CCCWC Christmas Special 2012 competition results
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44 clues entered. 32 votes cast (30 competitors, 2 others).
XMAS Stocking Filler (2 defs. + wordplay)
| Pos | No. | Name | Clue | Explanation | Points | Merits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Dave Parfitt | Spots error in prose and initially uses rubber | POX/MASSEUR; POSEUR = PROSE + U(ses) all anag. | 41 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 39 | Richard Saunders | Something for filling in to make copy of Times stimulating (5,6) | XEROX MASTIC XEROTIC (Something for filling in = mastic, to make copy of = Xerox, Times = x, stimulating = erotic) | 40 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | 42 | John Nicholson | Staff upset over photos (3,4) | PIX = photos, MAST = staff, PIT = TIP (upset)< | 33.5 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | 10 | John Tozer | Collected material of saucier comic so rude (4,6) | rou(x mas)sed; anag.; saucier = sauce chef | 24.5 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | 30 | Tim Moorey | Nuts and bolts from old Indian box | PI(XMAS)T; nuts = mast2; p(and)it = old Indian; box = pix | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 21 | Luciano Ward | In a manger, he's found./With love, hearts pound. | To be read as a couplet. OXMASH: in a manger, he's found = OX; pound = MASH; OH (with love (O), hearts (H)) | 19.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | 6 | Adrian Harris | Best weight achieved when exercise involved (4,4) | APEX = best, MASS = weight; APES subsid. indication: 'exercise' (PE) included ('involved') in 'when' (AS). | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 17 | David Harry | Food for animals, my cow for example | ox – oh – mash: my! = oh! | 18 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | 40 | Shirley Curran | Sort of jar to enclose gift | MASON = sort of jar BOX = to enclose BOON = gift giving BO(X MAS)ON | 18 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | 33 | Tom Borland | Public take tips from chess wizard | HEX/MASS; HEX = wizard; MASS = public (adj.); (C)HES(S) | 16.5 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | 3 | Bad smell about TV lawyer. | TV = box; lawyer = [Perry] Mason; bad smell = BO; about = on. | 14.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | 15 | Dangerous ground for poet with woman of ill-repute (4,9) | MINX (woman of ill-repute) + MASEFIELD (poet John) – XMAS = MINEFIELD (dangerous ground). Rubric doesn't say if wordplay can be a def, or if padding's allowed, but I feel these are standard liberties in clueing. | 14.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 13 | 19 | Hidden unrest raced across the country (4,6) | FLUX=unrest, MASKED=hidden, FLUKED subsid. ind. raced(FLED)across the country(UK) | 13.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 14 | 32 | Partially concealed figure snaps Queen breaking rule-book (3,6) | pix/masque=pique; pix=snaps (photos), masque=parial…figure, Qu in pie (church rule-book) | 12.5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 15 | 37 | Rubbish at English, scholar's last to try to learn | TAX = to try, MASTER = to learn, TATER = TAT (rubbish) + E + R | 11 | 4 | 3 | |
| 16 | 8 | Cathedral rite is filled with love; the nave is trimmed with holly | MASS; I(LovE)S; ILEX | 9.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 17 | 26 | Loony copy of the document is on the front page of The Sun.(3,8) | FAX=copy of document, MASTHEAD is on front page…, FATHEAD=loony | 9 | 1 | 2 | |
| 18 | 13 | Crib food perhaps for the farmyard steer (3,4) | CO(X/MAS)T, ref. ox at manger | 8.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 18 | 35 | Reject a fruit with insect egg | Nix = to reject; Mast= a fruit; The third word formed on excluding 'X' and 'MAS' from NI(X)(MAS)T is NIT and the subsidiary indication for it is its definition (insect egg). | 8.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 20 | 9 | Church rite left high priest's arms aching (4,4) | marX MASs, mars: Church rite-mass, 'Left high priest' is-Marx , arms aching- wordplay for mars | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
| 20 | 12 | Cracker lovers? Nuts! | Double definition type clue chosen for the Xmas surface reading and brevity. Cracker=beaut (something exceptionally fine), lovers=beaux, nuts=mast | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| 20 | 20 | Holy celebration? A nuisance, waste of time! What's the point? | Mass; APES (A PEST -T); Apex | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
