Clue contest No 19
Mon 1 Jul 2024, set byBaldur
Introduction
With an election beckoning and politicians suddenly aware of (and apparently bothered about) the voters of this country, our airways are suddenly full of:
PROMISES
See if you can make something of that that others will vote for!
Submit your best cryptic clue for
PROMISES
Results
# | Setter | Clue | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep them or piss me off! (8) semi&lit *OR PISS ME | 10 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 39 | ||
| 2 | More piss-poor politician's lies? (8) anag (more piss), whimsical CAD (clue as definition) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 18 | ||
| 3 | Sore PM is haphazardly making pledges (8) Def = Pledges. An anagram (haphazardly) of SORE PM IS | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 4 | Is anyone on the Right taken in by Trump’s balls? They should be committed! (8) IS+E taken in by PROMS. Promises should be … etc | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 11 | ||
| 5 | With these words, son might create Spoonerism (8) Compound anagram | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 6 | ‘Piss’ and more naughty words (8) (PISS MORE)*; def = words | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 7 | Politicians make them for teachers, half-heartedly (8) Def: 'Politicians make them' - PRO + MIS{s}ES | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 8 | Propositions that move earth for love? (8) &lit. PREMISES ('propositions') with E ('earth') removed and replaced with O ('love') | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 9 | MP Rosie turning against Starmer's far left manifesto commitments? (8) (MPROSIE)* + S[tarmer] Def. 'manifesto commitments' | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 10 | Suggestions for half-hearted young ladies (8) PRO + MIS(s)ES. Def suggestions | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | ||
| 11 | Looks likely to find honour in forces (8) O.M. (honour) in PRISES (forces); def = looks likely | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 12 | Vows impress cast bearing ring (8) def. = IMPRESS* around O | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 13 | Assurances for Scrooges abandoning Rishi, primarily (8) PRO (for) MISERS - R | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 14 | Guarantees for half-hearted girls - if you keep these they won't get broken! (8) Guarantees = def; for = PRO, half-hearted girls = MIS[s]ES; rest = cryptic def | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 15 | Shows signs of being in use, SIM or phone taken back (8) PROMISES (shows signs of) = reversed (taken back) hidden word (being in) u[SESIMORP]hone | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | ||
| 16 | Vows to attend a concert with the wife (8) Vows = definition. "to attend" = homophone indicator (concert+wife = prom+missus) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 17 | Pledges favouring tightwads? Not right! (8) PRO + MISE[r]S | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 18 | Expert endlessly amiss, regularly begs for assurances (8) PRO (expert) + MIS (amiss minus first and last letters) + ES (alternating letters of begs) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 19 | Assurances offered by an undertaker? (8) CD | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 20 | Guarantees publicity with Messi careless on the ball (8) PR (publicity) + MESSI* (careless) next to (on) O (ball) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 21 | semi-pros playing for words (8) anag SEMI-PROS playing (anag indicator) words (definition) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 22 | Pledges occasionally parrot me, it seems (8) Def: Pledges. Occasionally PaRrOt Me It SeEmS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Claims in adverts ring false, eventually, in failure (8) Def: claims. PR (adverts) + O (ring) + (fals)E in MISS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Commits to deals with no business involvement (8) Def: Commits to. {com}PROMISES (deals) without (with no... involvement) COM (business) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 25 | IOUs in favour of skinflints, lacking repayment at first (8) def: IOUs. PRO (in favour of) + MISE(r)S (skinflints) - R (REPAYMENT at first) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Contracts for long time, eventually implodes (8) Contracts (Def) for (PRO) long (MISS) time, eventually (E) implodes (the E goes inside MISS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Morse is broken after pious (8) Def: IOUS. *MORSEIS* after P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Trumped-up imposters take time out disguising words (8) (impos[t]ers)* > trumped-up(anagrind) take time=t out (deletion) >> DEF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Swears in note written in direct language before start of skirmish (8) (MI in PROSE) + S(skirmish) = swears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 30 | . (8) . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 31 | Potential spin-doctor semi-pros (8) Def. Potential. Anagram indicator: "spin-doctor". Anagram: semi-pros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 32 | Experienced lady holds drug for pledges (8) Def: pledges. PRO (Experienced) MISS (lady) holding E (drug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |