Clue contest No 28
Tue 1 Apr 2025, set byMeles
Introduction
Hopefully this month you won't be too annoyed by writing a clue for INCENSE. Good luck everyone!
Submit your best cryptic clue for
INCENSE
Results
# | Setter | Clue | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outrage as her sentencing is reviewed after regular thefts (7) Defn: "Outrage" = Alternate letters removed from "her sentencing is", then reversed ("reviewed after regular thefts") | 5 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 24 | ||
| 2 | Change announced in America after popular outrage (7) Def: outrage. Sounds like CENTS (change in America) after IN (popular) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 3 | Perfume initially not welcomed by spoilt nieces (7) N[ot] in NIECES*; def = perfume | 2 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 13 | ||
| 4 | Popular eastern scent ultimately released when lit (7) &Lit. IN (popular) anagram (when lit) of E (eastern) SCEN[t] (ultimately released) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 5 | Upset? I'm fuming! (7) Pun / double meaning | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | ||
| 6 | Hack off aromatic bit of wood (7) dd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Niceness very nearly provoked anger (7) NICENES(s)* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 8 | Irishman on vacation, seen cycling at extreme speed, causing outrage (7) I[rishma]N + C (speed of light, 'extreme speed') + SEEN↻. Link: 'causing'. Def. 'outrage'. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 9 | Wind up in farcical scene (7) Def: Wind up. IN + SCENE* | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 5 | ||
| 10 | Christmas gift not open - obsolete Kindle (7) Def: obsolete kindle (per Chambers); FRANKINCENSE minus FRANK (open) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | ||
| 11 | Make hot and popular steamy scene (7) (7) Def: Make hot. IN {popular} SCENE* {steamy ...}. | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | ||
| 12 | Deleting a chapter from science fiction's ultimate novel leads to anger (7) One C(hapter) removed from [SCIEN(C)E (fictioN)]* -> "anger" | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 13 | Anger that burns (7) Double definition | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 14 | Pleasant smell of crushed pine cones lacking hints of olibanum perfume (7) Definition = pleasant smell. Anagram (crushed) of "pine cones" minus "op" (hints of olibanum perfume, olibanum is another name for frankincense) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 15 | Current fashion scene causes outrage (7) IN + SCENE anagrammed (fashion) = (causes) outrage (INCENSE) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 16 | Picked up ability to appreciate pub's smoky aroma (7) Homophone of INN SENSE def = smoky aroma | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 17 | Outrage since losing first 75% of points (7) Outrage = sINCE ("since losing first") + North South East (75% of points) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 18 | Get on someone's wick (perhaps it's part of a scented candle) (7) DD | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 19 | What when burnt might get right up one’s nose? (7) Double/cryptic def: get right up one's nose = irritate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 20 | Smelly stuff extracted from zinc ensemble (7) Found within clue (extracted from) zINC ENSEmble. Def: smelly stuff | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Smoke but rattled since space is restricted (7) EN space in SINCE* rattled Def smoke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Infuse home with whispered connotation (7) infuse = def (v.); home (IN) + (homophone of SENSE) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Perfume is horribly nice, turning up oddly short essence (7) "perfume" / (NICE)*('horribly') + E(S)S(E)N ('oddly short essence')←('turning up') | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Nark shows street smarts on The Wire (7) IN (street/cool) + hom of S(>C)ENSE (smarts) = (to) nark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 25 | In 20% of dense matter we find an aromatic (7) IN + [ 20% of D (500) = C (100) ] +ENSE = an aromatic = def. 'Matter' indicates fodder. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Company boss entering tavern needs direction to find aroma. (7) Company boss (CE[chief exec]) in "Inn" (Tavern) needs "SE" direction south for "Aroma" (Incense) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Anger as censure exposes City? (7) Def: anger; WP is a kind of reverse cryptic: Def as (in the way that) CENSURE exposes/shows City (Ur) IN CENSE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Perfume's mad, lacking depth (7) def perfume mad>incensed lacking depth=d | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Smoke Co. seen as corrupt (7) Def: Smoke// INC=Co. SEEN* (corrupt)=ENSE INC+ENSE=Incense | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Realised shifting composition of Riley’s first to rile (7) Seen >> ENSE (realised shifting) after IN C (composition of [Terry] Riley’s first). Def: to rile | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 31 | A new, pronounced change in US leads to outrage (7) A = I, new = N, pronounced change in US = CENSE (cents, homophone), def outrage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |