CCCWC July 2016 competition results
More information | Comments | All results | < Previous | Next > | Annual competition
46 clues entered. 36 votes cast (32 competitors, 4 others).
BANJULELE
A very close competition this month, and very well done to Colin Thomas for just squeaking ahead of the chasing pack! A maiden win for Colin in his first season with us!
Colin wasn't the only entrant to spot the possibility of a Bowie themed clue – just back in second was our podium regular – Dave Parfitt. Just that slight variation in construction made the difference and prevented Dave from a second consecutive win, but maintains his amazing run of form.
Russ Cook is another in his first season of competition and secures his maiden podium back in third by a distance of just half a point! He exploited the bunjee anagram – and welcome to the lofty heights of the podium Russ!
David McKie was another bunjee jumper and scores his first podium since last year in 4th place.
Andy Smith takes the final top 5 spot which is his first ever podium placing, so congratulations Andy!
On to another month – let's look forward to what that brings.
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Colin Thomas | Producer of music – Blue Jean and, originally, Let's Dance | Anagram of BLUEJEAN+L[et's]. Anagram indicator = Dance. Reference to David Bowie singles Blue Jean (1984) & Let's Dance (1983) | 51 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 | Dave Parfitt | A maker of music from Changes to Blue Jean across half a century | BLUEJEAN anag. around L (=50); ref. David Bowie | 47 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | 5 | Russ Cook | All bunjee jumping is something that has strings attached! | (ALL BUNJEE)* | 46.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | 29 | David McKie | It requires a lot of pluck, all bunjee jumping! | All bunjee (anag). Bunjee is in Chambers as alternative to the usual bungee. I suspect others will spot this one! | 34 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | 33 | Andy Smith | Jubilee Line removes one busking without an instrument | AN in *(JUBILEE, with L for I); remove=displace; busk(2)=prepare/dress | 26.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 31 | Margaret Irvine | Jack unable to shift extremely large instrument | (J unable)* l(arg)e | 25.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | 35 | Bhalchandra Pasupathy | "Live without working all June?", one fretted | BE(live) outside (ALL JUNE)* | 25.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | 10 | Toby Robertson | Blue jeans comically large for small vaudeville music-maker? | anag. with L for S | 25 | 1 | |
| 9 | 6 | Luciano Ward | At hootenanny I'm often plucked from bar, drink unfinished, and led away finally | At…plucked = def; from = link to wordplay; bar = BAN; unfinished drink = JULE(p); led away (gone, absent) finally = LE(d) | 21 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | 32 | warren fraser | Jean Lambert's blue cuckoo plucked by George Formby. | anag(cuckoo)of jean+l+blue +def (JL is London's Green MEP and it could have happened!) | 14.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | 8 | "Blue Jean" played with long stringed instrument (9) | BLUEJEAN* with U; "played" is the anagrind, "long" is L, "stringed instrument" is the definition | 13.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 11 | 30 | It takes some pluck to play a Capital side, having lost the last three | a Capital >> BANJUL , side >> ELE(ven) having lost the last three | 13.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | 24 | I’m small, but gutsy and instrumental in arranging the finale of the June Ball | (TH)EJUNEBALL*. “instrumental” = “acting as an instrument” (Chambers). | 12.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 14 | 18 | Formby regularly picked me to accompany him | Cryptic def; Chambers has pick = "to pluck the strings of". | 12 | 2 | 1 | |
| 14 | 46 | Young French have a ball playing a musical instrument. (9) | NOTE: "Indirect anagrams" ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR MORE THAN JUST "COMMON WORDS". That being said, ( "JEUNE" (FRENCH FOR "YOUNG") + "BALL" ) ANAGRAM INTO BANJULELE (A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT). | 12 | 0 | 4 | |
| 16 | 25 | Instrument to forbid the French having a sweet drink endlessly | Forbid(BAN) the French(LE),having a sweet drink endlessly JULE(p) | 9.5 | 0 | ||
| 16 | 28 | It has strings attached to stop the French guzzling nearly all the drink | BAN + LE guzzling nearly all JULE[p] | 9.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | 14 | Curse this month: wellies needed regularly — and this, at music festival? | BAN + JULy [lucky timing of competition!] + (w)E(l)L(i)E(s) | 9 | 2 | 2 | |
| 18 | 44 | Swinging Blue Jeans cut short opener in Leeds to perform instrumental novelty item | Anag. 'Blue Jean(s) L' | 9 | 0 | 2 | |
| 20 | 36 | Modelling blue jeans, having to swap Small for Large may take some pluck? | (anag) blue jean/s…swapping S for L | 8.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 21 | 43 | Small instrument Lee played beside Gambian capital. | Gambian capital = "BANJUL" | 7 | 1 | ||
