CCCWC January 2023 competition results
More information | Comments | All results | < Previous | Next > | Annual competition
51 clues entered. 42 votes cast (38 competitors, 4 others).
METROPOLIS
A fairly close-run competition this time round resulting in a new name at the top of the leaderboard. Congratulations to Jay for a maiden podium finish in 1st place, with a simple but effective anagram.
Charlie Oakley was not far behind in 2nd; an evocative (if rather sombre!) surface getting him off to a good start for the year.
John Hood, close behind, bagged 3rd spot with some rather ingenious wordplay in his clue.
Vinit, again hot on the heels, claimed 4th place with another convincing surface reading.
Final podium spot went to S.Sreeni, who was another that found a different approach with some tricksy wordplay.
Thanks to all for getting us off to a good start for 2023 – only 11 months to go!
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Jay | I’m poor .. let’s move to a big city (10) | Fodder: I’m poor let’s Move: anagrind Definition: A big city | 36.5 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | 6 | Charlie Oakley | City close to pandemonium with poorest and ill almost rioting | City – definition. Close to pandemonium = M + {POOREST + IL(l)}*, rioting – anagrind. | 31.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 36 | John Hood | Railway buff spends final hour in capital city | METRO + POLISH – H | 30 | 0 | |
| 4 | 38 | Vinit Wankhede | Rome – its people periodically rebuilt the ancient city (10) | Rome, its people periodically = ROME+ITS+POL, rebuilt = Anagrind, the ancient city = definition. There were many classical cities in Greece called Metropolis like Metropolis (Anatolia), Metropolis (Thessaly) etc | 27.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 7 | S.Sreeni | City in Middle East erected storage for food and wine (10) | #down clue. ME(Middle East ref Chambers) + {SILO(storage for food)+PORT(wine)}<<<(erected is reversal ind.) ME TROPOLIS<<. Def: City | 26.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 51 | Satyen Nabar | Where motors pile haphazardly? | (MOTORS PILE)*; semi-&lit, haphazardly= anag ind. | 26 | 3 | |
| 7 | 14 | Simon Griew | Early brace from Messi – Arsenal left needing a comeback in London? | ME[ssi] + reversal of (SILO PORT); London? = def by example | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | 25 | Seerat Hazir | Maybe Paris Hilton stripped as part of some PR stunt (10) | (ILTO+SOMEPR)* | 24.5 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | 27 | Dave Williams | Middle Eastern port sent back crude oil to southern city | Middle Eastern = ME; port sent back = TROP; crude oil = *OIL; southern = S. City = def. | 24.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Mark Crorigan | City beaten 1-0, prem lost | [*I O PREM LOST]; Ref. Manchester City, premier league | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 10 | 19 | John Appleton | Harry Langdon's first to promise influential silent film. | Def = "influential silent film"; (L[angdon]TOPROMISE)*, Harry = anagrind. | 24 | 2 | |
| 12 | 31 | Poms loiter about in Melbourne, Sydney etc | Anagram | 20 | 5 | 2 | |
| 13 | 18 | First show of movie spoiler to ruin science fiction film | First show of movie = M, Anag (ruin) SPOILER TO, Science fiction film = def | 15 | 0 | 2 | |
| 13 | 32 | Poms loiter around big city (10) | Anagram of Poms loiter. Around is anagram indicator Definition is "big city" | 15 | 2 | ||
| 15 | 33 | Promise to treat large investment as capital? | promise to (anag)…L = large…metropo(L)is | 14.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 16 | 48 | Superman's heart to melt with Lois here? | [(Su)perm(an) to Lois]* & lit. Ref. L. Lane, DC Comics. | 13 | 3 | 1 | |
| 17 | 42 | Setter managing solo trip to Superman's hometown | ME (setter) + anagram (managing) of SOLOTRIP leads to METROPOLIS or Superman's hometown | 11.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 18 | 16 | Fantastical plot is more celebrated as sci-fi classic, with minor Marxist theme | anagram of 'plot is more' | 11 | 3 | ||
| 18 | 23 | Lane assignment or milepost arrangement | (OR MILEPOST)* [ref. reporter Lois Lane] | 11 | 4 | 1 | |
| 18 | 34 | Promise to wander around large city (10) | PROMISETO* around L; def: large city | 11 | 1 | 1 | |
| 21 | 41 | See list with poor cluing, yours truly coming first? | me+anag. | 10 | 1 | 3 | |
| 22 | 8 | City is unfortunately more spoilt (9) | Anagram of ‘morespoilt’. | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 | 17 | Fiery character facing mortal peril, Superman's heading over to ——— | anag (fiery) of (M + PERIL + S + O + TO) | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 | 29 | Multi-silo port embargoing westbound ships – Sebastopol? | Reverse hidden | 9.5 | 1 | ||
