Clever Clue of the Month

November 2022
Clue: Port authorities...........................WINESNOBS
Constructors: Simon Marotte; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Friday, November 25, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Robin hood?.............................GOTHAMCITY

Means of returning home after a hunting 

trip....................................CATDOOR

Dying art form?.........................ELEGY

Nasty hangover?.........................SMOG

Port authorities?.......................WINESNOBS

Performance-enhancing supplement?.......ENCORE

Clever Clue of the Month

 

October 2022
Clue: Small wing nut..........................................LEPIDOPTERIST
Constructors: Matthew Stock & Pravan Chakravarthy; Editor: Patti Varol
LAT, Saturday, October 1, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Small wing nut..........................LEPIDOPTERIST

Spam generator..........................HORMEL

Bank job attire.........................SKIMASK

Confrontation at a local court,
perhaps.................................HOMEGAME

Digital design component................NAILPOLISH

Coward with a knighthood................NOEL

Clever Clue Puzzle

I thought I'd try something a little bit different this month. Here are the Clever Clue Nominees as a puzzle. 

Small wing nut............. L_ _ I _ _ P _ _ R _ _ T

Spam generator............. _ O R _ _ _

Bank job attire............ _ K _ _ A _ _

Confrontation at a local 

court, perhaps............. H _ _ E G _ _ _

Digital design component... N _ _ _ P O _ _ _ _

Coward with a knighthood... N _ _ _

I will send out the answers tomorrow. Please wait till then to vote for your favorite.

Clever Clue of the Month

 

September 2022

Clue: Lose contact with one's roots?.................GOBALD
Constructor: Trip Payne; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Column people are dying to appear in?...OBITS

Opposite of a speaking fee?.............HUSHMONEY

Lose contact with one's roots?..........GOBALD

Thy're sen n ths cle....................DELETIONS

Star often compared to Venus............SERENA

Pursues one's dreams?...................SLEEPS

Clever Clue of the Month

August 2022

Clue: This answer often has more than seven letters...............................................................MAILBOX

Constructor/Editor: Evan Birnholz

Evan Birnholz's Washington Post Crossword, Sunday, August 14, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

U.K. org. that announced "There is no 

news" on April 18, 1930.................BBC

Special collection musical hits?........DRUMSOLO 

This answer often has more than seven 

letters.................................MAILBOX 

What makes you question everything you 

know?...................................JEOPARDY

Lines of credit.........................ODE

Unsafe words?...........................YEROUT

Clever Clue of the Month

 

July 2022
Clue: Dancer's landing pad...............................ROOF
Constructors: Lisa Senzel & Jeff Chen; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Saturday, July 9, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Dancer's landing pad....................ROOF

Jumper cable?...........................BUNGEECORD

Strips for JFK?.........................TARMACS

Question not asked on "Jeopardy!".......WHY

Joint owner?............................STONER

Not in gear?............................NAKED

Clever Clue of the Month

June 2022
Clue: Good or bad vacuum review?..................SUCKS
Constructors: Parker Higgins & Ross Trudeau; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Thursday, June 16, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Joins a heavy metal band, say...........WELDS

Difficult couple?.......................EFS

The last thing a Mississippi cheerleader

wants?..................................ANI

Good or bad vacuum review?..............SUCKS

Mudslingers?............................BARISTAS

Fixes a flat, in a way?.................AUTOTUNES

Clever Clue of the Month

 

May 2022
Clue: Game where you can play rough but
you can't play fair?..........................................WORDLE
Constructor: Aimee Lucido; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Game where you can play rough but you 

can't play fair?........................WORDLE

Basket made without weaving?............SETSHOT

Battle waged with weapons in some 

cases...................................PILLOWFIGHT

Sub standard?...........................DELIMEAT

Hard-to-swallow reactions?..............SPITTAKES

Pop up a lot?...........................NEWDAD

Clever Clue of the Month

 

April 2022
Clue: Mystery that might have a 
stirring message?....................SECRETRECIPE
Constructor: Robyn Weintraub; Editor: Patti Varol
LAT, Saturday, April 23, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Dine expectantly?.......................EATFORTWO

Sole caretakers?........................PEDICURISTS

Mystery that may have a stirring

message?................................SECRETRECIPE

Unpredictable jerk?.....................SPASM

Guacamole go-with?......................HOLY

Film in a shower........................SCUM

Clever Clue of the Month

 

March 2022
Clue: What may help with bed-wetting........GARDENHOSE
Constructor: Robyn Weintraub; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
The New Yorker, Friday, March 25, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Sticks around for a real blast?.........TNT

Marlins' catcher........................FISHHOOK

Secretly espouse?.......................ELOPE

Start of a scale model..................DOEADEER

What may help with bed-wetting?.........GARDENHOSE

Popular site for holiday gift orders....SANTASLAP

Clever Clue of the Month

 

February 2022
Clue: Game measured by its number of points............................................................ELK
Constructors: August Miller; Editor: Will Shortz
NYT, Thursday, February 10, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

Feature of an open-and-shut case?.......HINGE

It's wicked and smelly..................SCENTEDCANDLE

Game measured by its number of points...ELK

It fills up the joint?..................POT

Personal management problems............BADHAIRDAYS

Construction specs?.....................SAFETYGLASSES

Clever Clue of the Month

 

January 2022
Clue: Ones taking advantage of suckers to get by?..........OCTOPI
Constructors: Christina Iverson & Jeff Chen; Editor: Rich Norris
LAT, Friday, January 7, 2022

Clever Clue Nominees

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

What you do after a workout?............SMELL

Ones taking advantage of suckers to get

by?.....................................OCTOPI

They're always bringing up old stuff?...PALEONTOLOGISTS

Digital identifier?.....................TOETAG

Full-groan man?.........................PUNSTER

How someone may "live" in your head.....RENTFREE

Clever Clue of the Month

 

December 2021
Clue: Launches toward Venus?.................SERVES
Constructor/Editor: Brendan Emmett Quigley
Brendan Emmett Quigley Puzzles, Monday, December 6, 2021