CCCWC September 2017 competition results
More information | Comments | All results | < Previous | Next > | Annual competition
58 clues entered. 48 votes cast (43 competitors, 5 others).
MAIDEN
A runaway winner this month. Congratulations to Pete Milne for his clue with such a plausible surface relating to a topic that I am sure many of us can relate to! Well done Pete.
Colin Thomas scores his second podium in a row and third of the year. Another very smooth surface reading – these first two are so smooth they hardly even read like crossword clues!
A welcome return to the top 5 for Don in third spot. Another lovely surface with some neat wordplay involving BA and MA. Well done Don.
Satyen continues his excellent year in 4th place – that's 4 top 5 finishes this year, keeping him in contention for the Annual Prize.
And in 5th place… well, for the first time ever I believe – a triple tie! David McKie, Jeff Robinson and Barry Solomons all clocking up the same number of points – so rather a crowded podium for this month!
Thanks to all, and onwards to October…
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53 | Pete Milne | Virgin Media connection finally working. | Anag of MEDIA+N (Virgin Media are an Internet etc provider) | 86.5 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | 21 | Colin Thomas | First name changed to protect identity | First = def (e.g. maiden voyage); anagram NAME around ID = identity | 54 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | 31 | Don Manley | I end flying on something a bit better than BA — Virgin | MA (ref.degree) + anag. | 43 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 55 | Satyen Nabar | Wanting husband, I had men in a tizzy? | (IHADMEN – H)* &lit | 32 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 28 | David McKie | Graduate study that bags one a first? | MA and DEN about I; a first = definition | 23.5 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | 36 | Jeffery Robinson | Miss chaps coming round to help | M<AID>EN | 23.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 37 | Barry Solomons | Name I'd changed after getting married? | maiden name…name I'd (anag) | 23.5 | 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 1 | Shyam | …… (6) | Rebus, six dots in an over in cricket, six blanks for six-letter word | 22.5 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | Peter Cargill | Dame in disguise? | Anag & lit | 22.5 | 5 | 4 |
| 10 | 58 | David Cuschieri | Young woman dressed up in fine diamonds (6) | Young woman -> def dressed -> container indicator up -> reversal indicator | 21.5 | 4 | |
| 11 | 17 | First Lady | double definition | 18.5 | 2 | 4 | |
| 11 | 18 | First Lady (6) | DD | 18.5 | 2 | ||
| 11 | 25 | Girl rejected selection of fine diamonds (6) | Reverse telescopic in "fiNE DIAMonds". "selection of" as telescopic ind, "rejected" to indicate reversal, def = Girl | 18.5 | 5 | ||
| 11 | 46 | Sadly it's the middle of September and I'm still waiting for my first win (6) | Sadly = anagram indicator. (Sept)e(mber) + and I'm = anagram fodder. Definition = a horse that hasn't won yet. Also describes my current clue-writing situation ! | 18.5 | 3 | 3 | |
| 15 | 10 | Damsel bowled over | Double definition | 17 | 3 | 2 | |
| 16 | 12 | Debut match against India drained England's new openers (6) | Definition: Debut (adj) Acrostic clue M(atch)A(gainst)I(ndia)D(rained)E(ngland's)N(ew). Openers is the indicator | 13.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 17 | 43 | Promiscuous independent dame going with men? Not me! | anag & lit incl i = independent (Ch) + (me)n; promiscuous = haphazard, confusedly mixed (Ch) | 13 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | 47 | Second in race? It's the best this nag's done | aid in men, semi & lit.; second vb., human race, maiden horse | 13 | 2 | ||
| 19 | 24 | Form of name that secures identity? | ID in NAME*, & lit ref. maiden name as security question | 12.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 20 | 2 | … twice over? | Six dot balls | 12 | 2 | 7 | |
| 20 | 45 | Run free in field? Sounds like Teresa's secret place | Homophone of MAY + DEN; def. = run free (over) in (cricket) field; ref. the PM's recent naughty revelation | 12 | 3 | 4 | |
| 20 | 49 | She could make man die happy | *(happy = drunk) & lit. | 12 | 6 | 1 | |
| 23 | 50 | Spinster: dame in distress? (6) | spinster = maiden (both unmarried women); dame in = anagram of maiden: indicator = distress | 10 | 3 | 1 | |
| 24 | 29 | Help crew onboard to find young girl | m[aid]en | 9.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 25 | 20 | First man ate fish | First = def. Man around ide | 9 | 0 | 2 | |
| 26 | 27 | Girl with a denim dress | dress is anagram indicator of 'a denim' : girl is the definition | 8.5 | 2 | 4 | |
| 27 | 19 | First lady in the making? | Double definition | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| 27 | 33 | Inaugural motorway spans the opening of Yemeni port | (M)A(I)DEN; def: inaugural | 7 | 0 | ||
