From: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: CWC14: clues for first word (SPOILER)
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:53:07 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 FIRST word in CWC14.
If you don't want to see what the word is, skip this article now.

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It appears that "sullen",
the word I chose to be straightforward to clue,
wasn't.

Here are the clues, with (paraphrased) explanations in [brackets],
and my comments, which are on the whole picky, I'm afraid, following.

Ell in sun:
-----------

Heavenly body rings receding 45 inches under the influence of Saturn (6)
	[sun (heavenly body) around ell (45 inches) reversed;
	sullen = under the influence of Saturn]
A refreshing definition (as in "saturnine").

Depressed, Sol embraced the left wing (6)
	[sun (Sol) around ell (wing) reversed (left); sullen = depressed]

Gloomy light enwraps returning unit.
	[sun (light) around ell reversed; sullen = gloomy]
(This one arrived too late for the judging.)

Unrepentant star takes back a small amount. (6)
	[sun (star) around ell reversed; sullen = unrepentant]
"Unrepentant" feels like stretching it, but I'd accept it.
Is "takes" enough to indicate "includes"?
And an ell isn't a particularly small amount.

Build an addition with southern exposure, bathed in light, because he's moody
	[ell (an extension) reversed (with southern exposure) in sun (light);
	sullen = moody]
How does "with southern exposure" indicate reversal?
("Facing West" might do it, if it's an across clue.)
And where does "he" come into it?

Dallas:
-------
(I rather liked this idea, but neither reading really grabbed me.)

JR's wife, losing engineer, becomes gloomy.  (6)
	[Sue Ellen (JR Ewing's wife) minus EE (engineer); sullen = gloomy]

Baleful "Dallas" character has no end of trouble - twice. (6)
	[Sue Ellen ("Dallas" character) minus "(troubl)e (troubl)e";
	sullen = baleful]

Sue:
----

Gloomy direction following legal action around fifty-fifty (6)
	[sue (legal action) around "L + L" + N (north); sullen = gloomy]
Is "sue" a noun for the action of suing
(as "build" and "commute" have become)?

Sue given a number of lines harshly makes her morose [6]
	[anag. (harshly) "Sue + n (a number of) + ll (lines)"; sullen = morose]
A bit indirect, having to identify the pieces before anagramming them.
And "her" gets in the way.

Others:
-------

Moody Blues start off with LP's first wild number (6)
	[anag. (wild) "(b)lues + L(P)" + n (number); sullen = moody]
(My choice of winning clue.)

Backwards nation left Bernstein morose. 
	[US (nation) reversed + L + Len (Bernstein); sullen = morose]

Sudden shifting of each Democratic leader to left is gloomy. (6)
	[sudden with each D (Democratic leader) changed to L (left);
	sullen = gloomy]

Spreading dullness at heart.
    [anag. "(d)ullnes(s)"; &lit]
The literal reading as a definition of "sullen" is a bit forced.

Nell used to go back inside when sulky. (6)
	[Nell us(ed) reversed; sullen = sulky]
"Nellus" isn't strictly _inside_ "Nell used".

Two students go to southern University lively, go back North-East gloomy. (6)
	[anag. (lively) "L + L + S + U" + NE reversed; sullen = gloomy]

-- 
Roger Phillips                            roger@quantime.co.uk
"Pooter, n. a petit bourgeois, conventional and unimaginative."
-- Chambers English Dictionary (1988)