea but, stood alone, could one be SURE one had solved it correctly? No. Hence the convention for wordplay + def /2 defs / etc. |
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45. Our bold hero is like Aslan with an element of guile. |
1. | You have added words (for the surface reading) that scupper the real clue i.e. def. + wordplay: 'our', 'like', 'of'. | 2. | 'our' and 'like' seem unnecessary, 'an element' is too vague for 'He', 'of guile' = arty |
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46. Porter finally penned a hit after gallivanting with Noel Coward? Au contraire! |
1. | Clever surface | 2. | I like the surface, but I don't think the "penned" works in the wordplay – shouldn't it be penned by for confinement? | 3. | Good clue, if a little long. Would have scored higher in a less competitive field. | 4. | Convoluted but clever wordplay in a sound clue – nice. | 5. | The wordplay doesn't quite work unfortunately. |
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47. Regal Richard plays a thin role? (4-5) |
1. | Technically sound clue but not a winning surface reading. | 2. | Why should his role be 'thin' ? (see 9). |
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48. Richard certainly, Io maybe (4-5) |
1. | Io: 'lion's heart' maybe but not 'lion-heart' in my book | 2. | Not sure what the surface means ? |
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49. Richard I followed side ready to join Christianity's third invasion |
1. | Nice try but 'invasion' (n.) used for the surface reading is technically wrong in the clue: needs to be 'invades' or similar. | 2. | No, 'I' can't do double duty and 'invasion' does't = inserted |
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50. Rival for salad in, it's said, a selection of a million hearty meals. |
1. | Interesting, not sure what to make of such a def, a clue unto itself. 'meals' is spurious in the real clue, added for surface reading only. | 2. | The definition itself shouldn't really contain any special wordplay, otherwise a rather tortuous surface. |
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51. Sire of fantastic Latin Hero |
1. | More of a general knowledge question than a cryptic clue | 2. | Wouldn't have known this, but a nicely put together one | 3. | …if – and I trust you that it is – true, that's a fantastic spot for an anagram. Questionably unfair to expect non-horsy solvers to know? | 4. | No independent def. and Lion Heart has no hyphen – far too specialist to be fair to the solver (see 58). |
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52. Slatternly harlot, in ecstasy initially, making up to a guy with balls. |
1. | Technically sound, good def. I'm not too taken by the (surface) story which, though a consistent theme, looks like it just fell into place. | 2. | 'initially' not required as 'e' = ecstasy, not sure that 'slatternly' is a proper anagram indicator ? |
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53. Tall hero in battle, leader of liberationists proving deficient |
1. | Nicely worked & lit. | 2. | Definition seems rather vague. |
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54. The ballsy man perturbed mother-in-law; scratching at first and ultimately immature! |
1. | The indication to remove first and last letters seems a bit clumsy. What is the role of 'immature' ?! | 2. | The 'at' doesn't make sense. The semi-colon separates the noun from the description that follows, rendering it meaningless (should be comma) | 3. | 'scratching both ends' might be neater ? (see clues 13 and 42). |
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55. The type with real courage start to love one another after fighting |
1. | The sentence needs 'type' to be plural. | 2. | Nice one, on a different tack from most others | 3. | The surface is ungrammatical – 'starts to love if another's angry' |
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56. This warrior's end in crusadings and fighting: Saladin's throne? |
1. | Not bad, but 'crusadings' jars a bit. Why not 'crusades'? | 2. | I'm not convinced that 'crusadings' is a legit plural noun: why not 'crusades'? | 3. | 'Fighting' seems iffy as an anagram indicator to me. Maybe starting with ———'s would make it clearer to include the first S | 4. | "He manoeuvred amidst sands abroad to get Saladin's throne" |
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57. Torah has line re-set in bold type |
1. | Would have been a lot better without 'has' | 2. | 'has' is superfluous/meaningless in the wordplay: why not 'with'? | 3. | Perhaps 'with' for 'has' would make the wordplay clearer ? |
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58. Valiant chap – one with pride and male cunning (4-5) |
1. | Works nicely as def. + wordplay (Like) but overall surface not outstanding. | 2. | A nice semi &lit in which the wordplay enhances the definition. |
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59. Very brave person, leader of leaders, leader marching back, man Austria imprisoned (Richard the First?) |
1. | A bit long as a clue, but a great history lesson, and while IVRs are fair game, I'm not sure ISO codes are | 2. | Not exactly pithy! The ION is unfair on the solver, I think. 'Richard's first' could be R, but not what you have. | 3. | Sorry, I can't accept Richard the First = R. I can't find any evidence he was imprisoned by Austria! | 4. | 'leader' for 'noi' is too indirect and 'Richard the First' doesn't properly indicate 'R'. |
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60. With style of hair, Elton was known to be extremely bold. |
1. | Def. comes out as: 'Was known to be extremely bold' which is not a noun. | 2. | 'With styling of' needed for the anagrind, definition needs to be a noun. |
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61. Worried hero falterin'? No fear! |
1. | The word-play works, though the dropped g is a bit of a giveaway. I'm not quite convinced that the whole thing also acts as a def for the &l | 2. | You've subtracted one letter too many | 3. | Very good..but: it's an "anag. minus anag." clue. By convention (and logic) you must indicate both anagrams: e.g. 'No flippin' fear!' | 4. | A second anagram indicator is required for this type of composite clue, eg 'no flipping fear !' |
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