Wednesday's Solutions:
Snowman (answer – Dell Hard Drive)

So: Snowman. A clue to win a beautiful 1.03 carat ‘emerald cut’ diamond ring – one big prize for the day, so the clue trail had to be even more complex than usual if the Treasure Hunters were not to pounce on it too quickly. I sat back, cracked open another Red Bull – the delights of an occasional tipple are long forgotten, because I’ve got to stay sharp as a tack – and set to work…

Hint: Mince Pies

As you all know, I love mince pies (homemade, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, I don’t care) and a misspent youth in the East End of London has left me with a lasting fondness for Cockney rhyming slang. Mince pies = eyes. A Snowman’s eyes, of course, are traditionally made of Coal. Which brought to mind the wonderful Nat ‘King’ Cole and Old King Coal.

A little obvious perhaps, so I hit upon a newer King Coal – Arthur Scargill, leader of the (coal) Miners Union. So far, so good. Hundreds of you were on the case with coal. elven_shadowcat was just one, but deserves a mention for trying to win, in the teeth of weird British culture, even though hailing from Holland, home of all those weird but wonderful Dutchies. But full marks must go to glamour_ville, hamdi5 and haybarn11 for getting Scargill. Now while it was tempting to run off from Scargill to Lord Scarman (who had just died) and even the Scarface movies, I stuck with Arthur. Who is the most famous Arthur to those residing in these fair shores? Why, the Lost King himself, the Winter King…

The easy shortcut (and there isn’t always one this easy) linked Coal and the Diamond in the prize – both forms of carbon – and then it’s a short hop to ‘hard’ (as diamonds are).

Hint:A Misplaced King

King Arthur is a subject attempted by many over the years, but recently, Bernard Cornwell has done it best. The brilliant author of the Sharpe series (which I believe was made into television with that Geordie chap, forget his name but he was in Lord of the Rings too, you know who I mean) has written The Warlord Chronicles which start with The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur. Only a couple of dozen got what seemed a quite obvious hint for Arthur. A kind fish called bilbobaggins2000 was one (good luck with the driving lessons, by the way, and yes, doing the eBay treasure hunt on a laptop while learning to drive is definitely a no no).

But no-one got Bernard Cornwell at all, even though it is painfully obvious that I read far too many books than is strictly necessary, let alone good for health.

Cornwell is a rather strange way to spell “Cornwall”, and there’s one other – very famous – author called Cornwell, name of David Cornwell. Only his nom de plume is John Le Carré. Now Le Carré may have gone off the boil a bit lately, but his masterwork is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (a mere 9000 pages via Google).

The not-so-easy shortcut would either be Arthur having a hard life (some of those pesky Knights were hardly to be trusted) or Bernard Cornwell’s heroes, who have tough lives too.

Hint: Rich or Poor

unipos_systems kindly provided the full rhyme “Rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief, tinker, tailor, soldier and as thehighlander100 noted, there are lots of references to the brilliant ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ TV series. Also on the trail were splodge42, multiplicity92, cammi040904 – a wise one who proves that inspiration will sometimes come from stepping away from the computer and relaxing in a bath – and ollym1, who was so close and even mentioned Dell!

This utterly great TV starred Sir Alec Guinness as George Smiley, the spy lured out of retirement to hunt down a mole, a double agent in British Intelligence working for the Soviets. (Not unlike a kind deadly treasure hunt, really). I avoided ‘smiley’ routes, and spent a fruitless hour online trying to find someone who would remind me who the mole George finally uncovers is.

Now ‘rich or poor’ (and all the other variants in the song) suggests a multiplicity of roles. And Alec Guinness famously played no less than 8 parts in the quirkily amusing ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’. Having realised that Teamtreasurehunt.co.uk was already recommending this site, and with a naturally bookish bent, I pounced on the author of the book on which the film script was based, Roy Horniman.

The increasingly difficult ‘easy’ short cut – life can be hard, whether you’re rich or poor, it’s a matter of the cards you’re played, as the children’s fortune-telling game around the rhyme suggests.

