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!

Two linked clues this time:

1. Sex affects hot, crazy being (3,5,2,4)

2. Hitchcock film with Rope finale in old city for 1 (3,5,3,3,4)

1. the facts of life
2. the birds and the bees

You obviously know your subject: ===[**CDM**]===

She lives in the land of long cold winters.

And winter has indeed begun early this year.

Flimsy kind of string item (5)

thong (double defn)

Sorry, manxy. Not a double def and not the correct answer.

Direct on right. Word play 4 + 1

Thin-G

That's it, Koala! Put this thing around your midsection. ===[**CDM**]===

Many Thanks Sherlock.

Is this singer a fraud? (5)

Clues huh?

1. One vowel.
2. The aforementioned vowel is not an 'e'.
3. In fact, the aforementioned vowel is actually an 'i'.

Bonus clue: 4 consonants

Extra bonus clue: ccicc

Sting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWlwRQNS6_4

That would bee a great answer Lex.

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

Cheers cobber!

First nine letters sent back - the ninth from Greeks (4)

Direct on right, 3 vowels, all letters different

Iota (a to i are the first 9 letters of the alphabet)
9th greek letter is Iota

Well unscrambled: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you Lex

City in Oregon is on an incline (7)

direct is on the left

Tangent

sorry Sherlock, not the answer i'm looking for

vccvvcc

Or-leans

Good answer Lex

made me think of Willie Nelson

Thank you: I think of him when I listen to Arlo Guthrie on this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ but this is a good lock-down performance of it from one of my favourite performers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zmNs6sWTD8 and another of his lock-down efforts for good measure - topical and uplifting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOisjEv9zYw

Go on site regularly for meeting (5)

Direct on right

Wordplay 3 + 1 + 1, two ts

tryst (meeting)
try (go on)
st (site regularly = s and t first and third)

On the money: ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you Lex

Foreign country suppresses man's right to vote (9)

3 vowels none the same

Franc(his)e = right to vote

(everyone else has obviously been too busy exercising theirs... )

exactly Lex

Thanks mxm.

Negative piece with slogan Reaganites used? (8)

Are you sure about the letter count, Lex?

Oops, well spotted... now corrected to 8!

Direct on left, 3 vowels of which 2 are the same (expected Sherlock to have returned to solve this by now...)

vcvcccvc, one consonant being c, and all letters being different apart from two of the vowels

Okay, okay! I'll take it.

elect/ron

Yippety-doo-dah-day!
===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Lex!

Patsies turned up rude people in queues (9)

Direct on left. 3 vowels total, none the same. 1 e

pushovers

Good answer, Manxy! ===[**CDM**]===

Thank you Sherlock

Normal total is superior (9)

Par-amount

Well done UW ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks manxman!

Offer to take exercise like a man (5) - two vowels

Oops - overdue for hints:

Direct on the right
Wordplay 11221

biPEd

Walk tall, Cue! ===[**CDM**]===

Many thanks, Rog

Heavy equipment manufacturer supply support (11)

cater/pillar

Here's a woolly bear belt for you. Looks like an easy winter! ===[***CDM***]===

Thanks, Cue! Here, in Minnesota, this winter is supposed to be colder than normal with more snowfall than normal.
The penguin will have to do since there aren't any winter emojis yet.

Dominant position for new advertisers (7,4)

Driver's seat = dominant position - anagram (new) of advertisers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SCzVEUlqqA

This belt puts you in the driver's seat, Lex! ===[**CDM**]===

And, thanks for the song. One I've always liked.

Thank you: I'll try to keep the truck on the road...

Here are three related clues to cudgel the brain, all three answers needed for the Belt please:

1. Writer glad aeroplane crashed (5,5,3)

2. New party starts to hunt aggressively (5)

3. Navy constantly increasing as 1's 2 said (9)

[These and and six more related clues are also on a new thread Almost a Brit Xword...]

1 direct on the left vccvc vccvc cvv

2 direct on the right cvcvc

3 direct on the right cvcvccvcv

1 has been answered on the other thread

I suspect that 2 may be the trickiest: it is a meaning of the word with which I was unfamiliar - wordplay 4 (party) + 1 (new)

Wordplay for 3 is 1+ 4 + 4

2 starts with R and 3 starts with N

All of these have now been answered on the other thread, so who's going to claim this...?

It should probably be manxman on the basis that he solved the last one

Thank you Kevin

Irishman's old ax (4)

You are most welcome Ed, and here is the Trophy:
===[**CDM**[===

Hint: think about Lex or Manxman

cvcc

cecc

celt (to put you out of your misery, manxy)

Thank you Sherlock. I was beginning to wonder

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

Thank you, manxman!

Musician, almost genuine intellectual, in demand (15)

ins/tru/mental/ist

That answer was music to my ears, Sue! ===[**CDM**[===

I was just fiddling around with the words and it practically composed itself. Thank you!

Actors began to get rooked? (7)

Hm - not sure about this - "castled"

Actors are a cast and a rook is a castle but can't explain the "led" unless it's just that the word meaning "rooked" began with "cast"

You got it, mate! "Led" is clued by 'began". ===[**CDM**[===

Thanks, m'dear!

Pursue arrest - connected with the church (3,6)

Hint time (note clue has been tweaked a bit...)

Direct on the right
Wordplay (as expected) 3+6
cvc cvccvc, sometimes hyphenated

Hmm...

123 425567
Only vowels a & o (2 of one, 1 of the other)
Slang-ish

...think apparel rather than building

Beginning to fear this is mostly a Britphrase

-o- -o--a-

...and the first word is not "God"

dog collar

I've never heard it referred to as such.

Looked it up, it's an informal name for a clerical collar. Who knew?

Ah well - makes up for all those strange baseball terms Denis used to come uo with!

Good detective work, Cheryl!

Sorry, but I'm fresh out of collars - will a belt do? ===[**CDM**]===

Interesting: I would not have twigged that as term not used across the pond.

Thanks, Rog! I'm not really into collars, anyway!

"Cash and Carry" stocks vehicle with no motor (7)

Direct on the right. Two vowels, both the same.

Ah - a Cheryl special!

casH AND CARry

Here's your special reward, Rog! ===[**CDM**]===

Thanks, Cheryl!

Encourage to go round for a snack (3,4)

Egg roll = a snack - egg (encourage) + roll (go round)

A tasty solve, Lex! ===[**CDM**]===

I thank you!

Hot hunks in check (8) - three es

Direct on the left cvcvcvcc

All the consonants are different and the hunks are human

Wordplay 2-3 inside 3

T and M are two of the consonants, T being placed at one end of the answer and separated from M by 2 other letters

I wasn't expecting this one to prove so stubborn: the answer is vehement (hot), being vet (check) containing he-men (hunks). He-men is probably now a banned expression!

Here's something seasonal instead:

Star witnesses not entirely marvellous (4)

Direct on the left, cvcv, all letters different

magi(c)

Your star is in the ascendant: ===[**CDM**]===

It's nice when that happens Thanks

Law officer with jailbird's chart (9)

cons/table

Looks like a legal solve to me, Cheryl ===[**CDM**]===

Why, thank you, Cue!

Officer opposing noise and pausing signal in broadcast (6-2-7)

Direct on left. 5 vowels total, two the same.

Here's the breakdown of the container part:

cv(cvc cvc cvccv)cc

word for opposing + word for noise + pausing signal all inside a word for broadcast

se(con din comma)nd

You can take the helm now, Cue! ===[**CDM**]===
I jazzed it up a bit for Christmas!

That's pretty dazzling, Cheryl

Scot behind a C-string as a musical instrument (9)

a/c/cord/ion (ion = Scot?)

Oops....that's embarrassing! Somebody doesn't know how to spell accordion

I put a little extra bling on for some extra credit ===[***CDM***]===