| 27 | 35 | Male nurses plan short, uneventful deliveries (6) | IDE(a) in MAN "uneventful deliveries" is the def. | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
| 27 | 40 | Not all of team aid endgame, it's over with no score. | Def=over with no score. Written in clue: teaM AID ENdgame. | 7 | 2 | 3 | |
| 27 | 57 | Yes, if abandoned, I may end up a virgin | Yes – Y, up – anagram indicator, def – a virgin (I may end-y)* | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| 32 | 3 | A gemstone (diamond) fragment reflects in its original state. | gemstoNE DIAMond + def | 6.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 32 | 7 | Critical to include comeback of Ed Balls? | MAIN outside ED< | 6.5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 34 | 22 | First one in denim pants | Def = first; A in (DENIM)* | 6 | 3 | 1 | |
| 35 | 38 | New name misspelt in papers? On the contrary | ID in NAME* | 5.5 | 2 | ||
| 36 | 42 | Officialy the first virgin (6) | DD | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 37 | 30 | Help hired by males is single woman (6) | M(AID)EN | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 37 | 32 | I'm the ultimate in virtue and bowling? | IM + E + AND anag ('bowling'); & lit: a maiden is the ultimate (?) in virtue and a maiden is the ultimate (?) in bowling, ref maiden over | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| 37 | 34 | Made in wrought iron, a metal band | MADE IN anagram; Iron Maiden, exponents of 'metal' genre of hard rock | 4 | 4 | ||
| 37 | 39 | No British brideman running wild's a virgin. | anag(running wild) of brIDEMAN + def | 4 | 0 | ||
| 41 | 23 | Fish in the sea; one I let go | IDE in MAIN with one of the I's let go, &lit. | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | |
| 42 | 26 | Girl wanting unconventional sex on date finds me entertaining and new (6) | M(AI D)E N – def girl; AI = artifical insemination (as in dairy cows etc) | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| 42 | 54 | Virgin soldier missing from imagined cock-up | *IMA[GI]NED | 3 | 0 | ||
| 44 | 14 | First aid provided in restroom for some | DEF 'first' as in speech, AID in MEN a sign not uncommonly seen on lavatory doors, but not for universal use | 2.5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 45 | 5 | Assertion from Edward he is backing winless horse | MA I DEN (full rev.) | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 45 | 15 | First ever boundary-free century from Moeen secures boost for England | First ever = definition; boundary-free century = (t)o(n), from Moeen leaves meen; then aid (boost) for/instead of e (England) Hope this isn’t too complicated- my first entry so need to gauge style!! | 1.5 | 3 | 7 | |
| 45 | 44 | Reform made in something not previously tried | (made in)* +def | 1.5 | 2 | ||
| 48 | 11 | Damsel is fantastic, inviting…I halt…almost (6) | Definition: damsel Wordplay: MAD around I (fantastic inviting I) + EN [en(d) halt almost] | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 48 | 51 | States have little space for unsuccessful horse. | MAssachusetts + IDaho + EN. Maiden = a horse that has never won a race. | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 48 | 52 | The young girl is Irma – identity enclosed. | irMAIDENtity | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| 51 | 6 | Being unmarried, old Jock's chopper's unused. | Def. x3 (maiden = "a Scottish beheading machine similar to a guillotine [hist]" – Chambers). | 0.5 | 4 | 1 | |
| 51 | 48 | Setter's backing little Dennis to get girl | (I AM) backing + DEN | 0.5 | 2 | ||
| 51 | 56 | Wild madder, in earth lacking colour, grown from a seed. | Definition: 'grown from a seed'. Anagram indicator is 'Wild' for MADDER IN E, ('earth' becoming E), from which the letters R + D + E are removed, indicator is 'lacking'. | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 54 | 4 | A nag? Yes and no | Cryptic definition: A horse, yes but not an old one! | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | 8 | Daft idea, cutting Mechlin fringes for machine-made curtains. | ***Wordplay: (anag. indic.) DAFT (anag.) IDEA = (AIDE) CUTTING (insert. indic.) MECHLIN FRINGES (ends indic.) = M(AIDE)N. ***Definition: MACHINE-MADE 'CURTAINS' = the 'maiden', (machine to execute criminals) | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 54 | 13 | Elgar's Enigma: identification veiling person pictured within Variation XIII. | Hidden answer, (***) heading the score is thought to represent Lady Mary Lygon (L.M.L.) or Helen Jessie Weaver (H.J.W.). | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 54 | 16 | First flight North after Madeira turns, drops leaders of Red Arrows. | Def (first flight is 'Maiden' Flight) = N after Madeira, anag (turns) then Maidenra – RA | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | 41 | Nothing over 499 in West perhaps and North | Nothing over is def, build is id in mae+n | 0 | 0 | 2 |