A useful addition to our glossary of cruciverbal jargon: the acronym IGIBIDGI (pronounced "idgy-bidgy") coined by the National Puzzlers' League. IGIBIDGI expands to "I Got It But I Don't Get It", used for clues where you arrive at the answer from the definition/crossings but cannot work out the wordplay. More about this on the Word Salad blog.
With that let me present our last clue annotation challenge for 2012. Eight idgy-bidgy cryptic clues are given below along with their answers. Can you see how these clues lead to their answers? Post your parsing in the comments section.
Update (21th December 2012): Annotations added.
1. FT 14161 (Io): The legend of the nursery? (7) TOOTSIE
Annotation:Cryptic definition. TOOTSIE is baby-talk for 'toe' i.e. leg-end.
2. Guardian 25790 (Enigmatist): It's applied in hilarious fashion, so singly formed? (9,5) VANISHING CREAM
Annotation:SCREAMINGLY (in hilarious fashion), with vanishing i.e. deleted CREAM, becomes SINGLY; definition: it's applied.
3. Telegraph Toughie 886 (Elkamere): R 60 (10) THREESCORE
Annotation:The letter R = thRee'S CORE; definition: 60.
4. FT14180 (Redshank): Top item in sale: popular craft boxes (10) GUILLOTINE
Annotation:GUILE (craft) boxes i.e. contains LOT (item in sale) IN (popular); definition: top (verb).
5. Guardian 25806 (Picaroon): What’s on TV? Nothing showing is to prove very compelling (7) DRAGOON<
Annotation:DRAG (what's on TV - short for transvestite) O (nothing) ON (showing); definition: prove very compelling.
6. Times 25329: Something snappy, like the start of Caesar’s campaign report, abridged? (7) DIGICAM
Annotation:DIG (like) I CAM[e] (start of Caesar’s campaign report, abridged - from 'I came, I saw, I conquered'); definition: something snappy.
7. Times 25340: Out of it arrive guards busy with ciphers (8) COMATOSE
Annotation:COME (arrive) guards i.e. contains AT (busy with, as in 'at work') + Os (ciphers i.e. zeros); definition: out of it.
8. Independent 8155 (Rorschach): Subway rent a new restaurant without hesitation? (5-2) STAND-IN
Annotation:ST (way) A N (new) DINER (restaurant) – ER (hesitation); definition: sub. Subway rent => split 'subway' into 'sub' and 'way'. For more about omitting spaces between cryptic components of a clue, read: elision.
Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI.
| For those who have not seen it yet: Q&A with me on the Guardian crossword blog about cryptics in India. |
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9 comments
1) Tootsie = foot (in kiddy speak), which is leg-end
3)R 60, display of runs on cricket scoreboard, Threescore = 3*20=60
4)Item in sale = Lot
Popular = In
Craft = guile
boxes = containment indicator
top = definition (take the top off)
Still trying to make up my mind on the others.
6) DIG+I CAM
Like = Dig
Start of Caesar's campaign report = I Came (I came, I saw, I conquered), abridged become I Cam
def = something snappy (to take snaps with)
Strewth Shuchi they're hard!
I could only get #4 - the def is Top and wordplay is GUIL(LOT+IN)E with boxes being the container indicator
Here's what I have so far:
3. R 60 (10)
R = "THREE'S CORE"
4. Top item in sale: popular craft boxes (10)
GUIL(LOT+IN)E (cryptic reading: "sale + popular [that] craft boxes")
5. What's on TV? Nothing showing is to prove very compelling (7)
DRAG+O+ON (TV = transvestite, one who might wear drag)
7. Out of it arrive guards busy with ciphers (8)
COM(AT+O'S)E ("busy with" = AT as in "at the computer"; "cipher" as in "zero")
4 Top item : guillotine
For sale: LOT, popular : IN inside GUILE.
6 DIGICAM:
Like: dig. DIG I CAM-(e, i saw, i conquered)
7 Comatose: out
Come: arrive. Busy with ciphers: AT ZEROS COM(AT 0s)E
8 Sub: ST+ A +N +DI-N(-er) but whats rent?
Subway rent: Way torn from sub: SUB - WAY. The rest of the anno follows.
sub: Subordinate or stand-in
st - way
a new : AN
Din(er): restaurant
can't figure out where the rent comes in.
7. out : def
arrive - come
guards- cont. ind
busy- at
ciphers- os
8 Sub : substitute(stand in)
way - st a new - an
restaurant without hesitation - din(er)
can't figure out rent in the clue.
4 item in sale-lot
popular- in
craft - guile
boxes - cont . ind
top - guillotine (?)
@Bhala: You're the only one with the right explanation for #1, nicely done.
@dram: It was a tough challenge this time :-) Congrats for #4.
@Chesterley: THREE'S CORE was tricky - well-parsed! That clue caused much debate over at Big Dave's blog.
@raghunath: Cleverly deconstructed 'subway'.
@ranger: Nearly there! I've updated the post with the full annotations, that should clear up the missing links.
No tries for #2 here or on twitter, guess that was the hardest of the lot. It sure was for me.
Thanks for playing everyone!
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