By way of reminder, the object of this game is to solve (and briefly explain) the clue presented by the previous poster and then set your own clue.

Anything from the (worldwide) crossword arena is acceptable by way of clue style, but if you stray too far from the pure path beware the scourge of... Pandora's WET NOODLE!

The puzzle could be an old favourite or something of your own making. Don't be shy: this is for everyone, not just the old hands!

For those unfamiliar with crossword clues who want to give it a try, there is plenty of guidance online and a quite entertaining and instructive book (not just for beginners) available from amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Times-Crack-Cryptic-Crosswords/dp/0007546521/ref=dp_ob_image_bk and no doubt elsewhere, and for those who like British Crosswords you may like to try these (which are free): http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords and https://www.ft.com/crossword.

There is nothing to prevent (say) a couple of related clues if offering a single clue cramps your style.

If there are multiple answers involved, there is no restriction against one person solving all and the solver of the final clue/part is the one who goes next.

Obviously you need to await confirmation of a correct answer before posting your own puzzle, but please then do so reasonably promptly: if having answered correctly you are not going to be able to set a follow-up clue within about the next 18 hours, please pass your turn to someone else so that the game does not stall.

To save the poor demented solvers from excessive brain damage , you should consider revealing one letter of the answer when the question is set, unless the answer is very short/easy so that provision of a letter hint at the outset would spoil the sport!

If no-one is biting within about 24 hours you should start dropping additional hints, and to try to give everyone a fair crack of the whip, the immediately previous setter is asked not to post a solution to the current clue within the first 24 hours.

Constructive criticism and cheerful badinage are to be expected, not to mention a certain amount of national rivalry, but above all, have a bit of fun.

The weighty trophy to be passed to whoever solves your clue is the jewel-encrusted CanukDenis Memorial Championship Belt
===[**CDM**]===

This thread is so named in honour of our late dear friend Denis Borris (aka CanukDenis) who was an ever cheerful and quick-witted presence on this forum, posting many an iffy crypt just to stir the pot, and intrigued by all things linguistic, mathematical and beyond.
RIP CD - we hold you in our hearts as we play on!

next clue to follow shortly, courtesy of current title holder Demosthenes...

Father, exhausted, sets out recycled paper. (10)

Pa / limp / sest

Wasted a lotta time trying to use "recycled" as an anagram indicator

Wow...that was a real toughie, Rog

I was trying to recycle portions of the clue too. I've never heard of palimpsest before!

Knew the word, but only very vaguely what it meant...

(It seemed appropriate for the first in a new thread! )

Bravo, Rog! And on it goes ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Demosthenes - one belt received!

One that me and Mrs Worrier had a giggle at:

Eccentric shell (7) - three vowels

Has to be nutcase (like most of us on GB...) - double def

You might think that, Lex - I couldn't possibly comment ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you: this is one which we thought quite neat in a recent puzzle, although I may soon be shamed/spurred by Demosthenes's efforts into producing more clues of my own...

Not interested in what unpaid creditors will do? (9) - not an e to be seen

Direct on the left vccvcvvvc

incurious (incur IOUs)

You nailed it: ==={**CDM**]===

Big brother begins brandishing bay backpack beside boy (14)

5 vowels, no e's.

Brobdingnagian

But I can't fully break it down.

big - direct
bro - brother
b - begins brandishing
ding - bay (niche)
nag
ian - boy?

Spectacular solve, Sue!

The iffy parts:

din = bay
gnag = backpack (gang.....backwards)

To the vic(tim?) go the spoils: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you! That was a brobdingnagian clue, Demosthenes.

Hot actor gets part of hero (6,3)

Double def

Okay, maybe the term is a bit dated, but so are we! Here's the count: cvvcvc cvc

I am struggling to know quite what to look for here, as a simple double def seems to suggest the name of an actor which is also the leading role: however, "simple" is not usually part of Sue's vocabulary when it comes to puzzles...

Although this is not twenty questions/who am I, is this a synonym for leading man/heartthrob or a specific heroic role?

(Perhaps surprisingly, it does not appear to have anything to do with James T Kirk )

The answer is not the name of an actor, no matter how fine or Kirk-like he may be. The word "hero" has many meanings and "gets" is only for readability.

