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GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
U. G. Leander7-Jun-16 0:54
professionalU. G. Leander7-Jun-16 0:54 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
Agent__0077-Jun-16 1:21
professionalAgent__0077-Jun-16 1:21 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
U. G. Leander7-Jun-16 1:25
professionalU. G. Leander7-Jun-16 1:25 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
Duncan Edwards Jones7-Jun-16 1:34
professionalDuncan Edwards Jones7-Jun-16 1:34 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
Agent__0077-Jun-16 1:41
professionalAgent__0077-Jun-16 1:41 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 Pin
90823657-Jun-16 1:45
90823657-Jun-16 1:45 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
Agent__0077-Jun-16 2:10
professionalAgent__0077-Jun-16 2:10 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
90823657-Jun-16 3:41
90823657-Jun-16 3:41 
Because in the wordplay you're using the formula x$ is contained in y$ where, as all programmers should recognise, y$ is a single entity. So AMERICANCELEBRITIES (by convention spaces and punctuation ignored) has CANCEL within it. To prevent that making nonsense of the surface reading of the clue the simplest solution is to make it 'celebrity' instead.

To look at it from the other end, what does 'American celebrities have (ie. contain)' actually mean? Both words ('and' implied) separately contain the answer? Clearly not!

There are, sadly, now a number of editors who would publish your original clue without a second thought (fortunately my editor is not among them) but that's reflective of a general slip in standards of which I most heartily disapprove. Too many would also accept "I am in the cowshed" for BAIRN, for example, where clearly the intent of the wordplay is "I is in the cowshed".

Pedantry, it may be, but not all pedantry is bad. To me Ximene's dictum, "You needn't mean what you say but you must say what you mean" remains sacrosanct no matter how flexible or liberal we become about crosswordese. Just as in English grammar there is but one incontrovertible rule, agreement in number, so in crossword grammar I maintain that both fodder for anagrams, hidden words etc. and answers are singular entities for the purpose of wordplay even if they are plural in their surface sense. Again, to put it in programming language, fodder and answers are always single variables no matter what their contents. So y$ contains x$ even when y$ = "things plural".

It all adds up to more problems for the clue writer to deal with but that's what lifts clue writing from simple engineering to art!
I am not a number. I am a ... no, wait!

GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
pkfox7-Jun-16 4:51
professionalpkfox7-Jun-16 4:51 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
90823657-Jun-16 6:18
90823657-Jun-16 6:18 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
pkfox7-Jun-16 7:43
professionalpkfox7-Jun-16 7:43 
GeneralRe: WSO CCC June 07 - A Winner Pin
Agent__0077-Jun-16 17:44
professionalAgent__0077-Jun-16 17:44 
GeneralIm back in town! Pin
HobbyProggy6-Jun-16 21:53
professionalHobbyProggy6-Jun-16 21:53 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
xiecsuk6-Jun-16 21:58
xiecsuk6-Jun-16 21:58 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
megaadam6-Jun-16 22:28
professionalmegaadam6-Jun-16 22:28 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
Power Puff Boy6-Jun-16 22:31
Power Puff Boy6-Jun-16 22:31 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
HobbyProggy6-Jun-16 22:59
professionalHobbyProggy6-Jun-16 22:59 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
megaadam6-Jun-16 23:04
professionalmegaadam6-Jun-16 23:04 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
HobbyProggy6-Jun-16 23:18
professionalHobbyProggy6-Jun-16 23:18 
GeneralRe: Im back in town! Pin
KarstenK7-Jun-16 0:58
mveKarstenK7-Jun-16 0:58 
GeneralMQOTD Pin
V.6-Jun-16 21:49
professionalV.6-Jun-16 21:49 
GeneralRe: MQOTD Pin
U. G. Leander6-Jun-16 22:37
professionalU. G. Leander6-Jun-16 22:37 
GeneralRe: MQOTD Pin
phil.o6-Jun-16 22:40
professionalphil.o6-Jun-16 22:40 
GeneralRe: MQOTD Pin
Agent__0076-Jun-16 22:45
professionalAgent__0076-Jun-16 22:45 
GeneralRe: MQOTD Pin
koolprasad20036-Jun-16 23:03
professionalkoolprasad20036-Jun-16 23:03 

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