Clue contest No 43
Wed 1 Jul 2026, set byCigogne
Introduction
It's the beginning of the month again, and time once again to submit your entries for the ARCHIVES.
Submit your best cryptic clue for
ARCHIVES
Results
# | Setter | Clue | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Files and letters from research I've stolen (8) Def = files. Hidden in research I've stolen | 4 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 21 | ||
| 2 | Chavs irate at leaked criminal records (8) (CHAVS + IR[AT]E) * CRIMINAL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 14 | ||
| 3 | Vicar’s conclusion in Christie novel about the body in the library? (8) VICARS+~E* about [t]H[e]= library? | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 13 | ||
| 4 | Bends around four and puts it away! (8) ARCHES around IV; def ‘puts it away’ | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 5 | Records of cunning musician? (8) ARCH (cunning) IVES (musician? DBE, take your pick, Charles or Burl) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 6 | Endlessly saves rolls including scholastic writing and Greek letter, say! (8) &lit. Endlessly (last letter deletion) SAVES (fodder) rolls (anagram indicator) -> AVES. Scholastic writing = R (as in reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic), Greek letter, say = CHI. AVES including RCHI gives ARCHIVES, the act of permanently saving rolls of paper containing things like scholastic (as in academic) writing or (ancient) Greek letters. | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 7 | Circular construction home to Queen's record collection (8) ARC HIVE'S | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | ||
| 8 | "Documents, Vicar!", she erupted (8) Def: documents; vicar she (anag) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 9 | ||
| 9 | Carve his bust and store it here? (8) CARVEHIS* | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Research I’ve stored hides here (8) Hidden word. Semi &lit. | 1 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 9 | ||
| 11 | Explosive scare surrounding virus becomes stuff of history? (8) *SCARE around HIV; def "stuff of history?" | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 8 | ||
| 12 | Swans in church coming in for rector's old rolls? (8) ARRIVES (swans in) with CH (church) replacing R (rector) / rolls = lists or registers | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 13 | Records abrasive techno, dropping beat on remix (8) Records (def). Anagram (remix) of ABRASIVETECHNO dropping BEATON | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 14 | Old record stores in Bow with accommodation for workers (8) Def: Old record stores. ARC (Bow) + HIVES (accommodation for workers) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | ||
| 15 | Registry service has detailed listing (8) Def: Registry. (SERVIC[e]HA[s]; ‘detailed’)*; listing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | ||
| 16 | Car-free colonies where old things live? (8) Car-free = ARC; colonies = HIVES; def = where old things live? | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 7 | ||
| 17 | Cunning sites that are busy sharing hospital records (8) ARCH + HIVES, but sharing the H; def = records | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 18 | Collection of research I've saved (8) 'Collection of' [hidden in], 'resARCH I'VE Saved', &lit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 19 | She's naked with vicars cavorting in library (8) [s]HE[s] naked with VICARS* cavorting in library(def) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 6 | ||
| 20 | Nouveau riche save non-electronic records (8) Def ‘records’/ RICHE SAV[e]* | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 21 | Vaults over 4 vaults (8) Vaults=Def, but also vaults = arches, containing iv (4) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 22 | Chaser breaks about four records (8) CHASER anagram around IV = Def. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 | ||
| 23 | Perverted vicar she records (8) VICARSHE* | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 24 | Filthy rich save piles (8) RICHSAVE*; def is piles as in collects | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 25 | Girl leaves cocktail of Chivas Regal in the library? (8) Delete GAL (girl) from CHIVAS REGAL and anagram (cocktail of) | Def = in the library? | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 26 | Stashes "herb" in rear seat, disposing of ecstacy (8) Def. = Stashes (verb or noun); CHIVE in ARS(e) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 27 | Hot spots appeared after car crash in the library (8) Car crash = ARC, hot spots = HIVES, ARCHIVES = library (lit.) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | ||
| 28 | Stacks of herbs added to crust of appetiser (8) Def: stacks. CHIVES added to A[ppetise]R. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 29 | Bunches of Arabic herbs (8) bunches (as in compiles, archives) = AR+CHIVES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 30 | Sussex boy succeeded, holding five records (8) Def: records. ARCHIE (Prince Archie of Sussex) + S (succeeded) holding V (five) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 31 | Arranges house for animals on what sounds like a boat - it's the conclusion of Genesis (8) Def: arranges. HIVE (house for animals) on ARC (what sounds like a boat) + S (conclusion of genesiS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 32 | Records principal singer of A Jolly Holly Christmas (8) Records [def] = (Principal) ARCH + (singer..) (Burl) IVES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 33 | Leading scorer in the US is after records (8) ARCH which IVES is after | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 34 | Files, lancets, blankets, drip . . . (8) def files lancet(type of arch)<ARCHES blankets (contains) drip>IV>>arch{iv}es | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 35 | Joins 'wind band' society (8) Def: joins --- ARC (wind, as a verb) + HIVE (band) + S | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 36 | Varies wildly about church records (8) VARIES wildly (anag.) about CH (church) records (ARCHIVES) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 37 | Records of old clocks in Romania getting replaced by church (8) ARRIVES(Clocks in) with R being replaced by CH. Def: Records of old | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 38 | Collection of letters from research I’ve secured (8) def: collection / hidden in (letters from) rese[ARCH IVE S]ecured | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 39 | Save for review, collecting a mixture of rich records here (8) *SAVE around *RICH; def: records here | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 40 | Admirer completely disheartened about rash deeds (8) A(dmire)R + C + HIVES | def. "deeds" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 41 | A repository containing historical information, valuing extended storage, primarily? (8) Lit. A + first letters (primarily) of the rest; &lit. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 42 | Papers: ‘American with right Tube fare?’ (8) Def = “Papers”, A + R + CHIVES (a foodstuff with cylindrical leaves) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 43 | I've almost gone crazy with chaotic search in library (8) Anagram of IV (I've almost, grind = gone crazy) + SEARCH (grind = chaotic), library = def | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 44 | At first, Argentine record-breaker versus England conserves energy: the crux of Messi's records (8) A[rgentine] R[ecord-breaker] V[ersus] E[ngland], containing CHI (energy), + [me]S[si] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 45 | Organises those that succeed without primary energy when at first renewable is promoted (8) Def: Organises = Archives; those that succeed = ACHIEVERS with first E removed (primary energy). R=first (letter of) renewable, which is then promoted, ie moved further forward in the answer. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 46 | Records of a church headquarters (8) ARCHIVES [A + RC + HIVES] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 47 | The vicar loses time in finding records (8) Anagram of the vicar after time (T) is removed. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 48 | Files damaged car hubs (8) Def FILES. CAR* + HIVES(hubs) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 49 | Boxes carrying not a little retro stuff? (8) &lit. HIVES ('boxes') carrying ARC (CRAM ('stuff') reversed without the first letter ('not a little')). Down clue. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 50 | Character in The Great Escape's naughty adlib's expunged in official records (8) Archibald Ives minus adlib* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 51 | Files away main four elements' edges (8) ARCH (main) + IV (four) + E(lement)S | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 52 | Search for reported criminal, for holding (8) SEARCH + (‘for’ homophone) IV anagram (‘criminal’). Def. = for holding | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 53 | Vault codes all but garbage securing four documents (8) DEF: documents, ARCH (vault) (cod)ES (deletion, all but, of cod, garbage) AROUND (securing) IV (four) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 54 | Perhaps a nemesis vies ruthlessly for monumental records (8) ARCH + VIES*; Def = monumental records | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 55 | Records four within spans (8) ARCHIVES (records) = IV (four) within ARCHES (spans) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |