CCCWC May competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 3: Blokes might call – 1:00, Mon.
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A clue to PHAT (Printer’s Devilry).
3 comments refer to this clue
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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a) As far as I am concerned, the single most important criterion for a good Printer's Devilry clue is that it should make some sense in its devilled version, but should make *even more* sense in its undevilled version. Quite a high proportion of the clues fell down on this one point. Some examples: "Software's sales; they're record results!" reads far more naturally than "Softwares Alpha-test: hey! re-record results"; "How illiberal - error in Printer's Devilry!" makes better sense than "Ho! Will I be Ralph..." Extending this general principle, I would suggest that the undevilled versions should ideally read as sentences rather than headlines. "Cup hat trick scored by Law" would fall down here, for instance.
May I also suggest that if a PD clue needs any further explanation then it is not a good PD clue? The undevilled version should be natural enough to need no explanation to understand it. References to internet domain names or Greek tragedies (IMHO) should not be needed to understand how it works.
Another aspect that I would suggest can contribute to a good PD clue is a clear hint in the wording for the context of the sentence/statement/question in the undevilled version. On this count, the 'thief' in "Coe's running after thief!" makes us think of police. It still makes sense devilled, but makes even more sense (both grammatically and contextually) as the undevilled "Cop hates running after thief".
The last aspect that I looked for was a misleading context, often using clever (but not forced) changes in word spacing or punctuation.
Clue 3 "Blokes might call - 1:00, Mon." was an especially good one from this respect. The wording also has to be balanced with respect to hints of the real context, though. The late-coming clue, 32, got this right, I'd suggest. |
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b) Clue (29): One of the few that made sense in both versions. The use of the word 'trumpets' indicated to the solver where to look for the missing bit.
Clue (3): This would have been tops had there been some indication that there was a link to speed. 'Speedy bikers often call....' rather than 'Blokes might call...' perhaps.
Clue (20): It would be difficult to make an indication to the solver what word was missing in using the construction 'coup- hatching', but it's probably a decent attempt.
Clue (14): The undevilled version looks OK, but the devilled doesn't look right. In any case, need a nymph be tall?
Clue (31): 'Top hates' is a rather clumsy phrase, but if it must be used, the word 'women' doesn't add to the clarity of the clue overall.
There are four ways that this word can be chopped up: p-hat, ph-at, pha-t, and phat. Of these the first was used 15 times, the second 10, the third 4 and the last twice. There are about 15 words beginning with HAT... in Chambers, only a few ending in ...PH, only one that I can think of ending in ...PHA and the only two I can come up with containing...PHAT... were actually used. It is not surprising therefore that the proportions were as they were, or that those which fell into each category were so similar.
Most clues were entirely predictable with little opportunity to be creative, but I was surprised not to have seen more 'toP HATs'! Most of them made little sense in either the devilled or undevilled versions.
With a few exceptions, a four- letter word is not much use in a PD clue, and PHAT must have been one of the worst of the lot. A disappointing word for one of my favourite clue types, but I look forward to the next outing with better hopes. |
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d) When PHAT came up in the previous competition, I thought at the time it might have been better for a PD treatment - if only because it was so difficult to define! It seems that I was not alone - after a pretty iffy entry last month, we have one of the best fields of PD clues I can remember.
Obviously the criteria for judgement are rather different than for a standard clue - reliant on subjective aesthetic appeal instead of soundness. With that in mind, I thought I'd better think about what makes for a good PD clue.
For me, it is absolutely essential that the undevilled version should make some sort of reasonable sense. This is, after all, the only real confirmation (apart from checking letters in a real puzzle) that the solver has of the answer, so it should not be too obscure. If the devilled version can also make good sense in its own right, then you're approaching perfection! Conversely, a smooth devilled version but unconvincing full one is totally unacceptable. A case in point is clue 16 - what exactly does the full version mean?? I'd be very doubtful of having found the right word if that was what I ended up with!
A common mistake is to be too clever - trawling through a dictionary to find words that fit the checking letters, then trying to find any possible break soon becomes a chore rather than the entertaining challenge a crossword should surely be. This seems to be a particular danger in short clues (e.g. clues 9, 21, 22, 28)
That said, there were some real gems this month - certainly had to think long and hard before making my final selection!
5 points - clue 3: Blokes might call - 1:00, Mon / Blokes might call 100 mph a ton
An excellent example of a PD clue where both original and undevilled versions make perfect sense
3.5 points - clue 32: Love poem, Oz art that's typical of the modern generation / Love pop, hate Mozart: that's typical of the modern generation
3.5 points - clue 6: Cheater's promoting a controversial type of bowler / Cheap hatter's promoting a controversial type of bowler
Both these narrowly missed the top spot - for opposite reasons! "Controversial" reads slightly awkwardly in the devilled version of 6, while "Oz" seems somewhat contrived in the full version of 32
2 points - clue 5: Chastity belts stored in attic - a new twist to sex-war drama / Chastity belts stop hatred in Attica - new twist to sex-war drama
1 point - clue 13: How illiberal - error in Printer's Devilry! / Ho! will I be Ralph - a terror in Printer's Devilry? |
