CCCWC August 2016 competition results
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57 clues entered. 43 votes cast (39 competitors, 4 others).
LAUGHTER
Congratulations to John Appleton for his second win of this year – and for managing to keep Dave Parfitt at bay! – but it was close! Dave looked hot favourite throughout the voting but John with his neatly constructed anagram produced a late run to steal the honours.
Commiserations to Dave – just pipped to the post, but his amazingly consistent run continues with a lovely definition in his clue.
Barry achieves his first podium of the year with a simple anagram, but a definition that fitted in nicely for the surface sense.
Tom B takes fourth spot with another simple anagram coupled with a neatly deceptive definition.
Toby is another competitor who is proving a consistent performer this year, and his clever &lit keeps him vying with Dave P and John A for the annual honours.
Thanks to all and good luck for September!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | John Appleton | Funny fifth instalment of Asterix the Gaul produces this? | ([aste]R[ix] THE GAUL)*; semi &lit. | 45 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 26 | Dave Parfitt | Horrid gruel that almost brings on gag reflex? | GRUELTHA(t) anag.; gag = joke | 42.5 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 2 | Barry Solomons | A leg hurt badly may have you in stitches? | A leg hurt (anag) | 36.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 54 | Tom Borland | Urge halt to work in response to cracks? | *URGE HALT; def. response to cracks? | 35 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | 39 | Toby Robertson | Result of line succeeding for audience? | L (line) + homophone of "AFTER" (succeeding), &lit | 32 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 46 | Harvey Freeman | Splitting sides at huge comic? | anag in L(eft), R(ight) & lit | 31.5 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | Bob Kellett | After swallowing it tastes awful but it's the best medicine (8) | LATER swallowing UGH – LA(UGH)TER; ref the maxim: laughter is the best medicine | 29 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | 28 | Shashikant | Hurt a leg when dancing for fun (8) | Hurt a leg (fodder) when dancing (anagram indicator)for (link) fun (definition) | 26.5 | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | 42 | John Tozer | Someone's merry from the sound of it – drunken hug alert! | anag. | 25.5 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | JimfromMN | Bumbling Laurel and Hardy get this dearly! (8) | ANAGRAM (LAUREL + HARDYGET) yields this (LAUGHTER) + "DEARLY". The whole sentence also describes the word LAUGHTER. | 23 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | 23 | Giggling afterwards about awkward hug (8) | Def:Giggling; afterwards=LATER, awkward hug=UGH => LA(UGH)TER | 19.5 | 5 | ||
| 12 | 47 | Supposedly the best medicine? Then swallowing it's disgusting! | UGH (it's disgusting!) inside LATER (then). Definition = the best medicine (some say). | 18.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13 | 10 | Broke a leg? Hurt? This could cheer you up! (8) | Anagram of "a leg hurt" with "broke" as anagrind. Def = "This could cheer you up". | 17 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | 17 | Display of ecstasy after anything that's splitting sides? | L(AUGHT+E)R; sides = L+R; &lit | 14.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | 50 | The French expression for disgust – oddly their expression of joy (8) | LA + UGH + T(h)E(i)R | 13 | 1 | 1 | |
| 16 | 15 | Dead right about awkward hug causing mirth | LATE-R around anag of HUG | 12.5 | 1 | ||
| 16 | 27 | How disgusting to be caught up in subsequent hilarity!. | Expression of disgust UGH embedded in LATER (subsequent) | 12.5 | 0 | ||
| 18 | 14 | Crack might cause this hammer to lose head | Definition – crack might cause this, SLAUGHTER-S | 12 | 0 | 3 | |
| 18 | 49 | The fifth of Asterix the Gaul's adventures — much hilarity ensues. | Anagram of R+THE+GAUL. Anagram indicator = has adventures. | 12 | 2 | 3 | |
| 20 | 51 | The reaction to being tickled silly hurt a leg. | def+anag(silly)of"hurtaleg" | 10.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 21 | 29 | Hysterics after nurses' disgusting outburst | [LA<UGH>TER] | 9.5 | 3 | 3 | |
| 22 | 48 | The best medicine, it's claimed, involves drugs and healthy hearts | ([d]RUG[s] + [h]EALTH[y])*, ref proverb "L. is the best medicine" | 8 | 0 | ||
| 23 | 6 | An expression of amusement subsequently is found to contain one of disgust. | Def/ugh in later. | 7 | 4 | ||
| 24 | 35 | Official upset about silly thug sniggering | LA {THUG}* ER <— Rev of REAL (official) around THUG anag | 6.5 | 2 | ||
| 25 | 53 | Tumbling, hurt a leg, and it made my ribs ache (8) | Tumbling = anag ind, hurt a leg = anag fodder, + definition | 6 | 4 | 1 | |
| 26 | 18 | Endless lethargy broken with university rag producing this? | *LETHARG+U; rag=riotious festivity | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 27 | 9 | British diver claiming first, finally, and giving an indication of happiness | Ref Jack Laugher, who won gold (with Chris Mears) in the diving | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 28 | 8 | Beheading, mass-murder – it's the best medicine, apparently | Beheading (s)laughter – definition | 4.5 | 0 | ||