Well, there goes my theory that the answer was some sort of ham...

Looked in the mirror and thought "heartthrob" (take the "t" away and you get "Hearth Rob", a hot actor) ??????

Know if doesn't fit for length or vcs, but anywhere near?

Demosthenes got the second word!

Really, the answer could also be (5,3)

And Rog, I know you're a handsome devil, but you're not the answer.

Boiled ham?
Cooked ham?
Baked ham?

I'll take all of those!

...so in this context hero = sandwich of which (spicy/cooked) ham is part of the filling?

That's correct, Lex. Sherlock is up!

She'll be expecting the Belt...

I'd lend out my knockoff belt from a few games ago, but it's an outdated model now.

Whoops! Here you go, Cheryl. I'm off to eat a ham sandwich. ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, Sue!

Driver is right going around end of dike and taking two lefts (9)

propeller: proper (right) contains (going around) e (end of dike) ll (two lefts)

Driving this belt over to you, Demosthenes! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Cheryl!

She's not quite old enough to solve crypts, but my daughter would like this one:

Elevated explorer excitement: a lost city! (2,6)

El /Dora/do

Perfecto! (Can you say “perfecto”?)

Wear this with pride, Sue: ===[**CDM**]===

Yes if you roll the r. Thank you!

Buried in stream as sediment piled up again (9)

Buried in stREAM AS SEDiment piled up again

You built that sand castle quickly, Rog! Enjoy your belt! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank 'ee, Sue!

Board not adapted for seafood (8)

plankton (plank + ton backwards)....doesn't sound like a particularly tasty seafood but I'll give it a shot... .

Whales seem to do quite well on it...

Nice (and speedy) solve: ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Rog!

Returned numerous gifts--it's always the same eight things! (10)

direct on right: cvvcycvvcc

(Truthfully, I should have probably saved this one back for late December when it would be more thematically appropriate.....)

On the basis of the hint and the outline, I incline towards dairymaids for the answer (eight maids a'milking), but I am still searching for justification...

...myriad (numerous) reversed (returned) + aids (gifts)

Nothing like an early morning brainstorm for solving puzzles!

===[**CDM**]===

Thank you - mornings are my best time and I am usually up at around 6:00 am, although brainstorms usually come a little later!

Bittersweet hybrid of citric mango with no name (10) - no e

Direct on the left, first and last letters are both consonants

After a great deal of scribbling out, "tragicomic"

Anag (citric mango) with no N(ame)

Yes indeed: ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex!

Drink list gets audible complaint (5,4)

Early-ish hints:

Direct on the left
Synonym and a homophone
Wordplay 5+5
Both words end in 'e'

table wine?

One belt and a bottle of Chateau Worrier coming your way: ===[**CDM**]===

Hm, sounds fancy!

choppy sea floods vehicle, spills tea from broken pitcher, and makes road damp (6,6)

Caesar cipher

You are diabolical, Demosthenes

I thought you'd like that one

===[**CDM**]===

I did like it. Thank you!

Alien cloaked in universal shadow, e.g. (8)

It's a specific alien

OK - Sure I'm going to kick myself, but why 'makes road damp'

Clever clever clever

cosmETic

You're clearly brilliant, Rog! Don't get any eye shadow on the belt, please. ===[**CDM**]===

As if I would - I always use a bib around my neck...

One from Mrs. Worrier's book of "Contrived Clues Designed to Annoy People":

Second little creature, awake, left before end of play in an awkward manner (4-10)

Gaah - letter count is wrong


Should be (4-10)

Sorreee...

self-consciously (s + elf + conscious + l [left] + y [end of play])

(Also every time I count the letters in "consciously" I come up with either 10 or 11, but after breaking it up into component parts I'm pretty sure it's 11! )

It was all OK until I split it up for the wordplay count and convinced myself that "conscious" had 8 letters

(Hands over belt with a sheepish grin) ===[**CDM**]===

(I had similar troubles, which confirms for me that it's just an evil word that should never be counted.) And now for something completely different:

Little creature beheaded colossal albatross, left before end of play in an awkward manner (9)

Direct on right. 4 vowels, no e, l, or y.

vccvcvcvc

So far, you have me thinking about Monty Python and the Ancient Mariner, and trying to remember any rules about adverbs not ending in -ly, but as yet to no useful avail...

