CCCWC September competition voters’ comments

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A clue to LION-HEART.
213 comments were received for this competition (from 14 competitors, 0 others)
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Comments on the competition
1.
I wasn't keen on the clues that used variations of IO: 2 18 23 31 and 48. At best it indicates 'lion's heart' not 'lion-heart'. And Io is hardly a paragon of courage – she wouldn't hurt a fly, quite the reverse in fact. Richard I may have been 'the Lionheart', but that doesn't make the king or Richard indicated in 8 25 32 36 39 40 47 48 49 and 56 a definition of 'lion-heart' – though 34 38 and 59 do the job better.
2.
Quite a few good ones, dominated by anagrams. Clues 19 and 21 very similar, but both well constructed. With so many good clues to choose from have given a bit of a preference to &lit clues that worked well
3.
A few beauties and a good number of excellent clues. Many potentially excellent clues e.g. 61 are, sadly, technically unsound. The '& lit' site features all of Azed's previously published 'Comments': these include excellent tips on good, accurate clue-writing.
4.
Well, I thought I stood a reasonable chance until I saw the opposition! Certainly the best set of clues that I've seen in my relatively short span in this competition. A good choice of clue word which produced a lot of possibilities which were exploited to the full. Several clues deserved points but I found I had nothing left to allocate to them.
5.
11 of this month's 61 clues referenced Richard as an example of the clue word (25, 32, 34, 36, 40, 47, 48, 49, 50, 56 and 59), though the second of these did seem rather non-specific. Of the remainder, two clues failed to define the answer as a noun (23 and 27). As the clue word contains 9 of the 11 commonest letters in English words ('s' and 'd' being the other two), anagrams were in abundance, featuring in 32 clues. Given the subject matter, the commonest by far was the HERO/ANTIHERO clue, with 12 entries (5, 7, 15, 19, 21, 26, 28, 29, 38, 40, 53 and 61). The interminable mOTHER-IN-LAw had 4 appearances (10, 13, 42 and 54), with LATIN HERO(33, 34 and 51) and ANOTHER + (6, 24 and 55) each featuring in 3 clues. Two clues used THIN ROLE(9 and 47) and the remaining selection each had one showing: ENTHRAL + (20) HAIR ELTON (60) HARLOT + (52) HERON + (41) HITLER + (32) HOTEL + (16) LATRINE + (35). Three ingenious setters elected to include a reference to ON HEAT in their clues (17, 25 and 49), and another three hid the complete clue-word (8, 30 and 50). The wordplay in just 4 clues used IO alone to signify LION-HEART (2, 18, 23 and 31). I suspect that most entrants shied away from this device as whilst IO is certainly 'the heart of LION' (just as R is the head of RED), its use in this instance isn't really accurate. Finally there was a reasonable selection of &lit clues this month, both full (21, 40, 53 and 56) and semi (28, 58* and 59) as well as a nicely succinct cryptic definition clue (44). Well done to all this month's competitors !

Comments on the clues

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'

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

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

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

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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"?

15. Brave man left antihero confused.

1.	Works fine as a clue; surface OK but not brilliant.
2.	Not sure what the surface means ?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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'

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

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'.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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'.

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' ?

29. Hero left antihero reeling (4-5)

1.	Nothing wrong with this clue – but not stand-out nor unique in this comp.

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.

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 ?)

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).

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)

34. Latin hero trashed King Richard's reputation?

1.	Not convinced by the def: (KR's) 'reputation'
2.	Not sure what the surface means.

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.

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

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'

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'.

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.

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.

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 !!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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 ?

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

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.

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).

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 ?

53. Tall hero in battle, leader of liberationists proving deficient

1.	Nicely worked & lit.
2.	Definition seems rather vague.

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).

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'

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"

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 ?

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.

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'.

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.

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 !'