| Comments on the clues |
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| 1. A real drag queen in political fix – not femenine! |
| 1. | Wrong 'spell spoils the magic! | | 2. | Pity about the spelling error but is that an editorial slip? | | 3. | What tells the solver to abbreviate 'political'? It needed a 'small' or perhaps a 'somewhat' to work. I'll ignore the spelling error. Oops! | | 4. | Spelling! |
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| 2. All for taking the rise out of elixirs and how their salesmen might talk. |
| 1. | The definition defines an adverb. Need to indicate subtracted letters are shown out of order. | | 2. | Rather a strange surface reading. | | 3. | "how their salesmen might talk" suggests an adverb to me. | | 4. | nice idea but needs a question mark I think |
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| 3. Angrily agree last third of speech from terrible lexicographer could be thus? |
| 1. | This is claimed as an &lit, but the whole clue is clearly not the definition. | | 2. | This seems to be a rather cumbersome way to get to the point – rather prolix! |
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| 4. At Cannes, prize embraces Le Couer de Zola: "It's notably wordy." |
| 1. | I'm not sure what the surface means, but shouldn't it be 'Le Coeur'? | | 2. | Pity "coeur" is misspelled. | | 3. | Does he mean coeur? Rather a sad misspelling! | | 4. | I've awarded a merit for a good effort… despite your misspelling of 'Le Coeur de'! Not sure if a prize can embrace though. | | 5. | coeur | | 6. | Spelling! Ruined a good clue |
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| 5. Before side comes back, working class type, with no end in sight, is tediously long winded |
| 1. | The surface reading doesn't make much sense | | 2. | Difficult to make sense of this surface reading |
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| 6. Bigmouthed for even elfin kiss. |
| 1. | Definition is not sufficient | | 2. | even elfin is not the accepted way of picking the even letters of elfin. The word to use is evenly and not even. |
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| 7. Boring is the answer for 59 |
| 1. | "Is the answer" feels superfluous | | 2. | is the answer for 59 what? |
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| 8. Cut short pleb I found by Number 10 being very verbal |
| 1. | Amusingly reminiscent of a recent political affair | | 2. | the surface is very unnatural | | 3. | Nicely topical. Surface reading a little strained. | | 4. | Best of the plebgate references, I thought | | 5. | Wordplay fine, but surface a bit clunky. 2 points. |
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| 9. For initiation of both, love and intimacy, sex ultimately is redundant (6) |
| 1. | I've given you points for a nice clue… despite the rogue comma after 'both'! | | 2. | The first comma affects the true reading of the clue for the superficial |
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| 10. Gabby footballer, for example, leveled leader of One Direction before ten. |
| 1. | I don't get the 'random letter' | | 2. | Footballer is not automatically = PRO. Derivation of i is not fair. | | 3. | I don't understand how this clue is meant to work. | | 4. | Encountering this clue in a real crossword, I would have trouble deciphering all the obscure references. | | 5. | I considered using an example of a specific sport for the definition, but decided this would be too separated and not a good idea. |
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| 11. Girl, working on the Brighton Line, lost for words? Hardly! |
| 1. | I wonder why he inverted his first two words | | 2. | Brighton Line to LIX a bit too much of a leap for me. | | 3. | 'Brighton Line' is a bit obscure | | 4. | I don't think 'girl working' is the same as 'working girl'. Just can't get away with that in the CWC competition! |
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| 12. Going on for fifty, one has sex at last |
| 1. | Great clue: succinct, effective and with a highly amusing surface reading – a winner for me | | 2. | A good clue. Nicely to the point with interesting surface reading. | | 3. | Wryly amusing? |
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| 13. I'm rambling next month, I'm off with Oscar around Long Island(6) |
| 1. | Too complex construction. | | 2. | prox. = next month perfectly well without the ugly I'm off with Oscar device. | | 3. | Rather prolix! | | 4. | Think this is invalid – your cryptic element does not take the O away, only the IM. Very long explanation – prolix! |
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| 14. Introducing one in, for fifty times? Must be tedious! |
| 1. | Very well done except 'in, for' bit which is jarring. | | 2. | The deliberately misleading punctuation spoils this for me |
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| 15. It's tedious for one under sixty! |