| 28 | 33 | Lecturer in auditorium in search of amusement. | Definition: amusement. L(ecturer); AUGHTER sounds like (in auditoriun) after=in search of. | 4.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 28 | 34 | Lug earth around for amusement? | "Lug earth" anagram, "around" indicates rearrangement | 4.5 | 2 | ||
| 31 | 12 | Cackling Coca-Cola? Ugh! Terrible ingredients. | Run-0n …coLA UGH TERri… | 4 | 1 | 4 | |
| 31 | 37 | Product of eg a short turn beginning with Lenny Henry cracking up | anag incl tur(n) & H = Henry; LH British comedian;crack up = collapse with laughter | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 31 | 44 | Sound of amusement is later heard following end of revel | later heard = "after"; end of revel = L | 4 | 0 | ||
| 34 | 3 | After bears hug, perhaps convulsions. | after=later & is around hug(anagrind=perhaps) + def | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 35 | 21 | Funny business? Hardly the mot juste if it's back to front! | LAUGHTER'S "back to front" = SLAUGHTER; "business" as in the theatre (see Chambers). | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 35 | 55 | What a comedian wants at first, is the ultimate in jokes to make a killing | S + Def = slaughter | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 35 | 56 | What gets her gut convulsing after old man stripped? | HERGUT* after (o)L(d) (m)A(n) | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 38 | 19 | Expression of disgust during Jools' show? Could be canned? | 'UGH' during 'LATER' (Jools Holland's BBC music show); def: "could be canned?" (ie canned laughter); clue references Jools' history of swearing on his shows and that it could result in cancellation (à la The Tube). | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 24 | Ha-ha ha! Get blue undressing for last masquerade | Def. Ha-ha. (ha + get + lu + r)* Anag. Ind. masquerade – in Chambers Crossword Dictionary as such. | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 | 36 | Onset of listeria and child hasn’t died – it’s a great medicine | L, (d)aughter | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 41 | 7 | Beer laced with sterilized milk? It is said to be the best medicine. | LAGER laced with UHT – ref proverb "Laughter is the best medicine" | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| 41 | 38 | Quality of play eventually leads to United goal, horribly conceded | LATER (eventually) with UGH (leads to…) contained (conceded/let in) ~ Def: Quality of play (i.e. characteristic of amusement) | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 41 | 57 | What's killing? There's no end of this | (s)laughter & lit. killing = irresistibly funny | 2 | 0 | ||
| 44 | 5 | American farewell includes a grunt as expression of scorn | American farewell >> LATER includes a grunt >> UGH + def. | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| 44 | 16 | Derisive sound of female offspring dropping date for lameness, principally | DAUGHTER with L(ameness) for D | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 44 | 25 | Heal gut strangely, take best medicine maybe? (8) | Anagram HEAL GUT plus R. Definition refers to "Laughter is the best medicine" | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 47 | 13 | Concealing an exclamation of disgust, subsequently offers the best medicine?(8) | Definition: the best medicine, alluding to the phrase 'laughter is the best medicine'. Since it is not a formal definition, the question mark has been added. Wordplay: UGH (exclamation of disgust) with LATER (subsequently) surrounding (concealing) to make LA(UGH)TER | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 47 | 32 | Kill, take away head and smile (8) | kill=slaughter Take away head=delete first laughter smile=def | 1 | 0 | ||
| 47 | 52 | Then with disgusting sound of fun … | LATER (= then) containing UGH (=disgusting). Def = sound of fun | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 50 | 30 | In another time, expression of horror produces a gut reaction. | La(ugh)ter. Def. 'a gut reaction'. | 0.5 | 1 | ||
| 50 | 31 | In bellylaugh: terrible cackle! (8) | direct = cackle. Container: bellyLAUGH TERrible; in = indicator. | 0.5 | 0 | 6 | |
| 50 | 45 | Sound response to pulling a leg and getting hurt. | "pulling a leg"=to make a joke, so "sound response" is laughter. ALEGHURT*, anagrind=pulling | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 53 | 1 | 50 + Zero + tr | L = 50 (Roman Value) Aught = Zero Tr. = N.America bird abbr. (Turkey) | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 53 | 20 | Expression of horror in future is manifestation of joy | Expression of horror (UGH) in future (LATER) is LA(UGH)TER and manifestation of joy is LAUGHTER | 0 | 1 | ||
| 53 | 40 | Saint prevented massacre – glee breaking out | sLAUGHTER | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 53 | 41 | Show of emotion that's disgusting in programme led by Holland | UGH in LATER; ref Later with Jools Holland | 0 | 0 | ||
| 53 | 43 | Sound following in the wake of character in the midst of convulsions? | L (convuLsions)+ AUGHTER (~after=following); 'sound' as verb in wordplay; &lit | 0 | 0 |