Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

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Karen Pearson
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Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

You probably clicked on this thinking I was stuck with a clue where I couldn't work out the answer. Sorry to disappoint if that is the case.

I am actually after some help compiling some cryptic clues please and I'm hoping that the collective brainpower of this forum will be able to come up with some cunning clues!

It is my Mum's 80th birthday in a couple of weeks and we're having a family weekend away. The original plan was to have a murder mystery evening on the Saturday night but we now have 20 people attending so we think that is going to be a little unwieldy! So, instead we have opted for a Cluedo-style cryptic quiz to run between courses.

What we want to do is give 3 rounds of clues - with one clue in each round referring to the murders, the location and the means of killing. The idea is that these get progressively easier. People will submit answers after every round. So, if you guess the murderer correctly after round 1, you get 3 points, after round 2 you get 2 points and after round 3 you get 1 points. So you can guess and answer for all three categories after each round (much like a Cluedo declaration) and the maximum number of points you can achieve is 9 (if you get all three right first time). Does that make sense? We don't want it to interfere too much with people being able to chat and catch up with each other. But my Mum DOES like an activity!

So, the answers we have come up with are:
Murderer: Claire Balding
Means of killing: Poisoned with cyanide
Location: A premiership football ground (we've left that open to give you clever people more flexibility)

So, if you fancy a go, I am looking for 3 clues to each one; an easy one, a medium one and a hard one. But feel free just to submit the odd clue if you think of something clever.

All help with be much appreciated!!! Many thanks.
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Jon Corby
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Jon Corby »

Karen Pearson wrote:But my Mum DOES like an activity!
8-)
Ryan Taylor
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Ryan Taylor »

These are probably a bit crappy and they don't really make much sense but here's what I came up with. Are any of them what you're looking for? Maybe someone could improve on them. I haven't clued in the definition in each clue as that is already known.

MURDERER: (CLAIRE BALDING)
3: Spooner's Prime Minister rang at home
2: Irish county reported "Big land to be built"
1. Losing hair after baking éclair

METHOD: (CYANIDE)
3: Crushed candy that is sprinkled
2: Lucy, an identity hidden
1: Nice day ruined
Countdown Team
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Countdown Team »

Claire Balding - Sport is the forte of this confused angelical bird.

Cyanide - Feeling a touch blue in the middle of the month perhaps?

Football Stadium - ANFIELD......... The second home of actress Shirley? (Shirley Ann-Field)
Zarte Siempre
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Zarte Siempre »

I had to ruin people's hard work, but it's actually Clare Balding, not Claire...
Possibly the first contestant to accelerate with a mic clipped...
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

These are excellent! Just the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks. Some of the cyanide ones are brilliant in their simplicity - and I don't mean ease of solving!

Zarte is right! It IS Clare. Sorry!!! But Ryan's Irish county still stands because that IS County Clare.

I hate to be really thick but I don't get the crushed candy cyanide reference - it's probably a film reference and I am rubbish at films.

Superb work. Plenty of useable material already.

Please keep them coming!

:D
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

Jon Corby wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote:But my Mum DOES like an activity!
8-)
Jon, I am one of 5 siblings. As I said, my mum DOES like an activity!
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Peter Mabey »

Karen Pearson wrote: I hate to be really thick but I don't get the crushed candy cyanide reference -
Anagram of candy + i.e.(that is)
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

Peter Mabey wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote: I hate to be really thick but I don't get the crushed candy cyanide reference -
Anagram of candy + i.e.(that is)
D'oh. Yes, I was being thick, wasn't it?!
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Ryan Taylor »

Yeah what Peter said about the Candy one. Was thinking of making it Candy Crush in reference to that game that everyone seems to be playing. But anyway, my "Irish county..." one needs the "reported" part deleted now as this was meaning sounds like "Clare" when in fact it IS Clare and not the alternative spelling.
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

Thanks Ryan - I will amend accordingly.

I have had a change of plan on the venue and have decided on Trent Bridge. I have come up with two not terribly brilliant clues but any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

My two are:
Cuppa torn away from false teeth
Doctor goes round bettering himself in tests.
(Happy to take constructive criticism - this is not my forte)

Thanks for all the input so far.
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Ryan Taylor »

3: River crossing
2: Model to let big red cock-up
1: Britten composed with GERD
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

Nice ones. Thanks Ryan!
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Bob De Caux »

A nice cricketing clue:

Batters grind better
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Bob De Caux »

And for Clare Balding - losing hair after clear-out
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Bob De Caux »

Might as well have a crack at CYANIDE as well:

"nice day out" OR "nice day to go travelling" if you don't want to use out again

EDIT: Sorry, only just seen Ryan's very similar clue for this
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by sean d »

Sounds like obvious alopecia?
This clue might leave you stumped or tied up in Notts.
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Karen Pearson
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Re: Cryptic Clues - Help Please!

Post by Karen Pearson »

Just wanted to say a big thanks for all the help with this. It was my Mum's birthday at the weekend and we did this little quiz over dinner on Saturday evening and it was a resounding success! I used clues from several different people and, they must have been good as no one moaned about them when I gave the answers! It took most people until round 3 to get any of them but one of nephews cot cyanide on round 1 and one of the grown-ups got Clare Balding on round 2.

I did give credit to this forum - I didn't claim it all as my own work! So, thanks again. It's brilliant being able to tap into all this awesome brainpower!
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