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paul

25th July 2022, 00:36
Well done Mattrom!
Cheers Geeker for the unusual word choice and extensive summation. The word looked very tricky to clue but yielded some real gems. Where did your inspiration come from?
Thanks to all for the votes leading to silver - very much appreciated!
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geeker

25th July 2022, 00:50
Thanks, paul.
I stress out over choosing words for these contests. Over the course of a few days I write out a list of random interesting/unusual candidates that come to mind. The list reached 25 this week, but I immediately stopped at "calabash" because it has good anagram/music/sonic (even religious - Kabalah) possibilities.
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chrise

25th July 2022, 08:52
congrats mattrom and thanks geeker. thanks for the vote, paul.
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jono

25th July 2022, 13:23
Hi all, if anyone is still around, quick question regarding the use of “on”.

Consider wordplay reading “A on B”.

For a down clue I think it would be clear that the answer is in the form AB.
In an across clue, however, A follows (is “on”) B is perhaps more intuitive, so the answer takes the form BA.

My question is whether “A on B“ could also work as “A before B” in an across clue (or indeed in a grid-less puzzle).

One definition for “on” in Chambers is “beside, close to” so in that case no order is implied.

Interested in your thoughts or if you have come across examples.
Ta
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chrise

25th July 2022, 14:15
Hi jono
As you say, "on" is ambiguous in an across clue, but that generally isn't a problem.
I'm more irritated by spurious "ins", or "intos", as in this example from today's Guardian:
Able to take girl into the country (6)
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jono

25th July 2022, 14:47
Thanks Chris. I saw that clue.
‘Country able to take girl’ would have eliminated the need for ‘into’ altogether. I find boy/girl references could almost be anything, especially these days ;-)
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buddy

25th July 2022, 15:21
Jon, I think a on b as a adjacent to b is fine, therefore the answer could be ab or ba. Which one should be clear from def, crossers, etc.
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jono

25th July 2022, 15:25
Thanks Buddy, appreciated
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geeker

25th July 2022, 16:24
I agree with buddy, fwiw.
If I overthink I can almost justify "on" as "clothing" or "surrounding", but that would make for a questionable clue.

The only online reference I can find is vague: https://cryptics.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_juxtaposition_indicators
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jono

25th July 2022, 17:16
Thanks Geeker, that site is useful. I often scroll through the list of anagrinds in hope of inspiration!

Funnily enough, watching the news here in the UK just now the commentary referenced “blue-on-blue” (a reference to Conservative party infighting) but a good example of where “on” = “against”
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