Competition clues by John Tozer
Other competitors | Competition results
John Tozer has 106 clues
| Comp | Clue word | Clue | Explanation | Pos | Points | Merits | 2022 Annual Competition | 5 | 9.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2022 | SONY (Printer's Devilry) | It’s disheartening to see property prices going down Wardour Street | It’s disheartening to see property prices going downwards on your street; ref. W. Street in London’s West End | 1 | 37.5 | 3 | 2 |
| April 2022 | REMOTE CONTROL | Cut off direct source of cross-channel migrations? | remote (cut off) + control (direct, vb.) | 2 | 56.5 | 2 | 2 |
| February 2022 | DOLCE VITA | Staff at No. 10 led it after working late with Covid? | anag.; ref. Partygate | 6 | 30 | 4 | 3 |
| 2021 Annual Competition | 1 | 13 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2021 | A Christmas Boxed Set (Anagram) | Cue: Bring Presents / Demand Santa Hat / Turkey Dead, Chablis On Hand | Bruce Springsteen / Adam and the Ants / Ian Dury and the Blockheads | 1 | 64 | 3 | 3 |
| November 2021 | SOUSAPHONE | Some brass given a polish around start of parade? | sous (coins) + p in a hone, & lit.; hone, polish = improve (e.g. a skill) | 9 | 23.5 | 2 | 3 |
| August 2021 | BIBLIOMANIA | What draws crowds to the bookshop? A Miliband bio, oddly – Ed’s latest is out | anag. of a Miliban(d) bio; ref. former Labour leader | 1 | 47 | 2 | 2 |
| June 2021 | NELSON / PRINCE (Right & Left) | Leader of company in rep playing Hamlet maybe fluffed lines, missing one, just after he did it with Hamilton | anag. of c(ompany) in rep; anag. of l(i)nes + on (just after); refs. Prince of Denmark, Emma Hamilton; did it, i.e. had sex | 4 | 34 | 2 | 5 |
| March 2021 | CORNFLAKES | Falconers roughly grabbing hawk’s tail? They’ll get eaten for breakfast! | k in anag. | 6 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 Annual Competition | 2 | 22.5 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2020 | A Christmas List (Anagram) | Skol, G’n’T, chips, shirt, a CD (no jazz!), Boris’s retirement | Skol lager | 3 | 40.5 | 0 | 2 |
| November 2020 | SUBMARINE | Cryptically a ‘number’ is something you take to go under | anag.; number = anaesthetic in clues | 1 | 54.5 | 0 | 4 |
| August 2020 | OXHEAD | This here’s the pudding – soup’s the other end | i.e. oxhead vs oxtail; pudding = dimwit | 7 | 25 | 0 | |
| June 2020 | THE YOUNG ONES | Anarchic Gen X comedy outshone Gen Y rubbish | anag., ref. 1980s TV series | 2 | 50.5 | 1 | 2 |
| May 2020 | ELDERS | We’re getting on train heading for Retford and Leeds | anag. incl. R; Retford is a stop on the London-Leeds line | 1 | 51.5 | 2 | 2 |
| January 2020 | TWO-FACED | Lying in midst of pasture, a cow fed freely | t + anag. | 1 | 45.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2019 Annual Competition | 3 | 14 | |||||
| October 2019 | GULES | Take a drink laced with drug and turn a shade of red | E in slug, rev. | 7 | 22.5 | 1 | 1 |
| September 2019 | ASTER (Printer’s Devilry) | I, macho man, claimed a Vestal virgin | I’m a chaste Roman, claimed a Vestal virgin | 2 | 45 | 0 | 1 |
| August 2019 | STERNUM | What chest x-ray reveals is grim: lump inside | stern (l)um(p) | 6 | 31.5 | 2 | 5 |
| July 2019 | NEVER SAY DIE | Scatter earth and sand very loosely, i.e. don’t pack it in | anag. of E sand very + ie | 4 | 37.5 | 1 | 3 |
| June 2019 | FLUTTER | Both sides in final say it’s a gamble | f, l utter | 2 | 40.5 | 0 | 2 |
