The official bored-at-work cryptic crossword pass it on thread.

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So gorgeous!

In that curtain call clue, why is ainc a south american?

― GW, Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:35 (7 years ago) Permalink

it isn't, it's Inca.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:36 (7 years ago) Permalink

inca

xpost

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:38 (7 years ago) Permalink

Short = curt. ball dismissing opener = all. therefore that is curtall, and you can put (catch) "inca" in the middle of that.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:39 (7 years ago) Permalink

Ohhh, *a* South American! I totally missed that ever though I did it in my own one with a swarthy.

Wait a minute, I am accompanied by Pooh (4,4,2)

― Gravel Worklesworth, Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bear with me (cute, I like it)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Wouldn't curtall catching "a inca" be "curtain caall"?

(also if this thread ever gets to a second edition we are so calling it 'HOW DO MARKET FORCES AFFECT OUR INDUSTRY' or something, open plan office + facing the wall = teh fear)

― Gravel Worklesworth, Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

It's just Inca, no indefinite article.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:51 (7 years ago) Permalink

the A in Curtain is from the headless Ball.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

Ohhhhhh, I'm dense today! Thanks Huck.

― GW, Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:05 (7 years ago) Permalink

Hey, I explained it already :(

From same crossword as it's the only one I have handy just now:

Loosened shoe - and clue too? (7)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:25 (7 years ago) Permalink

Extremely cold place in which a Christian has a spasm. (6)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Can this be a joint effort, because I haven't worked it out either yet:

Erif (8)

This is the ONLY one I've got straight away in the whole thread. But it's fascinating watching all your thought processes!

So here's one from me:

Risking a punt might result in this good fortune (4,2,3,5)

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Kick in the pants?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

Huk's is Arctic.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:58 (7 years ago) Permalink

Ooh, Markelby, is it "luck of the Irish"? That's great!

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:59 (7 years ago) Permalink

Haha excellent!

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 18:01 (7 years ago) Permalink

I have to say that mine's not an original - it's an award-winning crossword clue I found on the information superhighway. But it is good :)

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 18:11 (7 years ago) Permalink

It's also out of date, due to the introduction of the Euro, but hey, it's still good :)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 18:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

I like easy ones. Like this:

Ape can hide this nut (5)

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 23:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

pecan! go to bed man.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 23:58 (7 years ago) Permalink

another easy one: sheep with wonky nose, the first punk band (3-7)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 00:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

Ailsa's one above is unlaced. And the punk one - sex pistols? I have no idea why.

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 08:31 (7 years ago) Permalink

The Ramones

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 09:55 (7 years ago) Permalink

Gah, I just got it!

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 09:55 (7 years ago) Permalink

Surely that's "(3, 7)", not "(3-7)".

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 09:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

yeah :(

could someone explain 'unlaced'? I get the shoe bit obv.

new clue!

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 11:45 (7 years ago) Permalink

Anag of "and clue", "loosened" is the anag indicator.

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 11:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Far from perfect but the best I could manage:

Guess ABBA will break up now they've lost a member? (9)

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 12:15 (7 years ago) Permalink

doh! cheers for the explanation.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 12:17 (7 years ago) Permalink

i'm stumped.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 16:58 (7 years ago) Permalink

Well it is kinda lacking a definition - it only works 'cause it's topical (or popical, hint hint).

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:09 (7 years ago) Permalink

sugababes!

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:11 (7 years ago) Permalink

that's really nice actually.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

writer of novels, essay and verse (6)

(not mine for once)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

poetry

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:21 (7 years ago) Permalink

new blood!

new clue!

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:40 (7 years ago) Permalink

Meet the new blood, same as the old blood.

Here's a clue I just made up:

Jerry-built, backwards, note: in hell, almost. (8)

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 23:05 (7 years ago) Permalink

Here's another one I made up:

Call them for replacing a doorknob and piercing a veil! (8)

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Thursday, 22 December 2005 02:04 (7 years ago) Permalink

Please have a go at my crummily crafted clues when you wake up, cryptic AU/UK peeps.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Thursday, 22 December 2005 07:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Of course, Chris can try too if he comes home late.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Thursday, 22 December 2005 07:45 (7 years ago) Permalink

I have stared at them with little to no comprehension.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 22 December 2005 08:59 (7 years ago) Permalink

Sorry. You know the "turns" I put in the other clue a while back? That was there as a false reversal indicator, to throw you off the trail and to make the surface reading seem more like a dream, which I hope I can get to sleep and get to have one of.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Thursday, 22 December 2005 09:04 (7 years ago) Permalink

A false reversal indicator? That's hardly fair!

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 22 December 2005 09:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Homemade

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 22 December 2005 10:25 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bloody hell ledge! I don't think I could have got that in a month.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 22 December 2005 10:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Argh, I even got as far as thinking h----ade, but nothing came to mind after. Doh.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 December 2005 10:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

I thought it had to be h---made, then I just needed to get a four letter word for note beginning with m. Am stumped by the other one though.

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 22 December 2005 10:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

I sort of want it to be 'handlers' but why?

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 December 2005 10:55 (7 years ago) Permalink

Oh well, here's an article to read while we try to figure it out:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1672293,00.html

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 December 2005 11:58 (7 years ago) Permalink

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