Friday 31 October 2014

Spooner Camouflage

Spooner TwistedFor a crossword setter, spoonerisms are extremely hard to hide – the telltale indicator "Spooner" gives the game away. A direct reference to Reverend Spooner, to whom this wordplay device owes its name, cannot be avoided in this clue type.

And so the wily setter uses a different ruse to confuse the solver. Since the word "Spooner" in a clue primes the solver to think of the spoonerism clue type,  the setter turns that expectation on its head by placing the word in clues that do not contain spoonerisms.

Enjoy a few examples of "Spooner" used in deceptive ways.

Times 24992: Spooner's helping in hospital circles, to make us well (3,6) ___ __R___

Times 24894: Spooner’s confused about one term for an insidious killer (8) _O______

Guardian 25962 (Boatman): Spooner's starting to say joints are a problem with cold (6) _N____

A puzzle by Radler on Alberich's site, in which Across clues employ the word "Spooner" in a variety of devices.

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9 comments

Lakshmi Vaidyanathan said...

Times 24894: Spooner’s confused about one term for an insidious killer (8) _O______
POISONER (spooner+i )*

Guardian 25962 (Boatman): Spooner's starting to say joints are a problem with cold (6) _N____
SNEEZE ([S + neeze ( ~knees) ]

( 1st clue - something related to spoon + H ? )

Chesterley said...

A favorite of mine for your enjoyment:

Spooner's escape: comic or tragic? (3-5,5)
___-__E__ S____

Lakshmi Vaidyanathan said...

Chesterley's clue :
Spooner's escape: comic or tragic? (3-5,5)
___-__E__ S____
ICE-CREAM SCOOP :)
(When I first read the clue , thought it is the name of some book or movie :) )

Shuchi said...

@Chesterley: Smooth anagram!

Ganesh N. said...

Spooner's helping in hospital circles, to make us well (3,6)
HOT SPRING (TSP in H O RING)

Spooner’s confused about one term for an insidious killer (8)
POISONER (SPOONER + I*)

Spooner's starting to say joints are a problem with cold (6)
SNEEZE (S + KNEES hp)

One of my attempts:
Spooner's dance not a twist, you say (6,6)

Venkatesh said...

1) TSP (for Spooner's helping) in {H(ospital)+O} / {RING} (circles)
H/O(T SP)RING (it) makes us well

2) SPOONER* about 1 = PO(I)SONER* term for an insidious killer

3) S (Spooner's starting) + ~knees NEEZE = (S)(NEEZE) a problem with cold

Venkatesh said...

@ Ganesh
Spooner's dance not a twist, you say (6,6)
Anag of SPOONERS + DANCE-a
= SECOND PERSON (you say)

Ramki Krishnan said...

Here is one of mine:

Spooner and his colleagues, say, always in splits (9)

Krishna M said...

Spooner and his colleagues, say, always in splits (9) R{EVER}ENDS

Good clue!