Hint: Fred & Gus’s Old Things

The top 3 Google results for “Horniman” take you straight to the famously delightful family-friendly museum of the same name (http://www.horniman.ac.uk/). Founded by Frederick (Fred) Horniman, it’s simply brimming with curious and interesting old things, like most museums. In fact, its world-renowned exhibition of World Cultures (ethnography) is a marvel to behold, and second only to the British Museum in London and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, as its own website announces (http://www.horniman.ac.uk/collections/world.cfm).

But the real treasure-hunters’ delight is surely the Pitt Rivers Museum (http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/), because Lt. Gen. Augustus (Gus) Pitt Rivers insisted that his collection be shoved in as it came, higgledy piggledy. It’s quite amazing, and well worth a visit. Pitt Rivers (and I was tempted to play around with Brad Pitt and River Phoenix, but thought I’d stick with old things for a while) was a remarkable figure. He also had a collection – this time of buildings – at his beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens in Tollyard Royal, Dorset in the stunningly beautiful Cranbourne Chase. There is a very enjoyable annual Larmer Tree music festival of a size and style to suit the Professor and F’s travelling abode (an easily erected tent).

The hardly-easy-at-all-anymore shortcut from here was that this was, to be quite honest, the hardest hint of the Treasure Hunt yet. So hard, in fact, that I thought someone might try “hard” out of sheer head-scratching frustration. Oh well…

Hint: The Other Man

For a certain type of obsessive – “And aren’t we all obsessive, one way or another?” I often muse to F. “Yes, dear”, she says, meaning nothing of the sort – there is only one towering genius to spin on the record deck in time of need. Hailed as the greatest white blues singer of all time by everyone from Eric Clapton and Tracey Chapman to Mark Knopfler and Andy Kershaw, in times of trouble or joy, you simply can’t been Van ‘The Man’ Morrison at his best. A quick search of Van and snow will yield his delicately beautiful and achingly melancholic song, ‘Snow in San Anselmo’. The song comes from the underrated album ‘Hardnose the Highway’. The title may be slang (another hour lost trying to find out), or simply Van’s inspiration, but it’s meaning is clear enough – in hard times, put your nose to the grindstone and drive on…

The somewhat easier shortcut? To know someone else – the other man – is hard, but worthwhile. Or as the ethnographic type has said, “Man cannot know man except in mutuality: in respect, trust, and equality, if not ultimately love.” ‘Ethnography?’ I hear some say. ‘What’s that then?’ Well, apart from a charming little corner of eBay’s Collectables category, as far as I can make out, if you were to ask it what its job was, it would say “it’s know man”.

P.S. On the vexed subject of why a naughty clue elf (who I suspect may have been supping Santa’s mulled wine, vodka, whiskey or Baileys behind his back) gave out an extra clue about how ‘difficult’ it was: as far as I’m aware she has been sent off to clean the reindeer’s stables, and it won’t happen again.
Tuesday's Clue Solutions: REINDEER

First Hint: Stormy Weather

0000-0200 Prize 1



Reindeer > Stormy Weather > Rain, dear! > “The Rain in Spain falls mainly on the Plain” > Plain > Plane > Item listing: Airfix Tiger Moth Model Plane



0200-0400 Prize 2



Reindeer > Stormy Weather > Rain, dear! > Rainwater is collected in water butts > Butt > Butthead > Item listing: Butthead & Beavis Video



0400-0600 Prize 3



Reindeer > Stormy Weather > Rain, dear! > “I’m Singing in the Rain” > Gene Kelly movie > Gene > Jean > Item Listing: Denim Jean Jacket



Breakfast Hint: The Boss’s Tipple



0600-0800 Prize 4



Reindeer > The Boss’s Tipple > Santa Claus likes to drink… > Whisky > (Bells!) > Ring > Ringtone > Sony Ericsson - Newest Ringtones games



0800-1000 Prize 5



Reindeer > The Boss’s Tipple > Santa Claus likes to drink… > Baileys > Old castles were Motte and Bailey style > Item listing: Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Shades of… Vinyl





1000-1200 Prize 6



Reindeer > The Boss’s Tipple > Santa Claus likes to drink… > Vodka > His favourite: Polish Vodka[1] > A Polish Vodka > Item listing: Car Wax & Polish Kit



Lunchtime Hint: Heads Up!



