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Diabolically Arcane

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Meh 15

5 April, 2012

Been a few moons since we dusted off the Meh Dossier – a chance to parade the dubious suspects across the last few months of UK cryptics. Clues that don’t quite click. A clumsy wording. A surplus word or three. Take a squiz at this shopworn line-up, and see if your heart sings – or the stomach turns.

Feel free to take up any clue’s cause and argue its merits in the Comments. Or join the catcall chorus, and let’s dream up sweeter clues for the same six answers. Wheel out the miscreants.

  1. Newest fruit is cut up = FUTURISTIC [Up is cool for the reversal recipe, but flimsy for the job of angrams, Mr Flimsy.]

  2. News report with current information in resort of Nice = INTELLIGENCE [Alberich double-dips on GEN, a word for info which which obviously stems from intelligence.]

  3. Ordinal for the man in the moon = NINTH [A workable hidden, though Cinephile exceeds the polite word count.]

  4. Wavelength produced when Pavarotti sang, Stromboli erupted etc = ANGSTROM [Worse this time. Same compiler, surplus words, and a ludicrous story.]

  5. Types occupying prison cells in the past = ONCE [Prison cell is a neat phrase, but not sold on Styx’s use of types here.]

  6. Some phobia about Batman movie? = CAPE FEAR [Can’t recall who cooked this clue, but I wouldn’t be proud of it.]

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Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
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