Well, this should help a little:

The answer is not an adverb. But you've got the right idea about the albatross, in that it's being used metaphorically rather than literally.

Finally... Everything to the right of the comma is part of the definition.

The creature in question has six legs

...so coming from you that may well mean an arachnid that has lost a couple of legs (and is therefore moving awkwardly)...

...more seriously, is the answer the name of someone who left play, or perhaps a play, under less than ideal circumstances (such as Abraham Lincoln leaving the theatre when shot)?

Antigonus, I think, killed in battle - ant (little creature ) + ig (big/colossal less first letter/beheaded) + onus (burden/albatross)

Right answer...wrong Antigonus.



Nonetheless, I believe this was well earned: ===[**CDM**]===

Well earned, indeed! Phew!

So that's where "Exit, pursued by a bear" comes from. Thanks Demosthenes!

Probably the only instance you'll ever see where the stage direction is better known than the play.

Thank you: I had seen reference to that Antigonus and was aware of the stage direction but had not linked the two (The Winter's Tale not being one of Shakespeare's plays with which I have much familiarity). Probably more a case of left before end of play with alacrity!

A pair of clues this time:

1. Worried 2 panics, perhaps (13)

2. 1 worked in a special school (13)

Both directs on the right and each answer contains 6 vowels none of which is u

1. vcvccvvccvvcc
2. cvccvccvcvvcv

and as you have probably already worked out, these are anagrams of each other
one of the consonants is repeated as are two of the vowels

1. starts with o and ends with s
2. starts with c and ends with e
the repeated consonant is r and the repeated vowels e and o (two of each)

I have to admit that the limited word play made these tricky even in a crossword grid where we had one or two letters from other answers

Okay, here are the answers with all vowels in correct positions:
1. o-e--ea--io--
2. -o--e--a-oi-e

What, still no takers??!

In alphabetical order, the consonants are cnrrstv

We've got the words, Lex, just not the reasoning.

Wait, writing that did it for me.

1. overreactions
2. conservatoire

Each clue references the answer to the other. But while that's clever, I'm not sure it's fair. An anagram clue has to specifically provide the letters to be anagrammed.

Thanks Sue: as you say, these were stretching the usual more conventional parameters, especially as neither clue had any key apart from being an anagram of the other (usually when I have seen this device used there is at least one clue with enough wordplay to help establish an initial answer which is then the foundation for one or more anagrams in related clues}.

Here is your reward: ===[**CDM**]===

It was different and fun, Lex.

I eat after 10 (6)

Lex's clues inspired this one. Sometimes numbers can represent letters.

I really like this one!

iodine (10 dine)

You're amazing, Sherlock! My next clue was going to be that the direct was everything left of "eat".

Here's your belt: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, Sue!

Sorry for the delay. I was welcoming my new granddaughter into the world!

Note: blue mixture apt to break down in water (7)

Wonderful news, Cheryl!

Soluble (the fifth note in a major scale + blue, mixed)

And a hearty congratulations!!!

Thank you, thank you!

And here's your reward Demosthenes! ===[**CDM**]===

Okay, how about a nice simple one:

Kitten ate a piece of cheese (9)

ca(member)t

In retrospect that was a strange choice for a palate cleanser.

You're up, Sue! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Demosthenes. Who ever knows with cats.

Tom's standing in sauce (6)

Catsup, naturally after the Camembert (or perhaps with it)!

Here's your belt, Lex, with extra catsup. ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you!

Throwing game ceases around two in morning (6)

Direct on the left cvvvcc

Most excellent and almost impossible without the hint!

Quoits ("quits" around second letter in "morning")

You have successfully hooped it UW!
I pass the baton: ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex! One that tickled our combined fancy:

Permissible to run away (5)

Coupla early hints:

Direct on the left (an abbreviation)
Wordplay 3+2

Seems pretty legit.

(leg it)

Heading your way, Demosthenes! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Rog!

Dour, revolutionary prune disarmed safe (9)