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 Sherlock...

Thank you, Sue!

Relaxation rule is relaxed around end of June (7)

Leisure

Anag ("relaxed") of "rule is" + junE

Relax wearing this belt, Rog! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Cheryl!

Mark followed crazy leader to island (10)

With brain awakened by an early morning swim, that looks like Mad aga scar = island

Coming to your island: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you to a man on what some here would call "the adjacent isle"

One that quite tickled us:

Church leaders claim saints have vision (3,4,3)

Direct on left - 3 es

The Holy See

Apparently they do!
Let's see what you can do with this: ===[**CDM**]===

Apparently I can procrastinate pretty well!

A pretty straightforward one:

Box label runs into stars (10)

pen tag rams

That's the one! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, D!

Formerly fat model? (7)

Direct on right.

ex ample

Now that's an example of a fine solve, Lex. Here's your belt! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you Panda Sue

Trousers, lost at first, eventually turned up (9)

retroussé

anag. of trousers + e (first eventually)
That's a new word for me!

Interesting that a retroussé nose is considered attractive, whereas generally turning up one's nose is not!
Here you go: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, Lex!

Lean, active, owning nothing, and single (5)
And, no, this wasn't meant to describe me.

Direct on right. 3 vowels, all different.

Alone--anagram (active) of lean, containing (owning) o (nothing). I think.

That's it! Don't celebrate your win alone! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Sherlock!

Half the earth obliterated--quietly report where the edge is? (10)

hem is p here = half the earth

Puzzles are clearly your forte ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you Big D: I do enjoy puzzles, but at a relatively modest level and your clues usually stretch my capabilities (which is no bad thing!)

Heard grower identify drug dealer? (8)

Direct on right - no e

...and for those serious clue writers, there is this (which I know Denis used to frequent) http://www.andlit.org.uk/cccwc/main.php

Not an illegal drug dealer

That helps!

Pharmacist (farmer assist)

No - scrub that - too many letters

Hhmm - thinking...

Pharmacy?? - farmer see?

Yagoddit! Here is your prescription:
===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex!

Claim to be up, back, right and left (7)

pu(r)port

33 minutes - pretty pacey, young Cheryl! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Rog!

Prepares a porridge having flavor (5)

Clue time?
Direct on right, 2 vowels, no e's.

What, no other takers? A classic Sherlock hidden word clue - sapor (flavour)

I prepared this belt just for you, Lex! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, the fit is exact!

Burn-out male's battling can be overcome (12) - 5 vowels of which 2 are the same

surmountable

burn-out males "battling"

Your mount Sir Cue: ===[**CDM**]===

It feels good, Lex. Thanks!

Talk about Brazilian resort vehicle (7) No e's

chariot (chat + Rio)

You're a quick one, Demosthenes! ===[**CDM**]===

Sometimes I get lucky.

shepherd bruises Henry V (7)

Direct on left, 2 vowels.

I don't know that he would have been able to solve it, but I think Falstaff would have liked this one...

mars/hal

Woohoo! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, Demosthenes!

Feeling around a loin and leg (6)

Direct on right. 2 vowels, no e's.

Haunch = loin and leg - hunch (feeling) around (containing) a

I had a hunch you'd get that one, Lex! ===[**CDM**]===

My thanks to the lady who hunches!

This is one that tickled us:

Enjoy an innings of torment after being dismissed very quickly (4,1,3,3,2,4)

How about....

Like (enjoy) a bat (an inning) out of hell ([of + torment] after [being dismissed]) = very quickly

EDIT: "innings" if the game in question is cricket, I guess.

What took you so long?
Over to you: ===[**CDM**]===

(my own hand/eye co-ordination made me pretty useless at cricket, so at school I made myself useful keeping score which involved some understanding of the rules, now quite handy for crossword purposes!)

(I've been experimenting with cryptic crosswords lately, and I've found I can mostly do okay at them, as long as they avoid clues involving either European politics, or cricket. Which means I'm rubbish at them. )

Wandering do-gooder Kelvin, pursued by abominable thing, hastily went inert (6,6)

Direct on left, 3 vowels, 1 e

k+night er(ran)t

I don't see any wrongs to right, so this just be yours: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you, Sir D!

Late hours for armor-clad midget? (9)

wee/knight

It's your night for the belt, Sherlock! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Sue!

