CCCWC November 2021 competition results
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63 clues entered. 52 votes cast (47 competitors, 5 others).
SOUSAPHONE
Firstly, the Annual Competition for 2021. Tom Borland leads the field heading into the final month – but by a mere 1/2 point – and there are still 11 competitors with a chance of winning! We have never had such a close end to the season!
November – congratulations to Ed Hall who topped the list for his first ever win! A clue that manages to divert the solver away from the musical instrument in question. Ed's second podium of the year.
We have some mystery personae in the list this month – one being Myrtilus – who after only a couple of entries has snatched 2nd spot. Another clue that diverted away from the instrument in question. Well done!
Another mystery newcomer in 3rd – sawbill – first effort, first podium. The anagram fodder was nicely disguised – at first 'up' appeared to form part of the definition – and the indication of 'hone' was, well, perfect!
Another newcomer but a real name in 4th! Alastair only started competing this year, but that is his 2nd top 5 finish already. A wordy but well-crafted &lit.
Finishing off the podium is another 1st year virgin! Marcus also scores his second placing of this year in 5th place – one of the most concise offerings – neat!
Thanks to all and please do have a stab at the Christmas Anagram Challenge – some people are having great fun with it already!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 58 | Ed Hall | Use a spoon when consuming hot liquid – and blow on it! (10) | Anagram of USE A SPOON + H (hot). Definition (blow on it!) | 55.5 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | 31 | Myrtilus | Music producer fixed hopes on touring America | Anagram (fixed) of 'hopes on' going round USA. | 48.5 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 24 | sawbill | It's blown up so as to be rebuilt. Perfect. (10) | It's blown = definition. to be rebuilt = anagram indicator. UP SO AS = anagram fodder. Perfect = HONE | 45 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 61 | Alastair Gerrard | What has strange shape and sound, expresses depth and goes around soloist's middle? | anagram of [SHAPE + SOUND] – D (= depth), around (sol)O(ist). &Lit | 39.5 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | 8 | Marcus Taft | Brass coins and a ring | "coins" = SOUS, ring = PHONE. "Brass" is definition | 30 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 2 | Peter Hartley | Abandon me, otherwise oompahs ensue | Anagram: (otherwise*) OOMPAHS ENSUE less ME &lit | 28.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | 23 | Teyrnon Powell | How do you make oompahs ensue? Play ’em with this | Comp. anag. & lit. 'OOMPAHS ENSUE' = EM SOUSAPHONE | 28.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 35 | John Appleton | One has opus composed for this? | (ONEHASOPUS)*; semi-&lit. | 24 | 3 | 3 |
| 9 | 15 | Satyen Nabar | Extraordinary opus has solitary musical instrument | (OPUS HAS)*+ ONE | 23.5 | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 48 | John Tozer | Some brass given a polish around start of parade? | sous (coins) + p in a hone, & lit.; hone, polish = improve (e.g. a skill) | 23.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | 22 | Horn used as I put shoe on, letting it slide | *AS I PUT SHOE ON minus IT; def. Horn | 21.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 12 | 19 | He's soon up with a powdered horn | anagram of HES SOON UP + A; horn=def; ref. Traditional Chinese Medicine | 19 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | 41 | Opus has to be played by single instrument (10) | OPUSHAS*+ONE | 19 | 2 | 1 | |
| 12 | 42 | Original duo of Soft Cell welcomes American with a horn | so(US)(a)phone. First 2 of Soft + phone (= cell, ref. CCD) containing US (= American) + a. Ref. American horn player John Gatchell who joined Soft Cell for albums 2 & 3 | 19 | 0 | 3 | |
| 15 | 12 | Clumsily, press heel upon a shoe horn (10) | Anag. (pres)S UPON A SHOE. Def: Horn | 17.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 15 | 51 | Sweetheart's captivated by a spouse playing a tuba | HON ('sweetheart') in ASPOUSE anag ('playing') | 17.5 | 1 | ||
| 17 | 4 | After call for help is cut short, the Americans contact one of the big brass. | Call for help cut short = SO[S], Americans = USA, contact = phone. | 16.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | 37 | One has opus jazzed up for brass instrument | ONEHASOPUS*. Jazzed up – anagram indicator. Brass instrument – definition. | 15 | 4 | 4 | |