1200-1400 Prize 7



Reindeer > Heads Up! > Antlers > which are a kind of head-dress for deer (and antlers were also used by American Indians as same) > as is a Tiara > Item Listing: Lovely Sparkling Bridal Tiara (Diamonte)



1400-1600 Prize 8



Reindeer > Heads Up! > Antlers > a type of Horn > like the French Horn > which is a brass instrument > Brass > which is made of Copper and Zinc > Item Listing: 4’2” Zinc Rod (threaded)





Afternoon Tea hint: The Locals



1600-1800 Prize 9



Reindeer > The Locals > The Sami People of Lapland > Sami > Sammy Davis Jr. > Part of the Rat Pack > Item Listing: The Rat Pack Greatest Hits Vinyl LP (slightly scratched)



1800-2000 Prize 10



Reindeer > The Locals > The Sami People of Lapland > Sami > Who live in an enormous area, the far East of their territory being the Kola Peninsula > Kola > Kola Nut > in Latin/ and easy word association, Cola acuminate > Item Listing: Koka Kola Alarm Clock



After 8 Hint: Da Relatives



2000-2200 Prize 11



Reindeer > Da Relatives > Caribou (at least cousins, possibly same species, as reindeer) > Porcupine Caribou Herd (the oldest caribou herd on earth) > Porcupines > Quills > Film starring Michael Caine > Caine mutiny = Mutiny on the Bounty > Item Listing: Box of Bounty Bars



2200-2400 Prize 12



Reindeer > Da Relatives > Caribou (at least cousins, possibly same species, as reindeer) > Porcupine Caribou Herd (the oldest caribou herd on earth) > Porcupines > Porcupine fish cousins/related to/almost same as Pufferfish > aka “Fugu” in Japan (where Fugu Sushi kills about 30 people a year) > Set of Sushi Plates & Knives




Monday's Clue: MISTLETOE

Hint 1: Tough Anagram

Prize 1

Mistletoe > Tough Anagram > Steel > Stainless Steel Patio Heater

Hint 2: Kiss…

Prize 2

Mistletoe > Kiss… > Kiss and Make up > Mac Candy Kiss Lip Pencil

Hint 3: The sweetest kiss?

Prize 3

Mistletoe > The sweetest kiss? > Heart-shaped chocolate wedding favours

Hint 4: Watch out!

Prize 4

Mistletoe > Watch out! > Mistletoe is poisonous > poison > Poison perfume Incense sticks

Hint 5: Urban style!

Prize 5

Mistletoe > Urban Style! > Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell book


Sundays’ Clue was: TINSEL

Hint 1: Town

0000-0100 Prize 1

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Hollywood Bowl > Item Listing > ‘Hollywood’[1] soup bowl

0100-0200 Prize 2

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Oscar > Item Listing > Oscar de la Renta jacket

0200-0300 Prize 3

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Star > Item Listing > ‘Hollywood[2] Star’ Karaoke Machine

0300-0400 Prize 4

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Movie > Item Listing > Digital Camera, ‘Hollywood’[3] Movie & Webcam

Hint 2: Town film (seasonal)

0400-0500 Prize 5

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > Polar Express > stars Tom Hanks > 5 Hanks Lightweight Rowan Yarn

0500-0600 Prize 6

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > It’s A Wonderful Life > stars James Stewart > Wonderful[4] Stewart Tartan Rug


0600-0700 Prize 7

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > Miracle on 34th Street > stars Richard ‘Dickie’ Attenborough > Dickie Bow Tie


0700-0800 Prize 8

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence > stars David Bowie > Bowie Knife

0800-0900 Prize 9

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > Home Alone > stars MacAulay Culkin > History of England by Lord Macaulay

0900-1000 Prize 10

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > The Snowman > stars David Bowie (again!) > David Bowie T shirt

