Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Commerce Clauses?............................MALLSANTAS

Super conductors?............................MAESTROS

Rick often behind a slick click..............ASTLEY

Dating guide for woodsy types?...............TREERINGS

Collection of senior moments?................YEARBOOK

What you'd expect to be full of baloney......DELICASE

Clever Clue of the Month

 

November 2023
Clue: Film that shows where not to swim?.........PONDSCUM
Constructor: Eric Agard; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Person raised on a beach?....................LIFEGUARD

Desserted?...................................ATELAST           

Film that shows where not to swim?...........PONDSCUM

Food takeout line?...........................FLOSS

Antiques collection?.........................DUST

Where literary agents are found?.............SPYNOVELS

Clever Clue of the Month

October 2023
Clue: Head covering?.....................TOILETSEAT
Constructor: Ryan McCarty; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Saturday, October 28, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Garb you don't want to be seen in............CAMO

Snores like a lumberjack?....................SAWSLOGS

Small character in "Honey, I Shrunk the 

Kids"?.......................................COMMA

How a sailor achieves a good work-life 

balance?.....................................SEALEGS

Greyhound maintenance facility?..............DOGSPA

Head covering?...............................TOILETSEAT

Clever Clue of the Month

September 2023
Clue: Draft document?...............................BARMENU
Constructor/Editor: Evan Birnholz
Evan Birnholz's Washington Post Crossword, Sunday, September 3, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from September. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Snake substitute.............................DRANO

Draft document?..............................BARMENU

Boomers at a rock concert?...................AMPS

Novel with a screen adaptation?..............EBOOK

Wanders around the airport?..................TSA

Places to catch flying cars?.................SPEEDTRAPS

Clever Clue of the Month

 

August 2023
Clue: Heads outside?...............................PORTAPOTTIES
Constructor: Rafael Musa; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Friday, August 25, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Movie with a snotty audience?................TEARJERKER

Bun ingredients?.............................TRESSES

House of reps?...............................GYM

Something that's designed to be buggy?.......WEB

Heads outside?...............................PORTAPOTTIES

Result of too many six-packs, ironically.....BEERGUT

Clever Clue of the Month

 

July 2023
Clue: Mean guy?......................................AVERAGEJOE
Constructor: Erik Agard; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Outer ear....................................HUSK

Mean guy?....................................AVERAGEJOE

Deer departed?...............................VENISON

Duck sauce?..................................TEETOTAL

Astronomically bad?..........................ONESTAR

Majority of Europeans?.......................VOWELS

Clever Clue of the Month

June 2023
Clue: Made a cheeky call.....................................BUTTDIALED
Constructor: Rafael Musa; Editor: David Steinberg
Universal, Sunday, June 11, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Place where both employees and clients might

get tips.....................................NAILSALON

Leaves in tears?.............................WEEPINGWILLOW

Made a cheeky call?..........................BUTTDIALED

Hangout for hog owners?......................BIKERBAR

Infinitely many calc teachers walk into a bar 

and order 1 beer, ½ beer, ¼ beer, and so on. 

The bartender pours 2 beers and says, "You 

all really _______!".........................KNOWYOURLIMITS

Appropriate time for acting 

unprofessionally.............................AMATEURHOUR

Clever Clue of the Month

May 2023
Clue: Noise before a break-in............................AHEM
Constructor: Tom Pepper & C.C. Burnikel; Editor: Patti Varol
LAT, Saturday, May 27, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Flight risk?.................................JETLAG

What a helicopter might fly out of?..........MAPLE

Cover the spread?............................CATER

Denial from a contractor?....................ISNT

Rotten genre?................................PUNKROCK

Noise before a break-in......................AHEM

Clever Clue of the Month

April 2023
Clue: Coaches for benched players?..................PIANOTEACHERS
Constructor: Elizabeth C Gorski; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Thursday, April 20, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from April. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Leave Boston or Chicago, say?................GOSOLO   

Zip line?....................................YOURFLYISOPEN

Con artist?..................................FORGER

Coaches for benched players?.................PIANOTEACHERS

Head space?..................................SINUS

Is out and about.............................SLEEPWALKS

Clever Clue of the Month

March 2023
Clue: Middle management successes.............SCULPTEDABS
Constructors: Sella Zawistowski; Editor: Stanley Newman
Newsday, March 18, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from March. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Tasty butterflies, e.g. .....................PASTA

Swinging joint?..............................ELBOW

Middle management successes..................SCULPTEDABS

Like someone with a hit single?..............ONBASE

Mean relative................................MODE

Decrease your wardrobe?......................IRON

Clever Clue of the Month

 

February 2023
Clue: Something that guarantees you'll
come out on top?............................ROGAINE
Constructor: Trent Evan; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Saturday, February 25, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from February. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Employs the secret service?..................ELOPES

Crush cans, maybe............................GRAPESODAS

Go-to spot for multiple dates?...............PALM

One unlikely to make a pass..................BALLHOG

Something that guarantees you'll come out on 

top?.........................................ROGAINE

Pro with digital photography?................HANDMODEL

Clever Clue of the Month

January 2023
Clue: Try to stay safe .............................SLIDE
Constructors: Jessie & Ross Trudeau; Editor: David Steinberg
Universal (Sunday), Sunday, January 15, 2023

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Remote support?..............................ENDTABLE

Unlocked?....................................BALDASACOOT

Wanted poster?...............................INFLUENCER

Eve's taste bud?.............................ADAM

Try to stay safe?............................SLIDE

Sources of wrong answers to age-old

questions?...................................FAKEIDS

Clever Clue of the Month

 

December 2022
Clue: Super dupe...................................BIGFATLIAR
Constructors: Elizabeth Gorski; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Thursday, December 29, 2022