| 19 | 36 | One has opus composed for this instrument(10) | Def= instrument; anagram = "one has opus" | 13.5 | 5 | 2 | |
| 20 | 27 | Marching band’s surround sound system? | Cryptic clue – sousaphone surrounds player | 13 | 3 | 3 | |
| 21 | 39 | One's played in enough soaps, sadly making grand exit | ENOUGHSOAPS* – G | 12 | 3 | 2 | |
| 22 | 18 | Has opus one being played? | anag.& lit. | 11.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 23 | 33 | Noah and spouse in a storm – a big wind needed? | NOAH + SPOUSE anagram; tubas need a lot of puff | 11 | 1 | 3 | |
| 24 | 11 | Call by John Phllip for a tuba | Call (phone) by (beside) John Phillip (ie Sousa) = tuba (def) | 10.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 24 | 52 | The Queen disregarded opera house's biting north winds, which may blow in March | OP(er)AHOUSES* (winds) around N. (Brass instruments blow intransitively) | 10.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 26 | 16 | Give me this instrument to make oompahs ensue | Compound anagram | 10 | 3 | 2 | |
| 27 | 6 | Around hospital, soon pause playing instrument (10) | [soon pause]* indicated by playing around H (hospital). Definition – instrument. | 9.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 27 | 29 | Money grips us, keen for some big brass? | us in soap[= Money] + hone[= keen, i.e. to sharpen] | 9.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 29 | 38 | One has opus played in brass section (10) | * ONEHASOPUS def= in brass section | 8.5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 30 | 10 | Brass monkey with no hopes to circumnavigate America | monkey with is the anagram indicator for 'no hopes', with USA in the middle. Sousaphone is a member of the brass family of instruments | 8 | 1 | 3 | |
| 31 | 7 | Blown 'pon USA hose | Anagram of PON+USA+HOSE. &lit | 7.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 32 | 34 | Nothing odd about tuba noises played on mobile horn | (t)U(b)A(n)O(i)S(e)S* + PHONE (mobile) / def = horn / a sousaphone is a tuba adapted for portability | 7 | 0 | ||
| 33 | 40 | Oompahs sounded odd with mike off, playing this. (10) | Oompahs sounded = anagram fodder, odd with mike off = remove oddm , playing = anagram indicator, this = definition (andlit) | 6 | 0 | ||
| 33 | 43 | Outsize round ring about the middle of trouper with the Salvation Army? (10) | Outsize round = OS reversed = SO / ring = PHONE / about = containing / the middle of trouper with the Salvation Army = [tro]U[per] SA / OS<{[tro]U[per]SA}PHONE / &lit | 6 | 2 | 3 | |
| 35 | 20 | Homo sapiens stirred with music perhaps mimics this instrument. | HOMOSAPIENSMUSIC anag of MIMICSSOUSAPHONE | 5.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 36 | 26 | March wind blows through this U shape, so no damage done (10) | Anagram (damage done) of U SHAPE SO NO: Definition: MARCH WIND BLOWS THROUGH THIS. (Sousaphone invented for marching music.) | 5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 36 | 30 | Music maker regularly seen around America secured by bent hoop over one’s body (10) | Regularly SeEn is SE around USA inside (secured by)HOOP* (Anag Ind: Bent) + (over (down clue) oNe. One’s body is N. S {O(USA)PHO* (N)}E. Def:Music maker | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 36 | 47 | So employ a blower, if you've fired Ellington's top brass! | Charade: So + us(e) a phone | 5 | 0 | ||
| 36 | 57 | Use a small new hoop to make part of a band? (10) | Part of a band? (Definition); TO MAKE = anagrind; (USE A S[mall] N[ew] HOOP) = anagram fodder | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 40 | 32 | Music producer has spoken out about Tunstall withdrawing | Music producer = def; (HAS SPOKEN OUT)*– KT. Singer KT Tunstall recently withdrew from concerts with hearing loss | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 40 | 50 | Such a sound of America! | Such = SO; a sound of America = USA PHONE ("phone" as in linguistics, where it means a sound). &lit (the instrument is American and popular in American marches). | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 42 | 5 | After 'Dixie Land', quietly polish instrument. | 'Dixie Land' = SoUSA (Southern USA); quietly = p (musical instruction); polish = hone; SOUSA+P+HONE; polish also suggesting a brass instrument | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| 43 | 1 | A buzz follows little pieces for brass instrument | A PHONE follows SOUS | 3.5 | 1 | ||
| 43 | 14 | Dry eye having left Sydney Opera House sadly – a big blow! | (SYDNEY OPERA – DRY EYE)* – A BIG BLOW = def.. | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 43 | 45 | Sadly in pa's house no large type of tuba | {PAS HOUSE NO} anagram | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 43 | 55 | Under French auctioneers, first call makes it. " Blow that! " | Under French (SOUS) (A)uctioneers first call (PHONE) makes it – SOUSAPHONE. " Blow (play) that! " | 3.5 | 0 | ||
| 47 | 21 | Hops around all over America with an instrument (10) | HOPS* about USA + ONE(an) | 3 | 1 | ||
| 48 | 3 | Abrupt emergency call to dismiss executive top brass | Brass = brass instrument = def = SOUSAPHONE | Abrupt emergency = SOS minus S = SO | call = use a phone | to dismiss executive top = deletion of E from USE A PHONE = USAPHONE | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 49 | 44 | Right, call around the States for some brass | Right=SO ("That is so.") + Call=PHONE around USA. Some brass = Defn. | 2 | 0 | ||
| 49 | 56 | USA hopes no realignment will produce a loud brassy blowhard | USA hopes no = fodder; realignment = anagrind; a loud brassy blowhard = definition | 2 | 1 | ||
| 51 | 13 | Composer (true American ace) has to call his music producer | true = SO (e.g. that is so) American = US (e.g. US troops) ace = A, to call = PHONE, his music producer = definition (instrument Sousa co-invented) | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 51 | 25 | Large instrument where, in consequence, a sound measurement is in use | Large instrument = def; where = link word to wordplay; in consequence = so; a sound measurement = a phon; is in use = us(aphon)e. | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| 51 | 53 | Thus central Jerusalem rings endlessly for a type of tuba | SO (thus), middle letters (central) of [JER]USA[LEM] and PHONE[S] (rings) without the ending or last letter S (endlessly) for definition SOUSAPHONE (a type of tuba) | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 54 | 9 | Brass instrument sounds partly like receding buzz (10) | SOU(sounds partly) + SA (like = as reversed) + PHONE (buzz). Brass instrument is the definition. Whole clue also describes sousaphone. | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | 49 | Student tours America with a certain band member | [SOPH(omore) containing USA] + ONE (a certain) | 1 | 2 | ||
| 54 | 59 | Very divided country with power, edge, huge brass | SO+USA+P+HONE | 1 | 0 | ||
| 54 | 63 | With drums, this wind instrument roundhouses amps all over | Composite anagram. (Roundhouses amps)* = sousaphone + drums. Definition – wind instrument, anagrind – all over. One would assume that sousaphone with drums would be loud enough to kick most amps. | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 | 17 | Gutless Freddy quits when Simon, after vacation steps in playing Shape Of You on a big brass instrument (10) | Gutless Freddy = FY , Simon, after vacation = SN. Anagram of SHAPE OF YOU – FY(Quits) +SN (Steps in). Big brass instrument – def | 0.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 58 | 60 | Very much vitriolic about United States Army's top military brass (10) | Very = SO, much vitriolic = pH 1 (PH ONE), about = container indicator, United States Army's top = US+A, military brass = definition | 0.5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 60 | 28 | Melody Maker article about origins of Prince's home-made ouzo devoured by drunkard | Def=Melody Maker. AN (=article) about PHO (initials) devoured by SOUSE (=drunkard). Melody Maker was a British music magazine. | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 60 | 46 | Say, me – hence a blower must lip! | SO [US] A PHONE; SO(hence) A PHONE(blower – inf.) US(say, me – inf.); lip as containment indicator – also a requisite technique for playing a brass instrument, hence &lit | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 60 | 54 | Top brass provides essentially personal cell | Definition = Top brass; essentially perSOnal = SO; CELL = USA PHONE | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 60 | 62 | When missing English, well, make a call with blower? | Well make a call = so use a phone Missing English = remove e Blower? = def | 0 | 0 | 1 |