1000-1100 Prize 11

Tinsel > Tinseltown > Hollywood > Christmas Movie > The Bishop’s Wife > stars Cary Grant > British Grant Tank Airfix Model

Hint 3: You can also use…

1100-1200 Prize 12

Tinsel > You can also use… Other decorations > Candles > Christmas Candle Set

1200-1300 Prize 13

Tinsel > You can also use… Other decorations > Baubles > Xmas Bauble Set

1300-1400 Prize 14

Tinsel > You can also use… Other decorations > Angel > Boxed Angel Cards

1400-1500 Prize 15

Tinsel > You can also use… Other decorations > Fairy > Garden Fairy Ornament

1500-1600 Prize 16

Tinsel > You can also use… Other decorations > Lights > Lights, Camera, Action! Director’s Canvas Backed Chair

Afternoon Tea Hint: Anagram

1600-1700 Prize 17

Tinsel > Anagram > Silent > Silent Hotpoint Dishwasher

1700-1800 Prize 18

Tinsel > Anagram > List > Ford Mondeo Parts List

1800-1900 Prize 19

Tinsel > Anagram > Intel > Intel Pentium 3

1900-2000 Prize 20

Tinsel > Anagram > Listen > Panasonic Baby Monitor

After 8 Hint: Pile it on!

2000-2100 Prize 21

Tinsel > Pile it on > more decorations > foil-wrapped chocolates

2100-2200 Prize 22

Tinsel > Pile it on > more decorations > garland > Garland Kettle Unit

2200-2300 Prize 23

Tinsel > Pile it on > more decorations > red ribbon > AIDS ribbon (enamel)

2300-2400 Prize 24

Tinsel > Pile it on > more decorations > candy > Candy Electric Hob






Saturday’s clue was CAROLS

There were 48 digital camcorders up for grabs. Here are the solutions:

These hints were released over the course of the day:

First Hint: Boys and girls come out to play
Breakfast Hint: Boys and girls entertain in every way
Lunchtime Hint: What the Dickens?
Afternoon Tea Hint: Dickensian, Modern or Both?
After-Eight Hint: Ghostly Glow in the Corner?

#1
Carols…. Carol Vorderman is about the loveliest Carol I know. She is most associated with Countdown.
Listing title: Countdown Novelty Wall Clock Vorderman Whiteley

#2
Carol… in central Europe is spelled Karel… Karel Capek was the bright spark who coined the word ‘robot’.
Listing title: Will Smith I, Robot DVD Special Edition

#3
Carol… the curious Carol Caplin was Cherie Blair’s ‘special advisor’, which was quite frightening. As was….
Listing title: Blair Witch Project Cast & Crew Hoodie

#4
Carol… if you’ve got some spare consonants it becomes Carroll… like Lewis who wrote Alice in Wonderland… which featured the White Rabbit, who was always late.
Listing title: Novelty Costume White Rabbit Special Interest?

#5
Carol…Sir Carol Reed (I know, but apparently he was a bloke) directed the film version of The Third Man.
Listing title: Graham Greene The Third Man Signed with COA

#6
Carol… Carole King writes some very jolly songs, and her most famous album is called Tapestry
Listing title: Charming Peruvian Tapestry Wall-Hanging

#7
Carol… A Christmas Carol… God bless us all, every one, we finally got round to it. Everyone’s favourite character is tirelessly chirpy Tiny Tim.
Tiny Tim Action Figure: With Spring Crutch!

