CCCWC May competition voters’ comments

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A clue to BINGLE.
76 comments were received for this competition (from 8 competitors, 0 others)
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Comments on the competition
1.
A pretty dire selection with too many clues using a minimal definition combined with rather unhelpful or dull subsidiary indications. Some pretty silly surface meanings too. Not a vintage month!
2.
60 definitions in 53 clues ! How can this be ? Quite simply, this month there were 5 double definition clues (13, 14, 24, 29* and 39) and one clue with three definitions !! (50). With multiple meanings, the clueword did lend itself to this approach, though in practice these clues struggled to achieve a smooth surface. Most setters chose to define a car crash of the minor variety that used to be prevalent in Australia, with 29 appearances, including all of the multiple definition clues. A further 3 clues defined the Aussie terms for a minor upset (43 and 53)and a surfing accident (11). Almost as popular as the antipodean meanings were the tonsorial ones, 22 clues defining the hairstyle itself, once again including all the multiple definition clues, and a further 2 the transitive verb (28 and 44). Two clues used the baseball meaning (5* and 50), one referenced Lara B ([clue 41) and one & lit. clue seemed to define a dilapidated car (38). It was perhaps surprising that almost half of the 'minor crash/accident' clues did not contain an Australian indicator (14). Competitors that took the trouble to include this solving assistance came up with a variety of ways to achieve their goal, from the straightforward 'in Australia' (13 and 39), 'Aussie' (45* and 47) and 'Down Under' (14, 32, 40 and 49) through the more geographically specialised 'Darwin's' (7 and 31), 'Victorian' (1), 'Alice Springs' (3), 'of Hobart' (10), 'in Perth' (19), 'in … outback' (20), 'in Glenorchy' (26) and 'in Launceston' (48) to the highly original 'Dame Edna's' (29). There were just 5 &lit clues this time (10, 20, 38, 44* and 48) and a further clue was semi &lit, with the wordplay enhancing the definition (26). The latter featured 'container' wordplay, also employed by 5 other clues (2, 25, 35, 41 and 49). Three clues featured the Jane Austen character Mr. Bingley (12, 30 and 37), and the most popular ideas for anagrams were 'broken leg' (1, 15, 20, 32 and 52), BELGIAN – A (8, 9 and 42) and BEING + L (4*, 48 and 53). Overall, a good selection of clueing techniques employed and a dozen clues vying for the points.

Comments on the clues

3. Alice springs surprise?

1.	Definition seems imprecise and removing the capital S is not really fair on the solver.
2.	Misleading lower-case s unacceptable and with or without the capital a pretty unhelpful cryptic definition. Awful, sorry!

4. Arrangement of locks, being flawed, restricts completion of canal (6)

1.	Very nice misleading surface

5. Bachelor drops second for first base scoring hit

1.	Too obscure and not in Chambers. Surface clunky.

6. Bachelor friend of Walter is unlikely to choose this hairstyle

1.	Not really a proper semi & lit. as 'unlikely to choose' contributes to neither the wordplay nor a stand-alone definition.
2.	I'm not sure what the reference is here. 'Is unlikely to choose' is redundant in the cryptic reading.

7. BBC's first great broadcast? Darwin's Impact

1.	The indirect homophone is probably not fair on the solver and the definition a little too vague.
2.	great* = grate = ingle is too many leaps.

8. Belgian fails to get a new hairdo

1.	Sound, though surface rather uninspired.
2.	Nice surface reading

9. Belgian pop not a smash down under (6)

1.	'pop' is not really an anagram indicator.

10. Belting pile-up outside of Hobart terminal?

1.	'pile-up' is not really an anagram indicator and 'outside of' doesn't really equal 'without' – definition contains a bit too much 'padding'

11. Big Len! Crash into surfer having a barbie.

1.	Crash used as definition and wordplay is not fair on the solver – why 'having a barbie' ? (? whilst surfing ) PS Who is Big Len ?

12. Bob Charles, an endless match for Brando, Ferrar or Thorp?

1.	The wordplay here seems very obscure – were the other three golfers also ?
2.	Cryptic indication and references too obscure

13. Bob's a smash in Australia!

1.	Who is Bob ?
2.	Terribly unhelpful!!

14. Bob's close relative creating an impact Down Under?

1.	Not sure that the '?' or link word are required.

15. Boy lost leg in an accident

1.	Definition is perhaps a little too imprecise, boy does not really signify B.
2.	I can see no evidence for b= boy
3.	Not sure whether "b" = boy in cryptics; otherwise clue has smooth surface reading.
4.	BOY = B – not seen that one before, and not in Chambers. 'Bishop' (etc) would have made this clue a good one
5.	The "an" is unnecessary and is jarring unfortunately.

