===[**WCF**]=== Chain Crypt - Bout 108

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.

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 (in any position) 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.

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.

The weighty trophy to be passed to whoever solves your clue is the jewel-encrusted World Clue Federation Championship Belt
===[**WCF**]===

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 next clue, courtesy of a recent paper:

Large, exotic maidens venturing into unknown? On the contrary (3-5) - there is an e in view (and in this answer)

Early hint: direct on the left

man-sized

anag. of maidens + z (unknown)
on the contrary = inside out

Correct - here is your sizeable reward:
===[**WCF**]===

Sorry, I've been AWOC (away without computer) Thanks for the reminder, Denis!

Strange tide is swamping people with a madness (8) 2 e's

Yer welcome!

DE men TI a

(assuming men are people!)

Well, that's a big assumption to make, but it works! Here's your belt. ===[**WCF**]===

Merci beaucoup Madame.

Italian dude Bill caught in porn (6) no e

1st clue: direct on left, total 2 vowels

2nd clue: caught in = indicator

Geeshhh....I'ma gettin' anervous...

-i--o-

Signor

bill = sign
caught in = indicator to take the two letters in the middle of porn?

Right on! For you, Signorita: ===[***WCorF***]===

Italian dude Bill caught in porn (6) no e

Answer: signore

I don't think there are enough indicators in this one.

Why signore?

signor
1.
an Italian man: usually used before a name as a title equivalent to Mr

A good bit of Denis deviousness, but I'm not sure about that use of "caught in."

Thank you, Signor Denis!

Holy one eats very little candy (5) no i's

Sweet = candy - st (saint, holy one) contains (eats) wee (very little)

Yes! Here's your sweet reward, Lex. ===[***WCF***]=== I took the porn out of it for you.

I am purely grateful!

He exchanged letters to correspond aimlessly about nothing (6,7) - 0<e<o

Doctor Spooner (anagram of "to correspond" about "o")

Naturally the Belt will arrive on the town drain!
===[**WCF**]===

Lanks Tex

Time in Chicago contributes to simple happiness (7)

e(CST)asy

with joy BobH ===[**WCF**]===

I'm simply happy to accept.

Here's one I found online.

Worms not harmful rolling around in knots (9, e's > 1)

N emat ODES
(emat = tame = not harmful, rolling around = indicator)
Took me quite a while to "get" that!

Found only 2 with e>1 (also nemertea).
Must be British worms since found them
in my Bradbury's crossword synonyms !!

Nematodes it is! You wormed your way into the right answer.

I had to look up nodes = knots. I guess it's pretty common but had never heard it used that way before.

Have this belt: ===[**WCF**]===

Merci M'sieu.

Weaver in dictionary? (7) 2 e's

Note: archaic word involved.

Webster

You won't look archaic wearing this ===[**WCF**]===

Merci muchly Den.

Type of sale for some bridge (7)

*Noodle disclaimer* - Not sure of the legality of this one - even after seeing the answer, it took me quite some time to justify the reasoning to it.

Auction (double def), on the basis that it is a type of sale and also means something in the game of bridge (I am not a bridge player, but It keeps coming up in crosswords...!)

Yeah Lex...I'm not a bridge player either so it had me stumped.

===[**WCF**]===

Thank you my antipodean friend.

One I quite liked in a recent paper:

Reg struggling to get in before time for tea (4,4) e>0

Reg is in there early and in disguise:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea

My wife's favourite tipple! Struggle into this:
===[**WCF**]===

Someone explain please for the slow ones at the back of the class.

EARL greY : gre = struggling Reg (EARLY = before time).

Thanks Lex.

Rip snortin' rate (4)

tear? double def?

Voila Madame: ===[**WCF**]===

rip = tear
rate = tear (snortin' = indicator) ...easy on the noodle

Merci Monsieur

I thought at first that "snortin'" wasn't needed, and it's a big word to just add in, but I think it works. To have a rip snortin' time is equivalent to being on a tear.

It means trouble for prisoners (7)

inmates (anagram of it means)

And the belt is freely yours! ===[**WCF**]===

I got the reg struggling as anagram of R E G fitting somewhere in there but "early" never occurred to me, even after seeing the solution.

Thanks Denis

Thank you Pandora

Movie in which man has no dinner before operating (4,5)

Direct is on the left

Yer cheap with yer "e"s Mxm

Just in case: hoME ALone : MEAL = dinner ?

correct CD ===[**WCF**]===

h(o meal on)e

Merci M'sieu.

Dirty talking bird (4) no e's

Direct on right.

fowl

YA!That's not a foul answer! ===[***WCF***]===

Thanks, Denis

Little ball from gym upset famous archer (6)

pellet

gym = pe
famous archer = Tell
upset = anag. or reversal ind.

You won't be upset if I tell you that you're right! ===[**WCF**]===

When I think of a famous archer I think of Johnny.

Thanks, Cue!

