CCCWC March 2023 competition results
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58 clues entered. 42 votes cast (38 competitors, 4 others).
PANDEMIC
The PANDEMIC competition was another very close-run affair. Our winner by just a single point was Vinit Wankhede with a well-crafted &lit. That is Vinit's second podium of this year and first victory since 2020.
Just squeezed out into second spot was Myrtilus, a concise clue with a cogent surface.
Then back in third by only a half point came Steve Hicks with another &lit that had a neat construction.
Seerhat Hazir claimed fourth place with another &lit…and guess what…another &lit in fifth place from Todd Konkel!
Well done to all and now on to April's task…
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Vinit Wankhede | An epic onset of disease virulently engulfing millions (8) | & lit. An epic onset of disease = AN+EPIC+D, virulently = anagrind, engulfing = containmentind, millions = M ; ANEPICD* around M | 39 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | 53 | Myrtilus | Widespread alarm about sea rising | Panic about Med (reversed, down clue). Definition is Widespread. | 38 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 7 | Steve Hicks | Caught by people, initially made in bats? | &lit. Anagram: C (caught by) + P (people, initially) + MADE IN. Anagrind=bats | 37.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 41 | Seerat Hazir | Propagated initially by mice and bats! (8) | P MICEAND* Anag ind: Bats. &lit. | 31.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 31 | Todd Konkel | Initially, pangolins and mice spread global disease | P + AND + (MICE)*; anagrind is "spread"; ref mice spreading bubonic plague, speculation that pangolins spread COVID-19 | 28.5 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | 23 | Charlie Oakley | Fear about rising sea is global concern | Fear = PANIC, about – containment indicator, rising MED = DEM. Global concern – definition. [this would need to be a down clue in an actual puzzle for 'rising' to work] | 26.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | 14 | Abhay Phadnis | Damn! Epic failure led to universal spread of disease (8) | Anagram of {DAMN EPIC}, with 'failure' as anagram indicator. Definition is "universal spread of disease" | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 32 | John Appleton | It affects many camped in wild | CAMPEDIN* | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | 40 | Steve Randall | Pressure for old comedian to travel worldwide | COMEDIAN* with P for O, definition (adj.) worldwide | 17.5 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | John Hood | Criticise heads of dangerous explorative medicine in China for widespread disease | PAN + first letters D E M I C | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | 39 | Plague's origin perhaps made in China initially (8) | Plague = definition (semi &lit); Plague's origin = P; Perhaps = anagrind; (MADE IN) = anagram fodder; China initially = C | 16.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 12 | 35 | Medical plan — all to do with ——— ? | comp.anag. & lit. | 16 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | 22 | Everything Everywhere All at Once: Damn! Epic! | (damn, epic)* ref recent Oscar-winning film | 15 | 1 | 4 | |
| 14 | 4 | All the people affected lambast confused medic | Lambast = PAN + (MEDIC)* | 14.5 | 1 | ||
| 14 | 36 | Organize camp in case of dengue or Covid-19, say (8) | Anagram of (CAMP + IN + D-E), def = Covid-19 say, organize is the anagram indicator. (Surface refers to the medical camps set up for testing, vaccination etc.) | 14.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 16 | 16 | Devastatingly affecting Everything Everywhere All at Once is strangely named pic | (named pic)*, adjective definition. | 13 | 3 | 2 | |
| 17 | 3 | Alarm about recalled medicine for Covid perhaps (8) | Alarm = panic, about = inclusion indicator, recalled medicine = dem + definition | 12.5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 17 | 46 | Scare about medicine turned global. | MED (rev) in PANIC: def GLOBAL. | 12.5 | 2 | ||
| 19 | 1 | After killing of a doctor panic made widespread (8) | PANICMADE-A*. Doctor is anagrind. Def: widespread | 11.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 20 | 8 | Common criminal decamping after killing girl (8) | Def: Common, Anagrind: criminal, anagram of (decamping – g) | 10 | 1 | 2 | |
| 20 | 21 | Essentially RuPaul minced all over the place causing widespread complaint (8) | First 2 words = PA / Anagram (all over the place) minced = NDEMIC / Definition = last 2 words | 10 | 0 | 2 | |
| 20 | 44 | Rampant spread pained millions with onset of Covid-19 | (PAINED M)* + C(-ovid-19); spread= anag ind, defn= rampant | 10 | 2 | 1 | |
| 23 | 52 | Voldemort's heart-rending terror outbreak | Heart of Vol(DEM)ort rending PANIC = terror. Def: outbreak | 9.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 24 | 20 | Epic mass outbreak, also spreading | AND(also) inside (EPIC M)*; &lit | 7.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 24 | 43 | Rampant cases of COVID infection are paradigm | Anagram of first & last letters &lit. paradigm = an example. | 7.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 26 | 17 | Doctor camped in, the time we needed her most | Doctor = anagrind; camped in = fodder; the time we needed her most = def | 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| 26 | 49 | Stunning maiden in computer has gone viral (8) | Anagrind: stunning Fodder: maiden Containment indicator: in Computer: PC Definition: viral as in widespread/popular | 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| 28 | 47 | Serious virus problem with PC made in funny way (8) | Anagram of P C MADE IN. | 6.5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 28 | 55 | Widespread disease killing residents with millions enveloped by fear (8) | {D(…..)+M} in fear. residents to indicate internal letters of Disease. Def: whole clue – semi &lit | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 30 | 38 | Perhaps, camping outside regularly does no good in times like these? (8) | CAMPING Anagrammed around DE (DoEs ) – G , in times like these -def | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 30 | 58 | Widespread hysteria surrounding Trump opponent | pan(dem)ic. Def = widespread | 6 | 1 | 2 | |
