| Comments on the clues |
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| 1. A dodgy figure, on the fiddle, violent at times |
| 1. | Nicely deceptive, although "A dodgy figure" doesn't quite convey the idea of an estimate or a guess. |
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| 3. A sum I get wildly, support ultimately lacking |
| 1. | The best of the ones using 'get' | | 2. | Excellent clue, although a sum is perhaps just one kind of guestimate. | | 3. | A fine & Lit. I'm sure this will score highly. |
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| 5. Aegist mute distributed thereabouts(10) |
| 1. | Sorry, what does this mean? | | 2. | I'm not convinced 'aegist' is a word. Did the writer mean 'ageist'? | | 3. | Misspelling of ageist? Also, "thereabouts" is an adverb, so it can't define GUESTIMATE as either a noun or a verb. |
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| 6. and this approximation gives order of a set magnitude. |
| 1. | Is the lower case 'and' a slip? Not bad othewise. | | 2. | Ingenious composite anagram but overall surface reading not convincing. |
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| 8. Base calculation on limited knowledge and surprisingly amuse – get it? |
| 1. | Get it but sadly don't much like it |
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| 9. Bent must get regular game, I reckon |
| 1. | Oh dear a football reference. Without the explanation of Bent, this would make no sense – too obscure a person to expect solvers to know? | | 2. | I'd have preferred 'game regularly' | | 3. | Few footballers are famous enough to work well in a crossword clue. | | 4. | 'Regular game' seems a bit of a clumsy way to indicate alternate letters to me. 'Game, regularly' might work better |
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| 11. Company contacts team I treated roughly in the ballpark |
| 1. | The definition seems to be an adjective here. 'Figure in the ballpark' might be more accurate |
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| 13. Get at sum creatively with a bit of exaggeration |
| 1. | Can't see what indicates the 'I' | | 2. | Nice &lit, although GUESTIMATE does not imply exaggeration. |
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| 14. Get me a suit fit for a round figure (10) |
| 1. | Not sure about the 'fit' as anagrind but the surface reading is good | | 2. | I'm not keen on 'fit' because it's a nounal anagram indicator. Something like 'tailored' would have been better. Still a nice clue | | 3. | Good surface reading |
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| 16. I have it away with lodger maybe on top – a rough number! |
| 1. | Sorry not my kind of clue | | 2. | A clue in the spirit of Cyclops, witty but not my taste |
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| 17. I'm worried after visitor provokes a hunchbacked figure! (10) |
| 1. | 'Hunchbacked figure!' is lovely | | 2. | Difficult to see a picture of this surface reading | | 3. | hunchbacked quite clever but I don't think it would pass muster with the professional vetters. | | 4. | Nice and devious, but I don't buy 'hunchbacked' = 'hunch-backed' | | 5. | Very clever! But I'm not sure that definition is entirely fair. |
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| 18. It's an effort to work out, but lacking confidence I must get a new slimline rear end |
| 1. | Long definition, I lost interest well before word number 17 | | 2. | I like the wordplay (although should probably be slimline's rear end). Definition doesn't seem quite right to me |
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| 19. "It's within" argues Tim at examination of quick forecast(10) |
| 1. | Don't like Tim whoever he is, but at least it's a change from all the anagrams |
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| 20. Judge charging me with a suit? Get off! |
| 1. | Not sure how a judge charges someone with a suit. A prosecutor might charge someone, but not with a suit (which is a civil action) | | 2. | Sorry I don't get 'judge charging' as a deinition | | 3. | "Judge" is too vague to define guestimate. "Charging" is superfluous in cryptic reading. |
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| 21. Leaving Earth use time gate – Doctor Who knows when |
| 1. | Should it not be doctored? | | 2. | Clever idea, but cryptic reading is a bit unnatural | | 3. | I like the wordplay but definition doesn't seem accurate |
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| 22. Make assumptions on hearing visitor ingesting mash and tough egg starters (10) |
| 1. | Why the homophone? It's GUEST + I+M+A+T+E so you don't need the 'hearing', just 'visitor' | | 2. | Why is a homophone indicator needed? visitor = guest |
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| 23. 'Mr Smith' staying at hotel with one 'Mrs Smith'? It could be what you reckon! |
| 1. | Fanciful | | 2. | Good definition idea. 'Mrs Smith' doesn't quite indicate 'mate' to me |
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| 24. Revised ETA? I use GMT to give a rough indication. |
| 1. | Good use of abbreviations |
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| 25. Roaming estate, I mug and stab |
| 1. | Deceptive and concise – is this by a professional setter? "Stab" seems as good a definition as any. Top clue for me. | | 2. | Sometimes the simplest are the best – absolutely brilliant, 5 points. |
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| 26. Stab in the dark's missing by miles somehow – sadly it must be my age! |
| 1. | The grammar of the wordplay doesn't support the 's after the def | | 2. | I was tempted to award some points out of sympathy, but a guestimate doesn't necessarily miss by miles. |
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| 28. Suggest a time for refurbishment without good survey initially? |
| 1. | A sort of "&lit by example" which doesn't work for me. |
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| 30. The visitor, me, and a friend, I think? (10) |
| 1. | The definition seems weak | | 2. | "Think" doesn't convey the idea of an estimate based on guesswork.(NB for future comps – there's no need to include the (10) at the end) | | 3. | 'I think' doesn't seem adequate as a definition here |
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| 31. THREE lumps of sugar with tea? And time for stirring? |
| 1. | Don't really see how this qualifies as an &lit | | 2. | Very nice idea, but I think it leads to GUESTIMATES rather than the singular. | | 3. | The surface isn't a clear example of 'guestimate' to me | | 4. | Very ingenious idea, but the overall clue lacks a clear definition. | | 5. | I don't get the definition here |
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| 32. To take a shot largely in the dark – a belly full of potato heralds a diminution of energy |
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| 33. Use it to work out large number in crowd? |
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| 34. Visitor I'm worried will make an uninformed judgement |
| 1. | A straightforward concise clue with an accurate definition. | | 2. | The only clue to use this idea. Very good | | 3. | I keep wanting to see commas in this but that is a minor complaint |
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| 35. Visitor to China takes a hazard nowadays |
| 1. | Nice to see a bit of Cockney rhyming slang (china plate = mate) but "hazard nowadays" as definition? | | 2. | I'm not sure where the 'I' comes from. Definition seems a little weak to me |
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| 36. With no knowledge, roughly work out most of movement and accompany on viol |
| 1. | Excellent clue with good definition. Subtle use of "movement" and "accompany". |
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| 37. Without sufficient evidence one can form an approximate judgement with a guest item! |
| 1. | Doesn't work for me – one can form seems wrong | | 2. | Conflates the definition and the anagram indicator – I find the result confusing. | | 3. | Quite wordy. I'd prefer the anagram indicator to come after the definition. Surface quite strange – what is a guest item? |
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