| 1. | One under 60 is not One less than 60. | | 2. | I'm not sure 'one under sixty' is valid for 59 | | 3. | Nice concise clue, but what is tedious? | | 4. | Sound enough but nothing special in surface reading. Clue 39 does it better. |
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| 16. Kept running on for some laps, we hear? |
| 1. | Nice construction and surface. However definition is not proper. | | 2. | Could he have omitted the 'some'? | | 3. | nice idea, but I don't think 'some' adds anything | | 4. | 'some' is misleading in cryptic reading otherwise worth points |
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| 17. Labour leader got one vote after support dwelt too long on particulars |
| 1. | I am not convinced that 'pro' can mean 'support' |
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| 18. Lengthy commentary as Pietersen opens – run out 50 – turns team around. |
| 1. | 'Lengthy commentary' defines a noun | | 2. | Surface is slightly off the line. | | 3. | Lovely surface, but it implies a noun. | | 4. | Love the surface reading, but unfortunately I think the 'as' does not have a cryptic role and is supefluous, so I couldn't vote for you! |
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| 19. Lengthy work I explore within |
| 1. | Merit for brevity. | | 2. | The word order is flawed, since the relevant letters to be anagrammed are 'within' [e]xplor[e] | | 3. | Sound enough but nothing special in surface reading |
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| 20. Listener's broad tastes can be tedious |
| 1. | Why is 'listener's' required before 'broad'? Surely the only homophone is 'lix/licks'? | | 2. | An original and sound treatment. |
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| 21. Long for kiss on lips – not half! |
| 1. | Succinct and effective with a fine surface reading | | 2. | Good misleading surface | | 3. | Not sure the order of your clue works. 'Long for first two lips to kiss' would work better. | | 4. | A good clue. Nicely to the point but the extra wording in 50 actually adds something in this case. | | 5. | Clever use of not half! | | 6. | Should really indicate 'rarely' but worth a point |
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| 22. Long for one less than sixty |
| 1. | Merit for brevity but surface is an issue. | | 2. | Sound enough but not quite there in surface reading/image. Clue 39 does it better. | | 3. | Should indicate 'rare' but worth a point |
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| 23. Long-winded concert's endless length leads to impatient xylophonist |
| 1. | Nice save rasping of 'leads to' in the surface reading. |
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| 25. Long-winded: for fifty-two minutes plus ten to wrap up!(6) |
| 1. | 'Two minutes' = I is expecting too much of the solver | | 2. | "Two minutes" doesn't indicate I. | | 3. | 'second minute' would give you the 'I', but 'two minutes' doesn't work. | | 4. | two mInutes=I is not the accepted way of picking I. | | 5. | How can "two minutes" mean the second letter of minutes? |
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| 26. Long-winded Maori's ball regularly involves 80 lighting technicians |
| 1. | Unconvincing surface | | 2. | 80? (LXXX) Lighting technicians? |
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| 27. Long-winded role cut in pictures |
| 1. | OK, but surface reading not quite there. I slightly prefer the wording in 30 and 55 | | 2. | the shortened version of 'pictures' is 'pics'. You needed something to translate that into 'pix' |
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| 28. Most of prog is frivolous fancy fretwork and lyrically long-winded |
| 1. | Not an entirely satisfactory surface reading | | 2. | Good effort. But, as with 27, it needs a 'sounds like' to translate 'licks' into 'lix'. |
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| 29. One in fifty vote after argument in favour becomes drawn out |
| 1. | Smoothly done. Best surface. |
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| 31. Overusing tongue or lip spoilt kiss |
| 1. | Precise definition, appealing image conjured up by the surface reading and sound but interesting wordplay – surely a winner! | | 2. | Very neat misleading definition. | | 3. | Clash of tenses. 'Spoils' would have been better. |
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| 32. Pleb: "It's reported I'm standing in front of Number Ten for too long." |
| 1. | Homophone doesn't really work. | | 2. | Clue 8 said the same more succinctly | | 3. | Topical idea but clue construction unsound: "Prol" not a word so indicating a homophone won't work; "I'm" is too indirect for "I is" | | 4. | Since 'prole' is monosyllabic, I don't find the homophone entirely convincing |
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| 33. 'Pleb' not the term for constable used by one getting cross, having a few words? No! |
