Many thanks to Mark for moderating WG 64.

For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Up to three entries, please.

The deadline for entries is end of day, Tuesday the 21st of December.

Many thanks,

Luciano

Mythological nymph from back in 0-hour A.D. (4)
Molly, stand-up comic who is an Asian lady parrot (4)
Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
Bonus:
Transnational communications word for a symbol not found at all in this total posting (4)
Mark

On Monday, 13 December 2021 at 11:42:11 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:
> Many thanks to Mark for moderating WG 64.
>
> For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Jack Nicklaus once drove in this car (4)

Steve = : ^ )

Enough to have a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)

Enough to put a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)

Long enough to put a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? (6)

On Friday, December 17, 2021 at 12:48:53 PM UTC-3:30, David A wrote:
> Wherefore art thou, Romeo? (6)
adjust to: Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Echo! (7)

On Monday, 13 December 2021 at 11:42:11 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:

> For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Engineers standing on stern of tug could be American (6)

> On Monday, 13 December 2021 at 11:42:11 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:
> > For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Can of orange makes brown vanish (5)

Dad's two doses of whiskey squeezed out of tree fruit (4)

Offense by capital lover (5)

Way to see in unknown light? (4)

On Monday, 13 December 2021 at 11:42:11 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:

> For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Expression of appreciation for fearlessness shown without the need for promotion (5)

On Monday, 13 December 2021 at 11:42:11 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:

> For WG 65, please write a clue whose answer is a code word used in the NATO 'phonetic' alphabet (see https://www.worldometers.info/languages/nato-phonetic-alphabet/). Your clue(s) should not contain the letter represented by your code word: for example, if the answer to your clue is Echo, your clue should not contain the letter E.

Expression of appreciation for fearlessness shown without the need for promotion (5)

Apologies for the delay -- I was away. Hope to have the clues posted before New Year's Eve.

Luciano

Thanks to those who contributed clues for this. My interpretations are below. Please comment, if necessary.

And a very happy, healthy and Hogmaniacal 2022 to you all.

Luciano

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From Mark:

Mythological nymph from back in 0-hour A.D. (4)
ECHO: 0-H CE rev; def = mythological nymph

Molly, stand-up comic who is an Asian lady parrot (4)
ECHO: Molly (drug) = E + CHO (stand-up comic who is an Asian lady); def = parrot

Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
ECHO: E (Spain) + something?; def = Amazon product

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From Steve:

Jack Nicklaus once drove in this car (4)
GOLF: double def

Engineers standing on stern of tug could be American (6)
YANKEE: YANK + EE (engineers); def = American

Expression of appreciation for fearlessness shown without the need for promotion (5)
BRAVO: BRAV(ad)O; def = expression of appreciation

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From David:
Long enough to put a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)
DELTA? (only one that fits without using the letter indicated): not sure how it works, though

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Echo! (7)
JULIETT: other than the reference to the play, not sure

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From Rob:

Can of orange makes brown vanish (5)
TANGO: TAN+GO; def = can of orange

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From Duke:

Dad's two doses of whiskey squeezed out of tree fruit (4)
PAPA: PAWPAW minus W twice; def = dad

Offense by capital lover (5)
ROMEO: ROME+O; def = lover (dependent on my correct interpretation, the R in the clue is an issue)

Way to see in unknown light? (4)
X-RAY: X+RAY; def = way to see

----------

Bonus clue:

From Mark:

Transnational communications word for a symbol not found at all in this total posting (4)
ECHO: self-referential clue referring to all of Mark’s clues

Last year, Luciano wrote:
> Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
> ECHO: E (Spain) + something?; def = Amazon product

Here in the US many products say HECHO EN MEXICO meaning in Spanish MADE IN MEXICO, so it's HECHO (built in Spain) without its initial letter (start-up capital).
Happy new year, everyone! Mark

On Saturday, 1 January 2022 at 06:56:15 UTC-6, Mark Iredell wrote:
> Last year, Luciano wrote:
> > Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
> > ECHO: E (Spain) + something?; def = Amazon product
> Here in the US many products say HECHO EN MEXICO meaning in Spanish MADE IN MEXICO, so it's HECHO (built in Spain) without its initial letter (start-up capital).
> Happy new year, everyone! Mark

Thank you.

On Friday, December 31, 2021 at 9:34:14 PM UTC-3:30, Luciano Ward wrote:

From David:
Long enough to put a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)
Eartha Kitt reference to her preference for a Cadillac in Old Fashioned Girl, and the answer of course, is OSCAR!

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Echo! (7)
Again citing your desire for a codeword of your preference:
Juliett sounds like an Echo of Juliet, does it not? And remember that 'wherefore' is supposed to mean 'why'! Romeo and Echo are both code words.

>
> ----------
>
> From Duke:
> Offense by capital lover (5)
> ROMEO: ROME+O; def = lover (dependent on my correct interpretation, the R in the clue is an issue)

Egad. I think I was going for "love" there. Withdrawn.

Result over the weekend. Sorry for the delay.

