CCCWC January competition voters’ comments
Clue no. 20: Convoluted by this din, vapid blarney results
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A clue to PALAVER.
3 comments refer to this clue (from 3 competitors, 0 others)
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| Comments on the competition |
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| 1. |
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A clue word ofering many possibilities has produced the best of the 4 competitions I have entered so far. I usually award marks to only the top 5, but because of the high standard of the clues I've stretched it to 9.
Top mark to no 8, 4 points, a cracking idea exploited by two others, 23(2 points) and 61 (3 points). Top marks went to 8 because it was specific about which pee (p) was replaced. Looks to me like the work of one T.M.
25 and 38 (2 points each) are both excellent clues which I would have marked higher if more points were available. I awarded 0.5 points each to clues 14, 16, 18 and 20. Again, all would have received more had the competition not been so intense. |
| 2. |
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What a word! Such range of defs and variety of wordplay – great choice by our examiner rewarded by fine turnout. After dismissing poor surfaces (my key criterion) I removed inadequate definitions and over-obscure wordplay. All left scored something and get a comment below:
2 nice but I found the ': to engage' part good for the surface but bad for the wordplay
5 lengthy clue but good surface – I liked 'brave talk' definition and its double meaning
8 lovely wordplay, decent surface eclipsed by some other clues though
14 such neat concise and coherent clues always get a mark from me
18 best of the conference pears but I don't like them 'chopped' – this would have scored a point with a better anagrind('stewed' I would suggest)
20 beautiful example of & lit comp anagram, probably many hours in the making – surface conjures up a perfect image of a palaver! My favourite clue this month.
28 smooth surface, I like paver = flag arranger and LA not to be French article or sun drenched city!
37 some regard acronyms as a cop out, but when they read as well as this one they are works of art. I admired the Shakespearian definition!
38 nice & lit effort with non-clumsy surface, I would have awarded it more if it started with "A" rather than "One" for even better surface |
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PALAVER was a friendly clue-word, offering numerous possibilities. This was reflected in the size of the entry, but it was disappointing that so few of the clues offered much originality or flair and that some of those that did were unsound. Many of the surfaces were rather feeble or even, in a few cases, perverse. “Rod” to indicate LAVER without any reference to tennis seems unsatisfactory to me: there are lots of other Rods, and it’s half a century since Laver was at his peak.
4 points each: 2 and 38 – two neat &lits, though “engage in” sails a bit close to the wind.
3 points: 18 – simple and economical.
1 point each:
15 – a clever idea quite skilfully executed, but rather too long.
37 – an excellent idea for the definition. A pity that the words chosen for their first letters weren’t a bit pithier and less vacuous – “long and very extensive”? Also, “starting” isn’t quite right as an indicator; some approach like “starts to pall…” would have been sounder. Much Ado would have been quite adequate, thereby shortening the clue to good effect.
0.5 point each
28 – “One who might arrange the flags…” would have been sounder
34
51 – the simplest and best of the lap-dancing clues.
61
Prox. ac.:
13 – sounder and/or less contorted than the other Carry On entries, but suffers from the fact that the film is imaginary.
20 – the surface of a promising comp. anag, spoiled by the inappropriate word “Convoluted”, which doesn’t suit the surface.
43 – quite neat wordplay, but the surface is unconvincing. |