| May 2019 | MERCURY | Metallic element that’s sloshed around | Cu in merry, & lit.; sloshed = drunk | 7 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
| March 2019 | NARCISSUS | Racing about in cars? Suspect he fancies himself | anag. + sus | 9 | 21.5 | 0 | |
| February 2019 | RAINBOW | Not quite a Brownie? That could be me | anag. less e, & lit.; Rainbow Guides graduate into Brownies | 4 | 33 | 1 | 2 |
| 2018 Annual Competition | 12 | 7.5 | |||||
| August 2018 | FAIRY / POINT (Right & Left) | What's at the bottom of the garden? Just a bit of your marrow rotting on tip | fair + y; anag.; fairies at the b. of the g., marrow = essence, inner meaning | 8 | 19.5 | 2 | |
| June 2018 | UNION | What could be reversed in Reno in urgency | hidden rev. & lit.; ref. divorce capital of US | 4 | 58 | 1 | 2 |
| April 2018 | SOLITAIRE | Single father embraces young temptress, losing head | (L)olita in sire; single, noun | 10 | 20.5 | 3 | 1 |
| March 2018 | SEAWATER | Swear tea is off – it’s undrinkable | anag. | 2 | 39.5 | 1 | |
| February 2018 | DRUNKENNESS | A French national’s acquired knowledge in clothing? It’s being wasted | ken in un N, all in dress | 9 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 Annual Competition | 2 | 22 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2017 | ARCHER (Printer’s Devilry) | Macron promises brighten ‘me generation’ of France | Macron promises bright En Marche regeneration of France; name of M’s party | 3 | 34 | 2 | 3 |
| October 2017 | EQUIPOISE | Nothing is accepted by M. Barnier's team that could deliver a balanced outcome | 0 is in équipe (Fr); ref. Brexit talks | 2 | 45 | 1 | 3 |
| August 2017 | HALFPENNY | A beer leads to a pee? Not much change there! | half + penny | 1 | 44 | 2 | 3 |
| July 2017 | FIDDLER | Shady bower? | 2 mngs; shady = underhand | 3 | 34 | 0 | |
| June 2017 | COLLOP / SURTAX (Right & Left) | "Even parts of Brexit values must change" – the Treasury may want this scrap with Conservatives' lead zero and election over | anag. of even letters (def. the T may want this); C + 0 + poll rev. (def. scrap); ref. Hammond's 'soft Brexit' stance | 2 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
| May 2017 | MICKEY | Bugging device acquires crucial dope | mic + key; Mickey Finn | 8 | 17.5 | 3 | 3 |
| March 2017 | TRUMPETER | An ass in a fancy old hairdo – Republican one who proclaims and denounces | rump in tête(2) + R | 7 | 28 | 2 | 1 |
| February 2017 | FURPHY | All I deliver is water – pub's in uproar | PH in fury; PH abbrev. in earlier Chambers | 4 | 38.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 Annual Competition | 3 | 21.5 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2016 | TWELVEMONTH / A thematic word of your choice (Right & Left) | After midnight nocturnal creature holding new year bash exclaimed "Ah, I'm done with '16!" | HEXADECIMAL; twelve + n in moth; anag. (bash) exclaimed ah | 2 | 35 | 0 | 6 |
| October 2016 | CHOCTAW | Original American candy cane? | choc + taw (= flog) | 3 | 27.5 | 1 | 2 |
| September 2016 | GREASEPAINT | Streep again unrecognisable in this? | anag. & lit.; Meryl S. | 2 | 36.5 | 2 | 5 |
| August 2016 | LAUGHTER | Someone's merry from the sound of it – drunken hug alert! | anag. | 9 | 25.5 | 0 | 2 |
| June 2016 | TECHNOJUNKIE | "I'M LOVIN' IT!" Notice he's nuts about food from McDonald's? | junk (food) in anag.; IT = information technology | 4 | 28.5 | 0 | 3 |
| March 2016 | IMARI (Printer’s Devilry) | Republican press: "How Trump is going to win" | Republican primaries show Trump is going to win | 5 | 26.5 | 3 | 5 |
