Paul's Clue Competition Archive

Results W/E 22/03/09    Back to archive >>

There was some really lovely wordplay this week. A really great clue often is so silky smooth to read it’s difficult to see the join between cryptic element and definition.

This week’s commended (always in no particular order):

One hundred and two ducks sound like pigeons (3) COO (Richard Saunders, Dagenham)

May concern bad spelling (10) NECROMANCY (Adrian Beard, Newcastle)

Game of bridge resulting in sick photos (10) POOHSTICKS (Kieron Dineen, Newport) – Pooh Bridge is near where I grew up in Sussex, and I’ve visited it many a time.

Devour unsatisfying sandwich? (4) BOLT (Neil Walker, Barrow in Furness)

City train goes round in circles (7) ONTARIO (Doug Abercrombie, London)

Casanova is male and excited (6,3) LADIES’ MAN (Jenny Wenham, Comet, Australia)

Movie starring Clint, Hugh or Al (only half) (4,6) GRAN TORINO (Sil van den Hoek, Cambridge)

Servant discovered everything (5) HELOT (Stephen Clarke, Sydney) – I liked ‘discovered’ for removing the first letter.

This week’s winners:

Quality newspaper cluemanship from the following

BRONZE: Business management course (5,8) POTTY TRAINING (Neil Walker, Barrow in Furness)

SILVER: Treated differently? Stand it no more: protest! (13) DEMONSTRATION (Beth Bebbington, Cambridge)

AND THE WINNER!

GOLD: Puts down dog with bare hands? (5,4) RINGS OFF Ooel Jessop, Kurmond (dog being rhyming slang for ‘dog and bone’, ie phone).

Lovely!

Thank you once again, and see you next week!

John (Paul)