#8
Carol… A Christmas Carol… featured Jacob Marley… who was the great-great-grandfather of Bob Marley*… who was a noted Rastafarian musician. Irie.
Listing title: Rasta Hat Beanie Haile Selassie
*This may be untrue

#9
Carol… A Christmas Carol… Scrooge.., we didn’t go much further on this, but we did spell it a bit funny to make it a little harder. Which didn’t work at all: it was still found quickly.
Listing title: $crooge McDuck Stuffed Toy Missing One Eye

#10
Carol… A Christmas Carol… the Ghost of Christmas Past was the first to appear, which made me think of my new Radio Times which is trailing Midsomer Murders Ghost of Winter Past. About a hundred of you got this one in a third of a trillisecond.
Listing title: Midsomer Murders Ghost of Winter Past DVD

#11
Carol… A Christmas Carol… the Ghost of Christmas Present was next along. And Christmas at the present is bound to feature the Vicar of Dibley. Again.
Listing title: Vicar of Dibley Woman’s T-Shirt XXXL

#12
Carol… A Christmas Carol… the Ghost of Christmas Future was the one that finally did the trick. And we can guarantee that future Christmases will include a lot of repeats of what’s on now (yeah, OK, it’s tenuous). I said, it’s tenuous.
Listing title: Fred Elliot Doll – Repeats Everything You Say

#13
Carol… A Christmas Carol… Charles Dickens… who also wrote Bleak House. I would hate to live in a bleak house. It would be much improved by:
Listing title: 500 watt Table Lamp – Ideal for Bleak House

#14
Carol… A Christmas Carol… Charles Dickens… who also wrote David Copperfield. Who levitated over the Grand Canyon and was engaged to Claudia Schiffer. What a lot to pack into one lifetime.
Listing title: 500 Great Illusions with David Copperfield

#15
Carol… A Christmas Carol… Charles Dickens… who also wrote Oliver Twist. If he’d had a friend called… er… Jim…er… Shout, they could have called themselves Twist & Shout. But as it is the Beatles beat them to it.
Listing title: Twist & Shout 7” The Beatles

#16
Carol… A Christmas Carol… Charles Dickens… who also wrote A Tale of Two Cities. We’re quite lowbrow so this made us think of passionate local derbies.
Listing title: Boro vs. Sunderland football programme

#17
Carol… A Christmas Carol… (are we still on A Christmas Carol?)… was made into a film starring Alasdair Sim as Scrooge.
Listing title: Sim City 2000 for PC – Great Game

#18
Carol… A Christmas Carol… they made it into a film again (Why? What was wrong with the first one?), this time starring Albert Finney as Scrooge.
Listing title: Albert Finney Autograph

#19
Carol… Carol Reed (ha! not A Christmas Carol) – still a bloke – also directed Our Man in Havana.
Listing title: Our Man in Havana (Alec Guinness) VHS

#20
Carol… Caroline… ( we think it means ‘like Carol’, so perhaps the first Caroline was so called because she was quite similar to someone called Carol). Neil Diamond had a hit with ‘Sweet Caroline’.
Listing title: Neil Diamond’s Greatest Hits Double CD

#21
Carol… Carol Anne… was the spooky little girl in Poltergeist. Some of you also thought this related to the ghosts of Christmas. Er… yes! That’s right, it did! Two links in one. Ta-da…
Listing title: Poltergeist Original Movie Poster

#22
Carol… Oh Carol… no, we haven’t started canoodling with someone called Carol, we’re singing the famous Neil Sedaka song. Is it famous? Well, for these purposes, yes. Yes it is.
Listing title: Neil Sedaka in Concert LP

#23
Carol… Carol Burnett (we were starting to run out of Carols) played the part of Miss Hannigan in Annie.
Listing title:
Miss Hannigan Autograph (Annie the Movie)

#24
Carol… may actually be derived from ‘corolla’ meaning crown or garland. But these days Corolla means only one thing – reliable mid-priced automobiles!
Listing title: Toyota Corolla Low Mileage Full MOT

#25
Carol… Carol Costello (the ‘Carol barrel’ was getting pretty empty here) starred in Abbot and Costello’s Meet the Wolfman:
Listing title: Abbott and Costello Meet the Wolfman

#26
Carol… Carol Kaye was a legendary bass and guitar player. But we’d actually heard of:
Listing title: Danny Kaye in the Court Jester VHS

#27
Carol… Carol Barnes was an ITN newscaster (might still be, I can’t get ITV on my old telly), so we listed:
Listing title: Lovely old Postcard of Barnes Pond

