CCCWC March competition voters’ comments on Clue no. 40

CCCWC March competition voters’ comments

Clue no. 40: Self-admirer rubbishes hint of collusion with Russians

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A clue to NARCISSUS.
5 comments refer to this clue (from 4 competitors, 0 others)
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Comments on the clue

1.	Simple, elegant and topical.
2.	Best of the Russians
3.	Surface story reads as 'Trump' topical which I liked combined with best of the c + russians anagrams
4.	Superb pithy surface, marred only slightly by the need for the a.i. to be 3rd person singular.

Comments on the competition
1.
For me, there were plenty of clues with inventive word play but very few combining this with a smooth surface meaning to disguise the cryptic components. Coincidentally, Narcissus was the answer to 15dn in the Times cryptic 27327 (Wed 17/4/19) and was clued as: 'Drug agent I figure out on reflection is a plant' which as a solid but unexciting offering perhaps points to how difficult 'Narcissus' is to clue innovatively. The stand-out clue for me is clue 22. At 14 words, perhaps a little long but with imaginative and disguised word play so different from other entries, although I did have to persuade myself that 'reflective' was an acceptable reversal indicator. So, it gets my 5 points. Clue 5 deserves a mention for complex construction but at the expense of a flowing surface story (2 points). Clue 14 seems to make the best use of the 'graciousness – ego anagram – 2 points. Clues 40 (preferred 3 points) and 44 (1 point) have topical 'Trump' references. Clue 2's double def also has a certain appeal – 2 points.

Comments on the competition

For me, there were plenty of clues with inventive word play but very few combining this with a smooth surface meaning to disguise the cryptic components. Coincidentally, Narcissus was the answer to 15dn in the Times cryptic 27327 (Wed 17/4/19) and was clued as: 'Drug agent I figure out on reflection is a plant' which as a solid but unexciting offering perhaps points to how difficult 'Narcissus' is to clue innovatively.

The stand-out clue for me is clue 22. At 14 words, perhaps a little long but with imaginative and disguised word play so different from other entries, although I did have to persuade myself that 'reflective' was an acceptable reversal indicator. So, it gets my 5 points.

Clue 5 deserves a mention for complex construction but at the expense of a flowing surface story (2 points).

Clue 14 seems to make the best use of the 'graciousness – ego anagram – 2 points.

Clues 40 (preferred 3 points) and 44 (1 point) have topical 'Trump' references.

Clue 2's double def also has a certain appeal – 2 points.

CCCWC March competition voters’ comments Clue no. 40: Self-admirer rubbishes hint of collusion with Russians

CCCWC March competition voters’ comments

Clue no. 40: Self-admirer rubbishes hint of collusion with Russians