One rare accent misconstrued in jail (11)

Incarcerate = jail - anagram (misconstrued) of i (one) + rare accent

Here's a rare accent for your waist, Lex! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you!

Anne dallying, then atop Jack, half cut, then snoring etc (3,3,4,4)

and all that jazz (the first half of anne (an), dallying (dall), then (th), atop (at), Jack (ja) + zz (snoring).

Chase your blues away with this: ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex!

Oaf of two minds about a knowledgeable resource. (1,4,2,6)

A font of wisdom

Anag "oaf of two minds"

Topic for the day: is this a mondegreen? Discuss.

(mondegreen is a new word for me)

(I always know I'm going to get in trouble when the Google results for a phrase consist of nothing but arguments over proper usage... but “oaf" works much better than “UFO!" )

Congrats to Rog for an impressive unscrambling! ===[**CDM**]===

Glad you found the belt, Demosthenes - it's become a treasured relic (like Mrs Worrier...)

Travel delay reported to pugilist (9)

OK - a whole raft of hints:

- direct on the right
- 2½ vowels
- one indicator
- wordplay 3+5 3+6

Is this a case of 3 + 5 = 9, or does half a vowel make the difference...?

Once again I can't count!

Wordplay 3+6, I repeat 3+6

The half a vowel is what I have seen defined as a "semi -vowel"

Hm....

You're looking for a word that means "travel" plus a word that sounds like a word meaning "delay ". Together they give a word that describes a type of pugilist.

And there's a Y ("semi-vowel") in there...

Even more "hm"...

ccYcEIccc

All right, I'll bite.

flyweight (wait)

Knockout solve after the fake news I've been spreading, Cheryl! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Rog!

Seven in thirty might encompass a musical interval (5)

Ninth = musical interval - hidden word

Someone has to account for the hidden word clues! ===[**CDM**]===

You're quite right, and thank you!

I'm risking another pair of linked clues with no e in either of them:

1. One entering college hashed 2 (12)

2. Perhaps try private rendition of 1 (5-7)

Both directs on the left and all other vowels present

As you have probably gathered, these are anagrams of each other: the answers contain two each of a r and t, the other letters not being repeated.

1. cvccvcvcvcvc
2. cvvcc-cvccvvc

In 2 private is a noun.

1. first letter m, last letter r
2. first letter c, last letter l - where/how would a private be tried?

1. matriculator
2. court martial

You are sentenced to wear this: ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex! Very belatedly:

I shadow the low saint and the most sinister; the dullest and the critically significant! (10)

4 vowels, 2 e's, &lit (with an unconventional twist.)

Part of the wordplay includes a quadruple definition, which itself contains a very minor bit of wordplay.

(I can take many forms)

ccvcvccvcv

I am intrigued, but still struggling to figure out how to even begin to work out an answer to this one...


...and in passing, a crossword site I stumbled across which may amuse some of you https://www.crosswordunclued.com

“shadow” is a positional indicator, and everything after that is part of the quadruple definition (though “low saint” is really a wordplay)

--a*e**o*e

gravestone

And, here I was looking for words beginning with stone!!

Looks like we can lay this one to rest! ===[**CDM**]===

A real brainteaser and an excellent solve: I had not got any further than trying to build round "st" (having abandoned trying to include "down" once we had the outline...)

Thank you, Demosthenes!

Ball carrier initially regained lead (6)

Would be interested in a full breakdown, having failed totally to get anywhere near...

I shadow the low saint and the most sinister; the dullest and the critically significant!

This is how I took it:

I = one
shadow = positional indicator
saint = st
most sinister, dullest and critically significant = all synonyms of grave

A gravestone could shadow a saint in the ground (low).
Gravest/one covers the others.

Not saying this is 100% correct but I was happy to quit beating my head.

TYVM, Cheryl!

(grave is also a loose synonym for low )

Okay, this one isn't difficult at all so maybe it just got lost. So, here it is again.

Ball carrier initially regained lead (6)

Hmmm…. maybe time for clues?

Direct on left, 2 vowels, 1 e

Is this still here?

cvccec

Think football. American football, that is.

No hope for me then, even with google assistance...

initially (indicator), regained + another word for lead = another term for a running back

initially regained = r

lead = vccec