16. Can gel different hairstyle (6)

1.	Surface seems a little awkward.

17. Car crash with none inside – blessing in disguise (6)

1.	Nice surface but wordplay does not suggest removal of central letters.
2.	How does none = no SS?

18. Car crash, with rider mostly at fault, is bewildering (6)

1.	Car crash used as definition and indirectly wordplay is not fair on the solver.

19. Car-crash in Perth generated heartless elbowing

1.	'generated' as anagram indicator requires 'from', surface seems strained.
2.	I'm not convinced by 'generated' as an anagram indicator

20. Cause of broken leg in middle of outback?

1.	Not quite &lit., as definition is result, not cause, of wordplay (see clue 52).
2.	I liked the &lit nature of this one
3.	Good & lit. clue

21. Check out damaged belching car in collision.

1.	'car in' seems otiose in both definition and wordplay.

22. Cherry cocktail wine ends up causing fender-bender (6)

1.	'up' seems otiose in both definition and wordplay.

23. Compromise on cuts revealed as search giants in possible merger

1.	Nice surface, but definition a little vague and wordplay too obscure.
2.	Nice idea, but I don't think Google would buy it!

24. Crash, 1929 style?

1.	Neat surface, but without any wordplay to assist both definitions are a little too vague due to their brevity.
2.	Another truly unhelpful double definition — think of the solver!!

25. Crash courses through absorbing lectures

1.	Clever 'hidden' indicator

26. Crash of Saab in Glenorchy?

1.	Glenorchy is also a town in New Zealand, which could be misleading. Agree that 'perhaps' would be better than '?'

27. Crooner in "Road" films left East longer than Bob

1.	Definition a little vague and not accurate (the shingle and bingle are both cut shorter than the bob).
2.	Good surface, but I thought a bingle was shorter at the back
3.	Very clever to see the Bing/Bob link.

29. Dame Edna's car-crash hairstyle

1.	I am getting bored by these unhelpful doubl;e defs — shan't comment on every clue though
2.	Edna's hair is beautiful!

30. Darcy's mate cut off in road mishap

1.	'cut off' isn't really equivalent to 'cut short'.

31. Destructive impact of Darwin’s revered book no good for bishop

1.	Nice surface, perhaps 'second bishop' would improve the wordplay ?
2.	Good misleading surface
3.	Such a clever clue! My favourite by a mile. 5 points.

32. Don's back and leg broken in car-crash down under

1.	'Don' and 'nib' are not really equivalent.

33. Feather cut, perhaps, having point set about liquid gel

1.	What does the surface mean ?

34. Hairstyle girlfriend cut finished with fashionable gel

1.	Novel wordplay, though 'finished' seems otiose. Is a hairstyle 'cut' or 'created' ?

35. Hairstyle you'll see combing leave, after cutting fringes?

1.	Wordplay needs 'in' after 'see', surface reading a little inelegant.

36. Hairstyle's no good cropped in humour

1.	'cropped' isn't really an abbreviation indicator, surface reading seems strained.

37. He loves Miss Bennett's short hairdo

1.	Wordplay requires 'who' after 'He'.

38. Heap left at end of drive?

1.	'at' is otiose in wordplay, definition is wrong.
2.	I like the clue, but bingle is the impact, surely, not its collateral?
3.	Like this – except it is unclear what the definition actually is. Result of a car crash?

39. How hair might be cut by accident in Australia (6)

1.	A good effort, but both definitions suggest the answer is an adverb rather than a noun or verb ('How …' 'by …').

40. Joy curtailed after lots of wine — accident down under!

1.	Surface reading doesn't quite gel, perhaps 'quantity' would be more accurate than 'lots' ?

41. Lara implicated in bombing letterboxes?

1.	Definition requires 'for example' or 'say', surface seems nonsensical, why the '?' ?
2.	I don't read OK magazine, so an explanation would have helped me here

42. Leading character from Belgian comic's swept hairstyle

1.	Definition seems inaccurate, wordplay requires 'missing' before 'from' and 'comically' as the anagram indicator.
2.	I think solvers would feel misled that 'leading character' points to A and not B
3.	Very clever. I am fine with comic as an anagrind

43. Minor upset as Scots pile on top of the French

1.	Perhaps the definition and surface could be improved by adding 'down under' after 'upset' (Ref. RWC)

46. One Direction knocked off the top, replaced by Timberlake's fourth big hit

1.	This has a great surface, but unfortunately the definition is wrong as a bingle is a minor hit.

47. Redraft ‘Neighbours’ lines to nourish this SE-Aussie smash

1.	If 'Aussie smash' is the definition then 'this' cannot represent the answer without the two being adjacent to one another.

48. Result of being crazy overtaking van in Launceston?

1.	'overtaking' does not equal 'taking in', wordplay doesn't require the '?', Hobart is the capital of Tasmania.

49. Rubbing leg reveals bump down under

1.	Rubbing leg conceals rather than reveals the solution

50. Run to first hairstyle collision! (6)

1.	Rather disjointed surface reading.

51. Sassoon's work, perhaps, in book: memorable verse needing no introduction

1.	Surface reading/punctuation seem a little clumsy.

52. Toss leg break to cause short cut

1.	Does 'toss' = 'bin' ? Wordplay requires 'breaks', 'breaking' or 'broken' (see clue 32).

53. Upset from being left out.

1.	An Aussie indicator would make this a winner eg Adelaide's upset from being left out