Re: SCWC 54 results

I was annoyed to notice that I'd chosen a seven-letter word ending in IC
right after ELASTIC, but in the end it proved altogether different: PACIFIC
does not lend itself even to partial anagrams, and plenty of novel ways were
found to encode it.

In no particular order, then:

Tranquil account provided by one is captured by policeman (7)
AC+IF+I in PC

I like the misleading "provided" for IF. The surface doesn't quite work for
me, however; I can imagine something very similar ("one who is captured" or
"one captured") producing a plausible image of a laid-back drunk telling his
story to the arresting constable, but I don't really buy "captured" for
"written down".

Hunting aid money, coming back if I see the ocean (7)
CAP< +IF+I+C

Functional, but a bit of a non sequitur. CAP here is a collection taken for
charity at a fox hunt, perhaps a little obscure.

Federal tax is back in the picture still. (7)
FICA< in PIC

I don't like the surface: something being "back" indicates that it has
returned (a change of situation), but "still" suggests that nothing has
changed. I also thought the synonyms were weakened by using the same words
as their solutions: F in FICA is actually "Federal", and PIC is just a
shortening of "picture".

"Short" walk around could be as long as one hundred laps round Tonga! (7)
PAC(E)+IF+IC

A flawless surface, and I love the pun with "laps". My only quibble here is
"could be as long as" for IF; it seems to me that IF would be merely "as
long as" (which would still be a tolerable surface) or "what could be as
long as" (which wouldn't).

Calm amid rising panic, if I capitulate. (7) [down clue]
reversed concealed word

Pretty good. I felt that the coincidence of "panic" beginning with PA,
combined with the symmetry of CIFIC, made the hidden word rather more
evident.

If, as icecap melts, could _this_ sea rise? (7)
IFASICECAP anagrammed - SEA

Ungrammatical surface; and is "this sea rise" really acceptable for removal
of SEA (and not, say, THISSEA), even for an &lit?

Still water running deep (7)
double definition (Pacific Ocean)

A nice find that I think would work well in a puzzle. However, the two
definitions might be regarded as too close for comfort: the Pacific Ocean
got that name because of its stillness.

General, it's not... it sounds like... it's this... it's peaceful! (7)
[bonus clue]
IT'S SPECIFIC sounding like IT'S PACIFIC

I enjoyed the manic stuttering of this clue; it looks like some of the
wackier ones in the Guardian. I've been sitting here for two minutes
repeating the two phrases to determine whether they really do sound
identical to me, and I'm afraid they don't, *quite*. Close enough, though.

Calm with which Indian makes colonial loco (7)
double definition (Indian Pacific, an Australian locomotive)

Another great surface reading that gives me a comical image of a native
defying the Raj. I had never heard of the Indian Pacific before, and I
suspect it might be obscure outside Australia, but this is still one of my
favourites.

The Falcon, the Silver Fox, or the Great Bear? (7) [bonus clue]
triple definition

I hope my Google searches have borne the right fruit here. Silver Fox is a
Pacific Beach nightclub, the Great Bear is a Pacific locomotive, and the
Falcon is a newspaper of Seattle Pacific University. These things might be
less mystifying to me if I were American.

Body of water subject of detailed accord with independent financier in
charge initially (7)
PAC(T) + IFIC initialism

Despite its sound construction, I found this clue over-long and jarring:
it's not clear why a financier (independent or otherwise) would be involved
with the water, and that trailing "initially" is too obvious a piece of
wordplay.

Originally patriotic, a citizen in France is converted to being disposed
towards peace (7)
initialism

A good clear reading, only clogged up a little by the wordiness of
"converted to being disposed", that didn't jump out at me as a set of
initial letters.

Pennsylvania hits 101 Fahrenheit; 99 off the coast of California (7)
PA+CI+F+IC

IC for 99 would have raised an eyebrow even if it hadn't already been
discussed on the comments thread: I'm no historian, but I do know that
whenever I've seen 99 in Roman numerals it has been written XCIX. That is
unfortunate, though, because otherwise this clue with its two American
states provides a fun red herring.

Tonic lacks head - English switched to head of ale, mild (7)
(S)PECIFIC with E changed to A

A well-executed alcohol theme with "specific" as medicinal remedy, and
somewhat more comprehensible than the other clue that used that word. The
double occurrence of "head" isn't as exciting as it might be, because both
of them refer to a first letter.

And my top three:

If one wears a hat back to front, a little care is required in mollifying
offence (7)
IF+I in CAP< +C

Probably the most convincing use of "if". I wasn't sure whether "back to
front" meant "backwards at the front" (preceding IFI) or merely "backwards"
with position unspecified; either seems acceptable. A good solid clue.

In Hollywood, this is the time to be calm (7)
double definition (Pacific Standard Time)

Okay, once again it's the Pacific Ocean, but the time zone is an indirect
reference that wouldn't generally be associated with the sea. Given the fuss
and bustle of Tinseltown, this short clue is apt and satisfying.

Still photo captures the electricity of the independent female (7)
AC+I+F in PIC

Not just a plausible sentence but a rather poetic one, this first clue from
Flying Tortoise skilfully hides the definition by tacking it onto a closely
related noun. The "of" might be slightly questionable (since it's not a link
word), but to my mind this is the best of the batch. Congratulations, FT,
and the "emerald anniversary" of SCWC is yours to orchestrate!

Eq.


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