| February 2016 | LIFEBOAT | Setting of fable with leading characters of Indian orphan and tiger | anag. inc. I, o, t & lit.; ref. Life of Pi by Yann Martel, set in a drifting lifeboat | 2 | 51 | 1 | 3 |
| January 2016 | PLAIN-JANE | Chucking the old jalapeño in cooking that's a bit bland | anag. less O | 3 | 46.5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2015 Annual Competition | 4 | 15 | |||||
| November 2015 | LOCK STOCK AND BARREL | Hacked bank card tells crook all | anag., all adv. | 8 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| July 2015 | POUNCE | Cowardly Lion couldn't do it, needing Oz power first? | P + ounce; ref. The Wizard of Oz | 3 | 43 | 1 | 5 |
| June 2015 | PARLEYVOO | A Frenchman, pay for love? Must be abroad missing France! | anag. less F | 4 | 31.5 | 1 | 3 |
| April 2015 | CHOKEY | Pen gag that's funny at last | choke + y; pen = prison | 6 | 25.5 | 0 | 1 |
| March 2015 | DREAMBOAT | Fantasised about a snake charmer | boa in dreamt | 1 | 56 | 4 | 5 |
| January 2015 | GREEDY GUTS | Daffy girl's introduction deters guy – he'll want to escape fast! | anag. inc. g; fast = abstinence | 2 | 47.5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2014 Annual Competition | 6 | 9 | |||||
| September 2014 | TASER (Printer’s Devilry) | Don't shoot me, I'm a civilian novice, man! | Don't shoot me, I'm a civilian, not a serviceman | 5 | 36.5 | 3 | 2 |
| July 2014 | SHOESTRING | Budget put noses right out of joint | anag.; budget adj. | 1 | 39 | 2 | 1 |
| World Cup Special 2014 | Any 8-letter “PEN” word (Penalty Shoot-out) | Flying the flag for nothing, twice – England out | pennoned as goalnoned; anag. incl. O, O; England exit after two defeats | 10 | 18.5 | 3 | 6 |
| May 2014 | BINGLE | Crash, 1929 style? | 2 meanings; hairstyle popular in 1920s; ref. Wall Street Crash, 1929 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| April 2014 | MESMERISE (Letters Latent) | What religion can do – if Dawkins' idea's right, that is | S; meme (coined by Richard Dawkins) + r + i.e. | 10 | 17 | 1 | 5 |
| March 2014 | EXCALIBUR | The legendary Sabre, perhaps, gives extra quality to the Listener | ex. + 'calibre'; ref. crossword setter | 6 | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| January 2014 | HOLMESIAN | Hamelin so foolishly employing a maverick problem-solver | anag.; ref. The Pied Piper | 5 | 34.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 Annual Competition | 7 | 11 | |||||
| CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2013 | CROSSWORD / CENTENARY (Rhyming Couplet) | This puzzle may give you a vexed expression Or entrance you – a hundred year obsession | vexed expression = cross word; ENTRANCE You, hundred year | 3 | 40.5 | 1 | 1 |
| August 2013 | CRUMBS | Fancy almost nothing to eat | 2 meanings (fancy exclam.) | 8 | 34.5 | 1 | 6 |
| July 2013 | PEAR (Printer’s Devilry) | Madonna was named 'a stoner' by the music press | Madonna was named as top earner by the music press; (top grossing act of 2012) | 6 | 30.5 | 3 | 1 |
| June 2013 | FLESH POT | I see this has fetishes and pole dancing | comp. anag. (I see flesh pot ~ fetishes pole) & lit. | 2 | 41.5 | 1 | 7 |
| April 2013 | NEBULAR | Urban landscape's outline softens in a mist | anag. of urban l(andscap)e; def. 'in a mist' | 8 | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| February 2013 | SPIDERMAN | This cut of stud's mixed in Findus meat products? I'll stick to Walls! | comp. anag.; ref. horsemeat scandal, superhero's ability | 10 | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| January 2013 | PIPSQUEAK | Nobody let offensive quips disrupt summit | anag. in peak | 4 | 28.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 Annual Competition | 3 | 15.5 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2012 | XMAS Stocking Filler (2 defs. + wordplay) | Collected material of saucier comic so rude (4,6) | rou(x mas)sed; anag.; saucier = sauce chef | 4 | 24.5 | 0 | 4 |
| November 2012 | DICKEY | It's tricky keeping velocity constant in the driver's seat | k (velocity constant) in dicey | 4 | 32 | 3 | 1 |
| September 2012 | GUESTIMATE | Roaming estate, I mug and stab | anag. | 3 | 44 | 1 | 2 |
| Olympic/Paralympic Challenge 2012 | DIALOGUE, MONSTER, SCHOOL (DLM) | Hard lines to that agile duo, GB diving partners Tom and Pete – a huge disappointment to come oh so close to an aquatic team medal | lines, agile duo; huge, partners Tom; aquatic team (school2), oh so close; ref. Tom Daley, Pete Waterfield, 4th in synchronised diving | 3 | 51.5 | 1 | 4 |
| July 2012 | JUSQU'AUBOUTISTE | Le ———? With one, it's quite unusual to see job abandoned | comp. anag. (inc. le one) & lit. | 4 | 41.5 | 0 | 2 |
| May 2012 | ROSBIF | Briton on the Côte d'Azur? Guy shunning exercise lies back | ro(PE) + fibs rev. | 4 | 39.5 | 3 | 3 |
| March 2012 | A “GMT” word (Letters Latent) | Tumbler's very nasty contents (7) | GYMNAST as YNAS; hidden | 5 | 30.5 | 0 | 2 |
| January 2012 | PERCH | Sit uncomfortably through church | per(2) Ch | 9 | 21.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2011 Annual Competition | 2 | 20.5 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2011 | PARTRIDGE in a PEAR TREE (2 defs. + letter mixture) | Fiend broke a gent's nose | oak/grebe; ogre (fiend) beak (nose); BROKE A GEnt's | 4 | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| November 2011 | DEGRINGOLADE | Ladder going awry's bound to end in one | anag. + (on)e & lit., bound=attached | 6 | 28.5 | 1 | 4 |
| October 2011 | MOCKTAIL (New Chambers Word) | Omit/lack rum in this? | anag. & lit. | 4 | 34 | 2 | 5 |
| September 2011 | CLANDESTINE | End ties after stumbling on family secret | clan + anag. | 5 | 25.5 | 2 | 1 |
| August 2011 | SHAPE / TIGER (Right & Left) | Figure the female holds absolute power right after I get involved with a man-eater? | a P in she; anag. + r | 2 | 45 | 2 | 2 |
| June 2011 | FAULT | Games organisers last month failing to meet expectations | FA + ult., ref. Olympic tickets disappointment | 10 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| May 2011 | IRONSIDE | One charged against flank protecting King | R in ion + side & lit; Roundhead cavalryman | 6 | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| April 2011 | Anagram of 38 letters (Anagram) | New Diana? Girl totally liked became a Windsor | 3 | 56 | 3 | 2 | |
| March 2011 | SPRINGTIME | In ——— you could find temp. rising | anag. & lit. | 5 | 20.5 | 3 | 1 |
| February 2011 | SHERLOCK | Villain making Yard pause for thought? You'll need me | er for y in Shylock & lit.; Scotland Yard | 4 | 35 | 2 | 1 |
| January 2011 | DUVET DAY | A case of down time? | duvet (case of down) day (time) & lit. | 2 | 48.5 | 3 | 7 |
| 2010 Annual Competition | 1 | 21 | |||||
| Christmas Special 2010 | NATIVITY (Letters Latent) | It's involving children principally that makes this play | N; a(c)tivity & lit. | 7 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| November 2010 | PASTEBOARD | Hack bad at prose? This paper needs to be firm | anag. | 7 | 20.5 | 0 | 3 |