Luciano

Repeated thanks to those who contributed clues for this. My opinions are below. The result is at the end (posted Sunday, aka Tuesday; apologies).

Luciano

----------

From Mark:

Mythological nymph from back in 0-hour A.D. (4)
ECHO: 0-H CE rev; def = mythological nymph
-- The wordplay works, as does the definition. Not sure that the surface reading is Mark’s most elegant, though.

Molly, stand-up comic who is an Asian lady parrot (4)
ECHO: Molly (drug) = E + CHO (stand-up comic who is an Asian lady); def = parrot
-- I had to look up the Molly (and, to be honest, the Cho) reference, which in no way diminishes the clue (nothing wrong with learning a thing or two).. The whole clue is sound and funny.

Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
ECHO: HECHO (= made/built in Spanish) without initial letter; def = Amazon product
-- Again, had to have help re the HECHO business. ‘start-up capital’ seems tautological in the wordplay, but otherwise the clue is fine.

----------

From Steve:

Jack Nicklaus once drove in this car (4)
GOLF: double def
-- I do like double definitions that, in their lengthiness, are not obviously double definitions. The Nicklaus reference of course telegraphs ‘golf’, but I like this all the same, because I like golf and I esteem Mr. Nicklaus.

Engineers standing on stern of tug could be American (6)
YANKEE: YANK + EE (engineers); def = American
-- I could find ‘engineer’ = ‘E’, but it doesn’t seem so commonplace. This aside, all is good, here: in the context, ‘stern’ and ‘tug’ are cleverly used.

Expression of appreciation for fearlessness shown without the need for promotion (5)
BRAVO: BRAV(ad)O; def = expression of appreciation
I like all of this except the word ‘for’, which, I think, should precede the definition, not the wordplay.

----------

From David:
Long enough to put a bowling alley in the back, perhaps? (5)
As per David: Eartha Kitt reference to her preference for a Cadillac in Old Fashioned Girl, and the answer of course, is OSCAR!
-- I still don’t get this. In any case, Oscar stands for ‘O’, and there are examples of that letter in the clue, so if the answer is OSCAR, the clue doesn’t meet the criteria.

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Echo! (7)
As per David: Juliett sounds like an Echo of Juliet, does it not? And remember that 'wherefore' is supposed to mean 'why'! Romeo and Echo are both code words.
-- Juliet (as implied by the quote) is indeed an ‘echo’ of ‘Juliett’. It was certainly bold to include ‘Romeo’ and ‘Echo’ in the clue. That said, the *answer* is a bit too obscurely indicated for me.

----------

From Rob:

Can of orange makes brown vanish (5)
TANGO: TAN+GO; def = can of orange
-- Not sure what the surface reading might indicate in practice. That aside, I’m more a fan of wordplay making the answer than the answer making the wordplay.

----------

From Duke:

Dad's two doses of whiskey squeezed out of tree fruit (4)
PAPA: PAWPAW minus W twice; def = dad
-- All good, though I’m not sure why ‘tree’ is in there.

Offense by capital lover (5)
ROMEO: ROME+O; def = lover (dependent on my correct interpretation, the R in the clue is an issue). Withdrawn.

Way to see in unknown light? (4)
X-RAY: X+RAY; def = way to see
-- ‘way to see’ seems slightly tenuous as a definition, but otherwise sound.

----------

Bonus clue:

From Mark:

Transnational communications word for a symbol not found at all in this total posting (4)
ECHO: self-referential clue referring to all of Mark’s clues
-- Yes. I mean: Yos.

--------------

The winner is:

Mark, with his ECHO clue. Mark, with his ECHO clue.

The runners-up are:

Steve with his GOLF clue, and Duke with his PAPA clue.

On Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at 8:27:34 am UTC+11, Luciano Ward wrote:

> From Mark:
>
> Mythological nymph from back in 0-hour A.D. (4)
> ECHO: 0-H CE rev; def = mythological nymph
> -- The wordplay works, as does the definition. Not sure that the surface reading is Mark’s most elegant, though.
> Molly, stand-up comic who is an Asian lady parrot (4)
> ECHO: Molly (drug) = E + CHO (stand-up comic who is an Asian lady); def = parrot
> -- I had to look up the Molly (and, to be honest, the Cho) reference, which in no way diminishes the clue (nothing wrong with learning a thing or two). The whole clue is sound and funny.
> Amazon product built in Spain without start-up capital (4)
> ECHO: HECHO (= made/built in Spanish) without initial letter; def = Amazon product
> -- Again, had to have help re the HECHO business. ‘start-up capital’ seems tautological in the wordplay, but otherwise the clue is fine.

> The winner is:
>
> Mark, with his ECHO clue. Mark, with his ECHO clue.

Which of Mark's clues got the gong?

A deserved winner. When you announced the rules for this contest I started thinking of clues for Quebec, Zulu, X-ray and other letters I could possibly craft a clue without. Meanwhile, Mark comes up with three clues—and a fourth meta-clue—*for the single most common letter in the English language!* Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! (each quieter than the preceding)