| 25 | 13 | Crowded city spoilt Rome unfortunately | (spoilt Rome)* | 8.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 25 | 35 | Put away drink then dash back to London for one (10) | 'Put away' = SILO / 'drink' = PORT / 'dash' = EM / 'back' = reversal indicator / 'London for one' = definition | 8.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 25 | 39 | Rome milepost possibly gets me here? | Composite anagram: ROME+MILEPOST = ME+METROPOLIS; &lit. | 8.5 | 1 | ||
| 28 | 24 | Large settlement secured after more pilots came out | Large settlement = def; secured after = linkwords to wordplay; more pilots = anagram fodder; came out = anagram indicator. (ref: industrial action) | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| 28 | 46 | Split, Rome redeveloped around old main centre | Anagram of SPLIT ROME around O | 8 | 3 | ||
| 30 | 44 | Shot pistol more to produce the smoke? (10) | "the smoke" definition, anagram (shot) of MORE PISTOL | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| 31 | 12 | City's public transit incomplete, like Warsaw | City = definition public transit = METRO incomplete like Warsaw = POLIS(H) | 6.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 32 | 9 | City is withdrawing missile store and dock after early stages of meeting | Reversal of (withdrawing) SILO (missile store) + PORT (Dock) after ME(eting) = early stages of | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 32 | 15 | Encountered troop regularly, Belfast's force maintaining order in city | MET (t)R(o)O(p) + POLIS | 6 | 0 | ||
| 32 | 26 | Maybe Rome is top large city (10) | Large City = definition (semi &lit); Maybe = Anagrind; (ROME + IS + TOP + L [large])* | 6 | 4 | ||
| 32 | 45 | Spatiotemporal rules run amok to make this mother country supernatural. | SPATIOTEMPORALRULESRUN anag of SUPERNATURALMETROPOLIS. | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
| 36 | 4 | Can we describe Lazio’s capital? “Sì, potremo!” | Anag. (L + SI + POTREMO, disregarding one accent), &lit. (The Italian words in quotation marks mean “Yes, we can!”) | 5.5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 36 | 22 | Implores top doctor to remove head of pustule to get at sprawling area of growth | Anagram IMPLORES TOP (anagrind DOCTOR) minus P (head of Pustule). Straight def sprawling area of growth. | 5.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 38 | 37 | Recycling without bins initially, is problem to the city | is problem to* – (b) | 5 | 4 | ||
| 38 | 40 | Rome perhaps more spoilt? (10) | Anagram of MORESPOILT. Definition: Rome perhaps. Perhaps also anagram indicator. | 5 | 0 | ||
| 40 | 1 | Bit of manifesto Tories lop off to motivate the City | M + TORIESLOP* (off) | 4 | 5 | 3 | |
| 40 | 30 | Newfangled motor spiel for futuristic German vehicle | Anagram of 'motor spiel'; 'vehicle' in the sense of an expression of ideas (eg performing arts, film etc) | 4 | 1 | ||
| 42 | 28 | Motors pile up, and so I'm petrol hybrid in London eg | 2 X anag; up = in an excited state. | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 43 | 3 | Caddy, carry them back to the city. | "Silo port 'em", reversed. Surface is what a golfer might say. | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 43 | 20 | Heard on radio – cops go after underground Parisian network where Daily Planet is published | POLIS (homophone, indicated by "heard on radio", of cops i.e.police) go after METRO (underground Parisian network). Definition – where Daily Planet is published | 1.5 | 1 | ||
| 45 | 2 | Bonn? Berlin? Or Fritz's masterpiece? | Chambers defines Metropolis as capital city of a country. Metropolis a famous silent film by Fritz Lang. | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 45 | 43 | Short Warsaw native is seen on underground in Paris, perhaps | POL[e] IS "seen on" METRO; definition by example. | 1 | 2 | ||
| 45 | 50 | “Top male” messed around with Lois here, naked | &lit. Anagram TOP M LOIS (h)ER(e). Anagrind = messed around. Metropolis is where Superman and Lois live | 1 | 3 | ||
| 48 | 47 | Superman and Lobo, rivals initially, having it out in this urban spread | comp. anag. and all in one clue; ref DC comics for characters and Metropolis | 0.5 | 1 | ||
| 48 | 49 | The dystopian film A Clockwork Orange, with its peculiar filth | Lang's dystopia. One "Clockwork Orange" is the Glasgow METRO; the POLIS are the local police. Glasgow indicated by shared association, reinforced by peculiar. Burgess disliked the CO film's sex and violence. | 0.5 | 0 | ||
| 50 | 10 | City playing opener at Manchester United with Oriel tops | Anag. [playing] of M [united with] ORIELTOPS; Oxford City FC might wear Oriel [Oxford college] tops for publicity | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 50 | 11 | City police or blended Glaswegian police | def, MET, or=fodder, blended = grind, Polis (How glaswegians refer to police)charade incl gram | 0 | 1 | 2 |