| 23 | 44 | Whipped up a cooked mixture of flour and butter and mustered! (4,6) | ROUX=a cooked mixture of flour & butter, MASSED=mustered,ROUSED=whipped up | 6.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 24 | 36 | Rides half-a-dozen long upright poles (3,5) | Rides = sits; half-a-dozen = six; long upright poles = masts | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 | 25 | It's surprising but true – after ignoring motorway turning road maps matter, as used to be the case. | paradox, mass (obs def); PARADOS = (ROADMAPS – M)* | 5.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 25 | 43 | Topic’s peculiar photographs – the Spirit of Ecstasy, for one | PIX (photographs) MASCOT (Spirit of Ecstasy = famous car mascot of Rolls Royce) TOPIC* = PICOT | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 27 | 27 | Male brags of big pole! | faX MASt – XMAS = fat = big ; fax = mail = male (brags = homophone indicator) ; mast = pole (suggesting penis!) | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| 27 | 29 | Need to repair spar when ship blown off its course. | Fix mast = repair spar. Word remaining after deleting xmas is "fit", seen in "off its" | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 29 | 38 | Someone concealed photos of Her Majesty in disarray (3,6) | Pi(x mas)que. Pix = photos; masque = someone concealed; qu inside pie. | 4.5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 30 | 24 | It's a shaft whose tip's gotten inside | SEX+MAST; SEX – It; MAST – a shaft; SET – hidden in whoSE Tip | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 31 | 16 | Fixed asset levy matters | TAX, MASSES, TASES (asset)* | 3.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| 31 | 31 | Original gin, the way it used to be, for the old lady | MAX = gin (obs. = the way it used to be), MASTER = original, MATER = old lady (Ch.) | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | 7 | Broadcasting code let MP involved be with aerial support | COMPLEX = involved : MASTED = be with aerial support : (subsid) COMPLETED = anagram 'code let mp' : COMPLE(X-MAS)TED | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 34 | 5 | Bearing cup, prostitute (wasting time) eats most of cold dessert | Bearing = MASCLE / Cup = CALIX Wordplay: CALLE(t) around IC(e) | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 35 | 1 | After five, staff lost strike for Noel (4) | SI(X MAS)T (after five) = SIX, (staff) = MAST, lost(removal indicator) strike = (SIT down) for NOEL (XMAS) | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 35 | 14 | Cricketers defence with artisan, is a blessing in disguise. | Cricketers defence(BO-X) with artisan(MAS-ON), is a blessing(BO-ON) in disguise. | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 35 | 28 | Matterhorn visible in snowscapes | APEX = horn (see Collins English Dictionary def 16 for horn = pyramidal peak), MASS = matter, subsidiary indication is hidden, visible in snowscAPES. | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 35 | 34 | Queen hugged by familiar privateer – revolutionary spectacle at court! (4,6) | MARXMASQUE, MARX = revolutionary; MASQUE = courtly spectacle; familiar (noun) = evil spirit = MARE; MARQUE = privateer. | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 39 | 22 | In disorder, armed with poles, fellow receives bruised temple | COMPLE[XMAS]TED In disorder(riot)=complex; armed(fitted) with poles=masted; completed=fellow(cod) takes in temple(anag) | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 40 | 2 | An optic unnerved by chest amulet | chest = Pix, Amulet = Mascot anagram of optic is picot, anagram indicator is unnerved PIX MASCOT | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 40 | 4 | Ball and chain defending family in style | TAX, MASKING, TAKING: ball and chain = TAX; defending = MASKING; family = KIN, in = cryptic indicator, style = TAG (graffiti) | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 40 | 11 | Convoluted process of erecting a mast using elm, with about pint and half of grog, at sea | Convoluted = COMPLEX; process of erecting a mast = MASTING; anag of ELM+C+PINT+OG (anagrind = at sea) = COMPLETING; Ref: sailors once received a daily measure of grog (watered rum) when at sea | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 40 | 18 | He leaves for Mexico at noon, so inveigle him to fix the pole now. (4,4) | Coax Mast Coax = inveigle Mast = pole Coat = subsidiary indication is hidden “ MexiCO AT noon”. | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 40 | 23 | It maybe nuts to reduce most of the ground cover when caught in firearm attacks. | MaX/MASt..(MAX)(MAST)(MAT)……MAST = Nuts etc.(Chambers)……MAX = Maximum (i.e.'Most of' reduced)…MAT = Ground cover..in firearM ATtacks. | 0 | 0 | 3 |