Clue contest No 29
Thu 1 May 2025, set byRaider
Introduction
No word from last month's winner, so let's crank up the temperature with HEATWAVE - good luck!
Submit your best cryptic clue for
HEATWAVE
Results
# | Setter | Clue | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gag about Trump’s first wife pinching Melania’s butt is a scorcher (8) HE(TW)AVE, pinching A | 7 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 25 | ||
| 2 | A very hot time? We English are melting! (8) Anagram (indicating by "melting") of A + V + H + T + WE + E + A (abbreviation for are, a unit of land measurement) and a sort of &lit. I'm not a great fan of too many single letter indicators in clues though! | 5 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 25 | ||
| 3 | What've A&E prepared for this weather spell? (8) WHATVEA+E* | 0 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 15 | ||
| 4 | Have a wet, stormy weather spell (8) HAVEAWET* - def: weather spell | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 5 | Need to take wickets during fiery spell? (8) HAVE ("Need", as in 'I need to') with EAT ("to take") + W ("wickets") inside ("during") = Def. ("fiery spell?") | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | ||
| 6 | When it’s boiling, women have tea served outside (8) W in (HAVETEA)* | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 7 | Sultry Eve? What a scorcher! (8) *EVE WHAT A | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Filling of brioche at Waverley is too hot (8) Embed ('fllling') in briocHE AT WAVErley | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 9 | Force bent lock - a reason to lose your cool? (8) HEAT (force/police) WAVE (bent lock of hair). | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 10 | Man on naked date with crazy Eva for a sultry spell (8) HE (man) + AT (date minus first and last letters) + W (with) + AVE (anagram of EVA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 11 | I chose what it is — we can't vote regularly for something many people find oppressive (8) (ic)H(os)E(wh)A(ti)T(is)W(ec)A(nt)V(ot)E | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 12 | Number of some bloke at the top of Whitechapel Road (8) Number = definition (Motown song) / some bloke = HE / AT / the top of Whitechapel = W / Road = AVE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 13 | Cause of sweat rash? (8) Cause of sweat = HEAT. Rash = wave (as in "a rash of"). & lit | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 14 | Surge of passion? (8) Cryptic def: Surge=Wave, Passion=Heat | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 15 | For a hot time we have case of tequila for a change (8) anag (for a change) of "we have ta(case of tequila)" | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 16 | A lot of water supply lines suffer from sequence of excess temperature (8) WATE(r)* within HAVE/suffer from | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 17 | Peeled skins swell when it is as hot as hell (8) skins>cheats(slang) peeled+[c]HEAT[s]+swell>WAVE def:when it is as hot as hell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 18 | Married couple scoffs breakfast, a classic way to greet hot weather (8) Married couple (H+W) contains (scoffs) breakfast (EAT) followed by a classic way to greet (AVE) = hot weather | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 19 | Pressure from authorities reportedly to disregard possible consequence of global warming (8) HEAT + Homophone of WAIVE def = possible consequence of global warming | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 20 | Have stripped, ultimately wanting weather to turn into this? (8) Def: this? (extended def). Anagram (to turn) of {h}AV{e} (stripped) + WEATHE{r} (ultimately wanting) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 21 | Melted weather vane? Not unheard occasionally in one of these (8) &lit Def, (WEATHER VANE - ERN)* | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 22 | Brutal summer stretch for cops pursuing crime spree (8) "brutal summer stretch" (def); for (a link word, yep); cops (HEAT) pursuing (position indicator); crime spree (WAVE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 23 | That man, a wizard - originally a vet - cast unusual spell (8) HE + A + (W[izard] A VET)* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 24 | This might make you bake, without recipe, whatever cooking article plugs (8) Anagram of "whatever" without r, around A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 25 | What? Eave construction may help deal with this? (8) *(what eave), and extended def as plug for solar passive house design | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Weave hat shoddily - symptom of widespread chaos? (8) WEAVEHAT*, heatwave might be symptom of "climate chaos" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Rare condition with steam occasionally brought up in vomit (8) W + [s]T[e]A[m] reversed in HEAVE; def = rare condition (i.e. an atmospheric condition) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Freaky weather without the start of even a hint of rain followed by hail (8) &lit. WEATHer* (-E(ven) + R(ain)) + AVE (hail) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Taste of summer roll primarily the wrapped Asian ingredients (8) HEAVE (roll), TWA (primarily The Wrapped Asian) inserted (ingredients) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Being in the wrong, a boomer on Neighbours perhaps has torrid time (8) A in THE* + WAVE (in Australia, i.e. 'on Neighbours', a boomer is a large wave). Def. 'torrid time' | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 31 | ‘You have no right whatever!‘ A messy, steamy interlude. (8) Anag of WHATEVER A without the R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 32 | Have tea with wife turns hot. (8) An anagram of "have tea" and "W"ife | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 33 | Swell around central catwalk, it causes hot weather (8) Def: Hot weather// HEAVE (swell) AROUND caTWAlk (central)=Heatwave | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 34 | He wore clothes women have if he went out for a while in the heat (8) HE + ATE (eat away~wear away) clothes W + (h)AV(e) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 35 | Warm oscillating hands for a steamy time (8) HEAT + WAVE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 36 | Embellishing whatever succeeding, Republican America has no chill (8) Def: has no chill. WP: *[WHATEVER with R replaced by A] (succeeding R, A) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 37 | Can't finish his meal, say good-bye! (8) HE AT[missing last letter of ate], WAVE! | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 38 | Could be UV radiation causing warm period? (8) UV radiation is a wave that transmits energy (heat) so it could be a HEAT WAVE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |