From: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: CWC14: clues for second word (SPOILER)
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:55:31 GMT
Reply-To: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Organization: Quantime Ltd, London (software for market research)

Here's the list of all clues entered for the SECOND word in CWC14.
If you don't want to see what the word is, skip this article now.

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I chose "childhood" as the "difficult" word
because its letters don't easily form anagrams,
and the only obvious way to break it up is into "child" and "hood".
I think splitting it this way makes a weak clue,
because the "child" part has exactly the same meaning
in the cryptic part of the clue as in the definition of "childhood".
In retrospect, I think I should have warned entrants
about this trap I was setting. :-)

Here are the clues, with (paraphrased) explanations in [brackets],
and my comments, if any, following.

Child + hood:
-------------

Term of life for minor gangster. (9)
	[child (minor) + hood (gangster); childhood = term of life]
This was my favourite of the child + hood clues,
since it managed to make the definition fit the theme,
appearing to refer to a life sentence.

Minor mobster's innocence (9)
	[child (minor) hood (mobster); childhood = innocence]

Time of innocence for juvenile delinquent? (9)
	[child hood = juvenile delinquent; childhood = time of innocence]

Youth is juvenile delinquent (9)
	[child (juvenile) hood (delinquent); childhood = youth]

Juvenile delinquent?  It's just a phase!
	[child (juvenile) hood (delinquent); childhood = "just a phase" of life]

Infant criminal - or just a stage he's going through?
	[child (infant) hood (criminal); childhood = just
	a stage he's going through?]
(This one arrived too late for the judging.)

Bugsy Malone, having the time of his life? (9)
	[child hood = Bugsy Malone?; childhood = that period of his whole life?]

Young gangster makes a beginning?
	[child hood (young gangster); childhood = a beginning?]

Does it imply youth is tough?
	[child (youth) + hood (tough)]
(No, I don't think it does, really.)

Other treatments (in order of decreasing sanity :-):
----------------------------------------------------

"When We Were Very Young" thrilled, even after the introduction
of Christopher Robin (9)
	[C(hristopher) + hild (even letters of "thrilled") + Hood (Robin);
	childhood = when we were very young]
(My choice of winning clue.)
This managed to tie in the definition
(I presume the A. A. Milne title is quoted correctly)
with the cryptic indications.
I would have preferred some indication that
"Robin" is an _example_ of a "Hood", not a definition,
but the overall reading swayed me.

Minority fancy loch hid past force.
	[anag. "loch hid" + od (force); childhood = minority;
	ref. Loch Ness monster]
I liked "minority" as a not-obvious definition.
"Past" doesn't read too well.

Youth heartlessly injecting drug and water into gypsy girl
with fatal results. (9)
	["L(S)D + H(2)O" in "chi (gypsy girl) OD (fatal results);
	childhood = youth]
"Heartlessly injecting"?  It's more like
"injecting heartless drug and water", but that wouldn't make sense. :-)

South American clergyman gangster lacks energy and youth. (9)
	[Chilean + DD + hood - (E + and); childhood = youth]
Makes a fair amount of sense, but how does the clergyman fit in?

Chief flipped lid over crook juvenility (9)
	[ch(ief) + anag. (flipped?) "lid" + hood (crook); childhood = juvenility]
Flipped = anagrammed?

Cold less the French bonnet leads us to our younger days [9]
	[chil(le)d + hood (bonnet); childhood = our younger days]
I can't make "less" make sense in the literal reading.
"Lest," maybe?

Greek X flick, "Hold The Peeper", that's right for the early years. (9)
	[chi (Greek X) + anag. (flick) "hold" + OD (right eye,
	i.e. the peeper that's right; childhood = the early years]
(Presumably OD is an abbreviation for oculus dexter.)
It's a bit of a struggle, without the reward of a well-reading clue.

-- 
Roger Phillips                            roger@quantime.co.uk
"The best way to find something you've lost is to buy a replacement."
-- Ann Landers
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords