Simply Cryptic #1

Question

No back story, no setting, no theme, simply a cryptic clue to solve:

One large cake performance

Since cryptic clues traditionally indicate the number of letters in the solution, I'll provide that as a hint:

(9)

Hindsight note:

This may be British English specific, possibly even dialectal. I'll make sure I avoid this in future clues.

_{Criticism is welcome as I plan to publish a few of these and I'd like it if the the future ones are better}

Questions: Next

@smriti this isn't my first cake based puzzle! codegolf.stackexchange.com/q/57597/15394 — James Webster, Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 12:07
@kirex, none of the words in the clue, nor the answer itself is dialectal, but a portion is — James Webster, Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 13:54
I mean to say that part of the answer is a synonym.. The synonym is probably dialectal. — James Webster, Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 14:11

Tom · Accepted Answer · 2016-09-06 14:41:31Z

8

It may be:

ABUNDANCE

'Cake performance' for a-bun-dance and this is a large quantity of something.

answered Sep 6, 2016 at 14:41

Tom

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$\begingroup$ I think maybe you meant this, but it's not written. This might refer to a bundt cake? +1. Good answer. $\endgroup$
– John
Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 14:45
7

$\begingroup$ If this is what James intended then it is not a good cryptic clue. The clue should have a definition, and there is no indication of "large quantity" here. "Large" won't serve, and anyway the definition should be separate from the cryptic part, not in between two parts of it. Nothing to do with bundt cake. $\endgroup$
– Rosie F
Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 14:55
8

$\begingroup$ Perhaps this would be better: "Plenty of cake in a performance" (BUN in A DANCE). $\endgroup$
– Rosie F
Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 15:40
1

$\begingroup$ @RosieF, that's good, I just don't think of a bun as cake. Maybe the British/American difference there. $\endgroup$
– John
Commented Sep 6, 2016 at 15:56
3

$\begingroup$ @James: The definition must go either at the beginning or the end, not in the middle. You should be able to split a clue into "the definition part" and "the wordplay part" by simply drawing a single vertical line. Also, definitions have to agree in part of speech with their answers, just like in regular crosswords. $\endgroup$
– Deusovi ♦
Commented Sep 7, 2016 at 4:26

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