#28
Carol… A Christmas Carol (ah, one more!)… Scrooge had the unlikely first name Ebeneezer, as did a popular ‘rave’ single by the Shamen.
Listing title: The Shamen Ebeneezer Goode CD Single

#29
Carol… Carol Smilie used to present Changing Rooms. And at some point in every programme they always seem to bring out:
Listing title: Large Tin of Glossy White Emulsion Paint

#30
Carol…A Christmas Carol (just one more!)… Bob Cratchit was a clerk (today they are called ledger solutions providers), which put us in mind of seminal black comedy Clerks:
Listing title: Clerks Kevin Smith DVD New

#31
Carol… A Christmas Carol (there was a surprising amount of life in this one)… included Fezziwig, who was an apprentice with Scrooge. This made us ‘wig out’ a bit:
Listing title: Woman’s Blonde Wig Shoulder-Length
(Did you know there are over a thousand wigs for sale on eBay UK at any time?)

#32
Carol… Carroll.. not Lewis this time, but the somewhat forgettable film The House on Carroll Street, which starred the rather less forgettable Kelly McGillis.
Listing title: Kelly McGillis Signed Poster Slightly Stained

#33
Carol…Christmas Carols at last!... O Come, All Ye Faithful! Which prompted:
Listing title: New HB Book – How to Keep Your Lover Faithful

#34
Carol…Christmas carols… Good King Wenceslas (was he good? It’s hard to be sure at this remove of history)… but at any rate, he was a historical figure who was the king of Bohemia.
Listing title: The Kings and Queens of Bohemia New w/ DJ

#35
Carol… Christmas carols… Jingle Bells… which in these troubled times is best represented by
Listing title: Wireless Burglar Alarm Rapid Response System

#36
Carol… Christmas carols… O Little Town of Bethlehem. I sang that as a solo at my school nativity play. Mum cried.
Listing title: 1:50,000 Map of Bethlehem and the West Bank

#37
Carol…Christmas carols… Away in a Manger. Well that’s just impractical. Have you felt the weight of even an budget-range manger? Far better to use:
Listing title: Foldaway Cot Up to 2 Yrs Slightly Mangy

#38
Carol… Christmas carols… Once in Royal David’s City stood a lowly cattle shed. Well, that’s just bad town planning. But ‘royal David’s city’ was of course Jerusalem:
Listing title: Large Punnet of Jerusalem Artichokes

#39
Carol… Christmas carols… Silent Night. Unfortunately to achieve this in modern urbanised areas you’d really need
Listing title: Noise Abatement Regulations Pamphlet

#40
Carol… Christmas carols… While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night. Even we resisted the obvious temptation here.
Listing title: 4 Rolls Vintage Flock Wallpaper

#41
Carol… Christmas carols… Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly. I think the lyricist rather ran out of steam on that one.
Listing title: Easy Assembly Decking Kit Brand New

#42
Carol… Christmas carols… God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen… of course what merry gentlemen really need the next morning is
Listing title: Hangover Remedy Guaranteed to Cure

#43
Carol… Christmas carols… Hark the Herald Angel Sings… these days, the nearest we get to that is
Listing title: Voice of an Angel Charlotte Church CD As New

#44
Carol… Christmas carols… Joy to the World. Best represented here by
Listing title: The Little Book of Happiness HB New

#45
Carol… Christmas carols… O Christmas Tree… and at Christmas we should think of those less fortunate than ourselves, which is how we arrived at:
Listing title: Martha Stewart’s Guide to Christmas Tree Decorating

#46
Sir Francis Chichester's famous nickname from University was Carol(thus the name of his biography). He was a well-known circumnavigator.

Listing Title: Brass sextant and case
#47
Carol… Christmas carols… The First Noel… well, the first Noel to achieve any sort of lasting fame was Noel Coward.
Listing title: Noel Coward Collected Sketches and Lyrics

#48
Carol… Christmas carols… We Three Kings… which was the title of a decent enough film starring that hunk of beef George Clooney.
Listing title: George Clooney Mark Wahlberg Three Kings war Movie DVD


And not once did the clue_elf resort to a reference to library desks!