| 22 | 3 | African city rejecting the French scheme, ultimately, as it has strings attached | African city = BANJUL + rev of LE + (schem)E | 5.5 | 0 | ||
| 22 | 15 | Elected leader, "Jane Bull", possible name for this plucky one? | *E+JANE+BULL; rather than John Bull; ref to Theresa May? | 5.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 24 | 27 | Instrument used to veto the French twice after Johnson unites initially | ban + le le after J U | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 24 | 37 | Note able Julian Bream initially plays this a bit? No! | note able Julian B anag = anag banjulele a bit no; J Bream, classical guitarist; &lit | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 26 | 4 | All bunjee jumpers got special little guitar (9) | direct = special little guitar; anagram of "all bunjee"; jumpers = indicator | 4.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 26 | 20 | Formby's capital instrument here? Feel jubilant, 'happy-go-lucky' when it is plucked | Comp. anag. & lit. with fbanjulele = anag. of feeljublan, ref. George F's song Happy Go Lucky Me. GF's instrument acc. to Wiki was a 'banjolele' | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 28 | 38 | Over half of jelly unable to explode, yet still heard in Mr Wu's Chinese Laundry in Limehouse | Anagram of JEL UNABLE and reference to Limehouse Chinese Laundry Blues by George Formby, who played the banjulele. | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 29 | 22 | Gambian funeral singer misses the gist – it sounds like George Formby! | Banjul ele(gist); banjulele was G.F.'s instrument | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 30 | 12 | Curse around incomplete project the French left — it has strings attached | BAN{JU(-t)+LE + L}E | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 30 | 34 | June Bella tiptoeing through the tulips with stringed instrument similar to Tiny Tim's! (9) | direct=stringed instrument similar to Tiny Tim's June Bella = anagram of banjulele: indicator = tiptoeing through the tulips (ahem!) | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 30 | 42 | Producing this small instrument you, it's said, shaped jelly bean, removing centre | anagram of U (heard) JELL[y]BEAN | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 33 | 39 | Plucky old thing, Verne almost followed Newton into trouble | BA(N+JULEs)LE | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 33 | 40 | Poison found in unfinished julep beside Latin stringed instrument. | found in poison (bane) is (julep-p + l) then definition | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 35 | 7 | Belle and Juan played small instrument using gut (9) | Anagram of Belle + Juan | 2 | 1 | ||
| 36 | 9 | Blue jean worn over large string (9) | BLUEJEAN* around L. String – defn: String in surface refers to g string underwear.Hope the surface facilitates easy visualisation of some famous ads of well known denim brands. | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 36 | 45 | This comes with strings attached, linking Spain and the French to African capital. | Def/Banjul (capital of the Gambia)+ E + le. | 1 | 1 | ||
| 38 | 2 | A mishmash of one unloved instrument with another (though not of this country) was a source of much consternation to Jeeves. | BANJo + ukULELE. In P.G. Wodehouse's 1934 novel Thank You, Jeeves, valet Jeeves is driven to resign over his employer Bertie Wooster's decision to take up the banjulele. | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 38 | 11 | Contrived instrument to stop heartless French game, the French follow repeatedly (9) | Definition: Contrived instrument Word play: BAN (to stop) JU (heartless French word for game jeu) LELE (the in French le, follows twice, that is repeatedly) | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 13 | Curse nearly half the invaders and the French – twice gut instrument. | Curse (BAN) invaders (JUtes) the French LE – twice. DEF gut instrument. | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 16 | Exclusion for half of July over two railway lines gutted music-maker | Ban + ju + el twice reversed + definition | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 17 | Formby played this City State University, before the French, again. | (George) Formby played this = definition – City (BA) State (NJ) University (U), before the French (LE) again (LE) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 38 | 19 | Formby used to be changeable around late June and most of July – stormy on the front, by George! (9) | def (after manipulation): By George Formby used; link: to be; WP: anag (change) of ABLE around anag (stormy) of (ju)NE JUL(y) – ie ABLE* around NEJUL* | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 38 | 21 | Formby's instrument to forbid bellies appearing regularly around summer month | [BAN<Jul>(b)E(l)L(i)E(s); banjulele was George Formby's instrument; Formby is a seaside town in Merseyside] | 0 | 0 | ||
| 38 | 23 | George Formby's instrument found at beginners English language evenings on outskirts of Gambian capital | Banjul + ELE; | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 26 | Instrument used by Banjul electronica artist? Unlikely | A rather self-explanatory container clue (sorry, lacking inspiration this month) | 0 | 0 |