| 1. | Clue 8 said the same more succinctly | | 2. | If one reads 'pleb not the term' as wordplay then 'constable' looks redundant, so wordplay is a bit clumsy | | 3. | I've awarded points, but I find the clue a little prolix. |
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| 34. Positive argument in speech beats rambling |
| 1. | I like the way the homophone is indicated seamlessly in the surface reading |
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| 35. Primarily ponderous, rambling, over-long, lumbering, interminable and essentially obnoxious, like this clue! |
| 1. | A great definition by example, only the X is a bit forced. | | 2. | I like the idea but it just fell off the bottom of the list of clues I could give points to | | 3. | Making a virtue out of prolixity! Not usually the basis of a good clue, but thoroughly apposite here – and amusing too. | | 4. | How true! |
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| 36. Public Relations Officer, 59, seeks similar for long and tedious conversation. |
| 1. | It made me laugh but I am not convinced that the 'seeks similar' works | | 2. | Lovely surface, but it implies a noun. | | 3. | Nice image. Not quite sure about soundness of "seeks similar" |
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| 39. Rambling is for one under 60 |
| 1. | One under 60 is not equal to 59. | | 2. | No it isn't. | | 3. | Was the 'is' necessary? | | 4. | Best of the 59s | | 5. | Better than 15 or 22 due to surface reading |
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| 40. Rambling oxlip dancing on river banks |
| 1. | Nice poetic surface, What is role of 'banks'? | | 2. | I am not sure what 'banks' is doing in the clue |
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| 41. Rambling oxlip runs rampant |
| 1. | Good straightforward anagram idea | | 2. | Nice alliteration |
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| 42. Rambling pothead gets prescription filled by gutless oddball with big heart |
| 1. | RX for medical prescription is rather obscure. |
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| 43. Rarely long for fifty-nine… |
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| 44. Recall expression distinctly ill-fitted for bridegroom's speech taking only seconds |
| 1. | Original approach | | 2. | Very clever but I am having trouble finding the definition |
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| 45. Returning after eleven, fifty Roman soldiers got a bit of pan-fried rabbit – very rare |
| 1. | For this definition to be really successful, I would need the 'on' of 'Rabbit on' |
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| 46. Rigmarole for the sound of tongues |
| 1. | Nice to see a less obvious definition. |
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| 48. Three Russian Songs by Rachmaninoff is staccato and tediously lengthy. (6) |
| 1. | Knowing this information is expecting too much of the solver | | 2. | How R is taken off Rachamninoff? | | 3. | The Rachmaninov reference is too obscure. | | 4. | This is one of those clues where we would guess at the solution and have to work backwards to understand the word play | | 5. | A bit specialised. | | 6. | Although wordplay is an uncommon reference (and not sure "r" for Rachmaninoff is OK), this is a creative clue. |
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| 50. Unhappily long for kiss on lips when missing other half |
| 1. | Lovely definition, well camouflaged. Wonder whether both half-lips clues could've used parted lips or something like that? | | 2. | Nice one – very similar to clue 21. Longer but with an equally effective surface reading. | | 3. | Precise definition, appealing image conjured up by the surface reading and sound but interesting wordplay – surely a winner! | | 4. | "Long" on its own – 21 22 – seems not quite adequate as a definition of "prolix". The addition of "Unhappily gives this clue the edge. | | 5. | Nearly got points – but "other" half? |
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| 51. Verbose professional left one getting cross (6) |
| 1. | Syntax doesn't seem right. | | 2. | I like the surface reading – such a familiar situation |
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| 53. Windy, windy structure that man is pushed off by call-girl |
| 1. | Surface reading is very contrived | | 2. | Merit for unique helical approach. |
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| 54. Word-rich for nearly sixty (6) |
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| 55. Wordy part needs trimming in letter to Times |
| 1. | From 'pi' to letter is rather a leap and the TO seems to be redundant | | 2. | Not sure how PI = letter. "in Greek's 16th letter" might have got away with it | | 3. | Just "letter" for PI seems a bit of a stretch. Something like "foreigner's letter" would have been fairer. |
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