Camel only eating fruit (5) no y's

caMEL ONly

Wear this around your waist, not your melon! ===[**WCF**]===

Vereeee funneeee Cheryl!

Puzzle: direct on left, one indicator and headword (7) 1 e

VERY sorry...there is 1 e.

Direct = puzzle, total 3 vowels.

Next clue: headword = synonym of the last 5 letters of answer

So far the clues seem to be making it harder...

Dilemma = puzzle - d (direct on left) + i (one indicator) + lemma (some sort of weird multifunctional term which I am not sure that I fully understand but seems to mean headword in some contexts)

Directly to you from dictionary.com:
lemma
noun, plural lemmas
1.a subsidiary proposition introduced in proving some other proposition; a helping theorem.
2.an argument, theme, or subject, especially when indicated in a heading.
ARE YOU READY?!:
3.a word or phrase that is glossed; headword.

This is "heading" in your direction ===[**WCF**]===

Thank you - lemma sounds like a female baby lemming!

Controlling influence deployed in emergencies (8,5) e>1

What, still here?
Direct on the left, and the clue contains one indicator which is not "in."

Not sure but......emceeing reins (anag. of in emergencies)

eminence grise

Sherlock gets the Belt and Manxman tries out as a DJ!
Wearing this should make you even more influential:
===[**WCF**]===

Thanks, Lex!

Dealer tries to keep attentive (5) 1 e

deALER Tries

The belt goes to you, Denis, for being alert! ===[**WCF**]===

Merci to you you (you too!)!

"Grand Gold Rush" (6) no e

august (grand)
au=gold
gust=rush

You'll look non-august wearing this ===[**WCF**]=== !!

Thank you

Ask a price for a thrill (6) one 'e'

Charge (double def)

Sending this to the Isle of Man no charge ===[**WCF**]===

Thank you.

A carefulness I cultivated for security (4,9) - not a z to be seen!

life assurance (anagram)?
assurance = commonwealth word (worse than archaic!)

You are assuredly correct!
Here are your policy proceeds: ===[**WCF**]===

Merci M'sieu.

Catcher in love with debutante young lady (5) aucun e ou z

direct = catcher
debutante = position indicator

I'm guessing this will be a baseball catcher I have never heard of (easily achieved as baseball is a foreign language to me) whose name ends in o (love) with a girl's name in front (debutante)...or possibly starting ow (love + with debutante) and ending in a girl's name...

It is indeed my utmost pleasure to see you
going around in circles, Lex

"catcher" is more like a baseball glove is a catcher,
or a nose is a smeller...

Be hereby advised that this is correct:
" whose name ends in o (love)"

...but this not quite correct:
"with a girl's name"

...and this is correct:
"in front (debutante)..."

lasso

Lasso this around yer waist MxM ===[*WCF*]===

(2 diamonds sent to Lex)!

Thank you.

Robe in rear of covered wagon (4)

Do I understand you right that debutante is an indicator of "in front"? If so, how do you get that?

Maybe you meant the french word débutant?

debutante
1.a young woman making a debut into society.

I took/used it as "making a start".

Lex got that part smack on!

conesTOGA

Sherlock, you can wear this ===[**WCF**]=== with your toga

Thanks, manxman! Looks great with my toga.

First explosive Eastern conflict (6) 1 e

Strife = conflict - anagram (explosive) of first + e (eastern)

That's it, Lex! Here's your reward. ===[**WCF**]===

Many thanks.

Cleverness of northern native enemy ultimately concealing information (9) - one e.

As soon as I saw INgenUITy listed as a synonym of cleverness,
I "knew" that had to be it (Inuit), BUT:

British Dictionary definitions for -gen
noun
1.
(informal) information: give me the gen on your latest project

FOUL!!!!

Perfectly good short form of intelliGENce, perhaps a little old fashioned.

Herewith the Belt for another fleeting moment: ===[**WCF**]===

Mercy.

My French poodle opens the gospel! (5) no e

! is punctuation only.

dogma

my French = ma
poodle = dog
opens = position ind.

You can walk your French poodle while wearing this ===[**WCF**]===

Thanks, Denis.

Provisions will include sheep (4) no e's

ovis (contained word)

Your provisions include this belt, manxman. ===[**WCF**]===

Thank you Sherlock.

Hockey players using one stick with end broken off (6)

2 e's

direct is on the left

OK big clue:
The answer is two three letter words joined to make a 6 letter word.

icemen?
i = one
cemen(t)

Couldn't find it as a definition/synonym of hockey players

icemen

one = i
stick = cement



Denis pipped me again!

You both stick handled your way through that very well but the Canadian scores first
===[**WCF**]===

Merci MxM!

Eagerly seize parking spot (6) 1 e

Direct on left.

Btw, that crypt is not mine:
from a BRITISH site!

I think it may be pounce = eagerly seize - p(arking) + ounce (a little bit, hence a spot of)

A big spot of a reward: ===[**WCF**]===

Thank you: I will seize it and start a new thread.