| October 2010 | CAPTURE | Fitting's correct around collar | apt in cure | 8 | 21.5 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2010 | STEAR (Printer’s Devilry) | If the fastening in vestment fails you could lose your shirt | If the fastest-earning investment fails you could lose your shirt | 1 | 71.5 | 0 | 6 |
| July 2010 | PUG | Assertive – that's me nipping shin? | pu(shin)g & lit. | 3 | 35.5 | 0 | 3 |
| June 2010 | Any “Double” Word (6 or more letters) (A Game of Two Halves) | Goalkeeping spell in Africa Rob Green's last? (8) | greegree; goalkeeping; Gree(n); ref. England keeper's howler vs. USA | 2 | 57.5 | 0 | 4 |
| April 2010 | GRAVE | How sad | 2 meanings, how3 = burial mound | 5 | 32.5 | 0 | 2 |
| March 2010 | MONEY (CLASS) (Wrong Number) | You'll find this apt form o' payment | form; comp. anag. & lit. (money apt anag. = o payment) | 4 | 22.5 | 0 | 1 |
| February 2010 | BABUSHKA | Granny's surprise millions left in bank lead to argument | a(m)bush in bk + a | 6 | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2010 | PALAVER | Flatter TV format means set 50% smaller | PAL (TV format) + aver(ages) | 2 | 53 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 Annual Competition | 1 | 25 | |||||
| November 2009 | Any Firework | Without issue a racing legend, the essence of Ferrari, it handles brilliantly (8) | SPARKLER: sp. + Arkle + (Fer)r(ari), ref. famous racehorse | 7 | 28 | 0 | 2 |
| October 2009 | DUCKSHOVE | Not half boring, Chekov's plays – don't follow a line | du(ll) + anag., line=queue | 1 | 67 | 0 | 3 |
| September 2009 | BONES | Remains single in Bachelor Society | one in B,S | 8 | 24.5 | 0 | 1 |
| August 2009 | CABOOSE | Constant Australian jeers accompany English tail-ender | c A boos E; ref. behaviour at Ashes matches | 2 | 42 | 0 | 5 |
| July 2009 | MENO (Printer’s Devilry) | The Lonely Hearts ad read 'Female seeks hands-on smoking partner' | The Lonely Hearts ad read 'Female seeks handsome, non-smoking partner' | 2 | 52 | 0 | 4 |
| April 2009 | MOONSHINE (Letters Latent) | Order from Al Capone? No one messes with him! | S; anag.; Capone supplied illegal liquor | 4 | 42 | 0 | 2 |
| February 2009 | MCJOB | Employment such as Scrooge might offer with Jacob M not about, possibly? | anag. less a, ref. Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol | 2 | 65 | 0 | 3 |
| January 2009 | TOKAY | A sweet wine or spirit to go in a trifle | ka in toy; ka = Egyptian spirit of the dead | 1 | 56 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 Annual Competition | 1 | 21.5 | |||||
| November 2008 | WILD MARE | Rile M. Daw? Breaking this might do | anag. & lit.; seesaw Marjory Daw | 1 | 53.5 | 0 | 3 |
| August 2008 | RELAUNCH | What our competition's had: Herculean struggles and not a little eccentricity? | anag. less e | 2 | 68.5 | 0 | 3 |
| May 2008 | PHAT (Printer’s Devilry) | Love poem, Oz art that's typical of the modern generation | Love pop, hate Mozart: that's typical of the modern generation | 4 | 28 | 0 | 3 |
| April 2008 | PHAT | Certain pairs of physical attributes can make you this? | ph(ysical) at(tributes) & lit. | 8 | 13.5 | 0 | 3 |
| March 2008 | DINNER-TIME | Fast reaching conclusion now entire mind's made up | Anagram | 1 | 61.5 | 0 | 6 |
| January 2008 | MIRACLE | 'Hand of God' claim re foul | anag., ref. Maradona | 1 | 72 | 0 | 12 |