| 32 | 11 | Criticise doctor confusing Germany and Malta in health emergency | PAN MEDIC confusing D and M | 5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 33 | 27 | Heading to pub and I'm there ultimately to get drunk on cold Corona" | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 33 | 56 | Widespread, epic and involving millions! (8) | Def: &Lit, Anagram of AND EPIC* around M, Anagrind – Wide spread | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 35 | 6 | Campaigned vigorously for banning silver across the world (8) | Anagram fodder – Campaigned Anagram Indicator – vigorously banning silver – deletion of Ag from Campaigned Defn – Across the world | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| 35 | 10 | Covid-19 hysteria has Lib hiding inside | DEM inside PANIC | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| 35 | 30 | Incorrect bit of information about such a disease, can result in media panic | comp anag &Lit. PANDEMIC+I+A —> MEDIAPANIC. I = "information initially", A = "about" I = "bit of information" anagrind = "incorrect" | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 35 | 37 | Overwhelming by and large, spread of simple microbe | Hidden, replacing L with AND | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 39 | 48 | State of terror about dead European millions in worldwide disease | PANIC around D E M | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 40 | 12 | Criticise France's half-measure at first sign of cholera causing widespread illness | Criticise = pan; France's half-measure = demi; at first sign of cholera = + c; causing = linkword to def; widespread illness = def. | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| 40 | 42 | Quietly, CIA men adjusted lead to diplomat's concealed bug (8) | P (quietly) + anagram (adjusted) of (CIA MEN) containing D (lead to diplomat's concealed); "bug" is def | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| 40 | 45 | Sadly this might involve disheartened medic and priest | &lit; anagram me(d)ic and P | 3 | 0 | ||
| 40 | 51 | Universal Studios’ centrepiece has me weirdly consumed by fear | Universal = def; [stu]D[ios] + ME* (weirdly) in PANIC | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | 19 | Drug sent back amidst confusion during widespread emergency (8) | PAN(DEM<-)IC | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 45 | 54 | Widespread alarm, confining more than half of the people | widespread = def. (in adj. sense); alarm = PANIC; confining = container ind.; more than half of the people = 3/5 of DEMOS ("the people" in Chambers) – so PAN{DEM[os]}IC | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 46 | 9 | Common scan has medic excited | PAN (scan, as in cinema etc) plus anagram of MEDIC. | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 46 | 18 | Doctor taken aback, gripped by fear of Spanish Flu during World War I? | DEM (doctor -> MED, taken aback is reversal indicator) gripped by PANIC. Spanish Flu during World War I? is the definition by example | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 46 | 26 | Greek god (evil, loveless and nameless) creates widespread disorder | PAN + DEM(ON)IC, where O = love & N = name; widespread disorder (illness) = def | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 46 | 34 | Masked up without question in alarm for its outbreak is global (8) | PAN{<<M(-ask)ED}IC, def: its outbreak is global, ask=question, alarm=panic, up indicates reversal, without indicates deletion | 1.5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 50 | 2 | After making ends meet, paid to get into cinema complex to see 'Black Death', for example. | Anagram of PD ('paid' after making ends meet) + CINEMA; anagrind = complex; ref: 'Black Death' is a film starring Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 50 | 15 | Democrat caught up in sudden dread of international malaise | DEM inside PAN IC. | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 50 | 25 | Global disease caused anxiety about return to sea. | PAN(DEM)IC…Dem = Med | 1 | 1 | ||
| 50 | 50 | This God is a democrat I see, causing worldwide disease. | God (Pan). Democrat (Dem), I see (IC) | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 50 | 57 | Widespread hysteria gripping Delaware, mainly, initially | pan-DE + m(ainly)-ic | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 55 | 24 | French bread from premium deli fantastic, ultimately becoming widespread | PAN DE [French for bread and from]/M/I/C | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 55 | 28 | I end camp confused by the disease (8 ) | Anagram of "I end camp" Definition: disease | 0 | 0 | ||
| 55 | 29 | Illness everywhere, every now and then "I'm dead!" coming back amidst great terror | Def. illness everywhere, regular letters (every now and then) of iM dEaD in reversal form (coming back) inside (amidst) PANIC (great terror) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 55 | 33 | It brings fear about WHO focus back | PAN(DEM)IC (med.) rev. | 0 | 0 | 1 |