Clue contest No 38
Sun 1 Feb 2026, set bymatthewcr
Introduction
Hi everyone. January can often feel interminable, but it's done now and we have moved into the shortest month. With that in mind please supply a cryptic clue for DIMINUTIVE for the February contest. Good luck to all!
Submit your best cryptic clue for
DIMINUTIVE
Results
# | Setter | Clue | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiny Tim due in, roughly around 4 (10) IV ('4') in (TIMDUEIN)* | 7 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 26 | ||
| 2 | Wee and dump taking kid barely 50 seconds? (10) DIVE taking [k]I[d] MINUT[E] (QM for 5/6 whimsy) = wee | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 16 | ||
| 3 | Not at all great for Spooner - Henman not out, you fool! (10) Not at all great definition. Spoonerism of "Tim (Henman) in, you div (fool)" | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 11 | ||
| 4 | Pint-sized policeman arrested four in sixty seconds (10) Def, DI+MINUT[IV]E (arrested is an adjective attached to four, which is arrested in minute) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | ||
| 5 | Small coin bearing one head flipped six tails (10) Def. (small) = DIME written around (I + NUT that reversal of VI goes after) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 6 | I'd like to put pint away in bar that's disreputable and small (10) I'M IN (I'd like to) + PUT - P(int) all inside DIVE | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | ||
| 7 | Perhaps let in piglet from a short amount of time stuck in hole (10) Def: Perhaps let in piglet (suffix DBE). I (a/one) + MINUT{e} (short amount of time) inside (stuck in) DIVE (hole - unpleasant place) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 8 | Like Schubert, Verdi turned out one minuet and died, sadly (10) VI (V<erd>I “turned out”) + I(one) + MINUET + D(died), anagrammed (“sadly”). Schubert was famously short and nicknamed “Little Mushroom”. | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 9 | ||
| 9 | Wee? Stupid one testicle I have! (10) DIM (stupid) I (one) NUT (testicle) IVE (I have) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Rob, perhaps, departs at 4 (in 1 minute) (10) D + I + MINUT(IV)E | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 11 | Slight change: I'm invited, you heard (10) IMINVITED* including U (you, heard), def = 'slight' | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 12 | Little daughter, I’m in Utah, discovered live and opening for Elvis! (10) Def: little / D+IM+IN+UT+IV+E | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 13 | Small and stupid, I headbutt four friends essentially (10) Charade with DIM + I + NUT + IV + fri(E)nds | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | ||
| 14 | MIDI tune I’ve almost composed is not great (10) Def: not great. Anagram (composed) of ‘midi tune iv ( I’ve almost) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 15 | Petit four in a moment, after deli meat is consumed (10) definition = petit. IV (four) in MINUTE (a moment), after DI (deli with the meat / middle part consumed / gone) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 16 | Maybe Liz or BoJo – stupid? One crazy, and one very disreputable, ultimately (10) 'Maybe Liz or BoJo' | DIM + I + NUT + I + V + __E | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 17 | Examines unknown soluble particle discovered in drop of wee (10) Def: wee... DIVE [drop] containing [exa]MI[nes] [unk]N[own] [sol]U[ble] [par]TI[cle] | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 18 | Dwarves, Imps, Munchkins? It's now unacceptable to instinctively vilify each at first as "very small" (10) Starting letters of first 10 words | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 19 | Perhaps Tommy darkened home with infection on the day the Germans surrendered? (10) DBE: Perhaps Tommy; DIM (darkened) + IN (home) + UTI (infection) + VE (the day the Germans surrendered? VE day) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 20 | Invited kinky sounding solver inside to eat setter’s pussy? (10) INVITED*, hom of you>U inside, eating/containing I’M = DBE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 21 | Small? I would back four in a moment. (10) Small is the definition. "I'd" reversed (back) with "IV" (four) in a "minute" (moment. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 22 | Say Bobby starts to do it? Maybe I never understood that I'm very expendable (10) DBE = "Say Bobby"; First letters "starts to" -> D I M I N U T I V E | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 23 | One victor invading mutinied, breaking compact (10) def = compact | (I + V) in MUTINIED* | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 24 | Modest dance devoid of energy, originally invented in underground bar? (10) MINU(E)T + I, all in DIVE (original "dive bars" were often in basements or cellars); def = "modest" (e.g. a modest amount of money) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 25 | Detective with very little energy left - I’ve very little (10) DI + MINUT[E] + IVE | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 26 | One's cut of share, if divided into tiny portions? (10) &lit. DIIV (One's cut of share - I into DIV) when divided into portions of MINUTE ('tiny'). DI + [MINUT] + IV + [E] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 27 | Setter's given note by weirdo in bar - not great. (10) Def: Not great (as in size). I (setter) + MI (sol-fa note) + NUT (weirdo) inside DIVE (bar) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 28 | Dwarf almost did four, breaking record (10) (Definition:) Dwarf (almost did:) DI(d) (four:) IV (breaking) MINUTE (record) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 29 | Sweetie? I'll tell you the moment I have the answer! (10) "Sweetie?" is def by example; cheeky (!) homophone (I'll tell you) of "the minute I've" | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 30 | Detective with some time to arrest four indicated by kin, perhaps (10) DI + MINUT(IV)E. "kin" is a diminutive indicator in English | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 31 | Small, mini duvet I messed up (10) Small (def), mini duvet I (anag), messed up (anag indicator) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 32 | Maybe Johnny 5 and I mutinied, unfortunately (10) Johnny is a diminutive; anag of v(5) + I + mutinied | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 33 | Tiny investigator leads last minute insertion of drip (10) “Tiny” is the definition, DI (an investigator) is prepended to “minute” which then has IV (a “drip”) included at the end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 34 | Getting softer before climax? OT to engage one’s willy perhaps? (10) DIMINU[endo] (‘getting softer’ up to END (climax) and O (first of OT)+T+IVE (one’s). Willy or willy both examples of a diminutive, whatever anyone says! | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 35 | Six scared about taking form of new drug e.g. Charlie (10) Six = VI; scared = TIMID (reversed); form of new = NU; drug = E; def = e.g. Charlie (shortened form of name) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 36 | Bargains soon cut short (10) DIVE contains (bar-gains) IMINUT (soon “1 minute”, cut). Def; short | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 37 | Di or Liv, needing no introduction given in a short moment (10) def by example diminutive for Diana or Olivia, DI+MINUT([L]IV)E &lit. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 38 | Surrounding a miserable start, eliminated an ultimately disheartened Newcastle United - Vinnie's an absolute shambles at the minute (10) Anag. of UnitedVinnie - [a]N N[ewcastl]E surrounding M[iserable] Definition: minute | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 39 | Tiny and hard to see, in waterworks infection, with beginners in visual examination (10) Definition = TINY, hard to see = DIM, in = IN, waterworks infection = UTI, beginners in visual examination = VE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 40 | Pete maybe developed tailspin, taking 60 seconds to crash into Utah (10) DIVE (tailspin)containing (taking) IMIN( 1 min(ute)/60 seconds) + UT (Utah). = DIMINUTIVE (Pete, the diminutive of Peter) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Charlie's one drug Ian's initally given intravenously in hand? (10) DEF: Charlie's one (diminutive of Charles/Charlotte etc). DI (Drug Ian initially) IV (intravenously) in MINUTE (hand? / hand on clock) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 42 | 5:01 minute is about four minute? (10) Def: Minute. 501 = DI, minute = MINUTE, is about (container) four = IV -> DI MINUT IV E | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 43 | Small Inuit dive madly around Frenchman (10) [INUIT DIVE]* with M (= Monsieur) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |