| Author |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:12 pm Post subject: 1 |
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| Vagrant wrote: |
| In the next round I'd like to see included in the submissions a clue taken from an actual published cryptic crossword. Only the moderator would know which clue was the published one. As a side competition voters could try and pick which clue was the published clue. |
Vagrant is working on a source for me to make this idea happen, so I'm waiting on this before developing my word list for Cryptic Contest II.
I'll start the thread now and we'll begin signups. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:10 pm Post subject: 0 |
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My clue explanations:
Fashionably late nurse enjoyed every second.
fashionably late (anag) = ALTE / nurse = RN / enjoyed = ATE / every second = ALTERNATE
Harshly criticized a flustered debater!
harshly criticized = BERATED / a flustered debater (anag) = BERATED
Vietnamese people express disgust about zealous leader's arrogance.
vietnamese people = CHUT / express disgust = PAH / around (container indicator) / zealous leader's = Z / arrogance = CHUTZPAH
Depraved years prior to the Greek Scriptures.
depraved = DECADENT / years = DECADE / prior to (placement indicator) / greek scriptures = NT
Branch provides two candidates for the Head of Billing.
branch = FORK / two candidates for the head of billing = F OR K (as in Filling or Killing)
Shiny tin can loses its lid before fall.
shiny = INCANDESCENT / tin can loses lid = IN CAN / before (placement indicator) / fall = DESCENT
Memorize names enlisting mechanism of newly imagined catchphrases!
The clue itself is a mnemonic for the word MNEMONIC, and also defines MNEMONIC
First Australian yellow jersey holder ditches kid to mess around with lots of women.
first australian yellow jersey holder = PHIL ANDERSON / ditches his kid = remove SON, yielding PHIL ANDER / to mess around with lots of women = PHILANDER
The noise an anteater makes around melting igloos or Jack Hanna.
The noise and anteater makes = ZOT (according to the comic B.C.) / around (container indicator) / melting igloos (anag) = OLOGIS / Jack Hanna = ZOOLOGIST
Middle-Eastern nation launched an attack on enemy. (5)
middle-eastern nation = YEMEN / launched an attack on enemy (anag) = YEMEN |
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| Zag |
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:18 am Post subject: -1 |
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Haha! I had scrolled back in the little review box in the editing window. I saw this one.
Emphasis mine. Looks like a virtual tie to me. But I should have said Suspence twice, for his double gold.
| Suspence wrote: |
Best Overall Clue Award:
GOLD - Fashionably late nurse enjoyed every second. - 18 pts - (G) 5 - (S) 1 - (B) 1 - Suspence
SILVER - A large sea swallow swallowed its replacement. - 18 pts - (G) 2 - (S) 5 - (B) 2 - novice |
To Eleth: Ahh. I had missed that cinema had been made plural. It is a great clue. |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:11 am Post subject: -2 |
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| Amb wrote: |
Another idea for the rerun:
Ask each of the previous contestants to submit a word each.
That would eliminate the "Times" idea, but would also allow for some possible great variations. |
I don't think this is a bad idea as such, but I'm happy to go with the Times approach for now. This just adds more "communication overhead", and a little more complexity, because people shouldn't submit clues for their own answers.
Glad you liked my version of your cinema clue. (For Zag: the definition is "for all the Total Recall fans", and the wordplay is "cinemas" anagrammed around "nemo" subtracting "sea".) |
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| novice |
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:15 am Post subject: -3 |
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| Zag wrote: |
| BTW, I forgot to say it, but grats to Suspence and novice for winning! Well done! |
I finished second in the best clue category, and fourth overall, but thanks.  |
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| Zag |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:09 pm Post subject: -4 |
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| novice wrote: |
Or just
Cinema plays "Finding Nemo" after forgetting Arts & Entertainment's initial reminder. |
This is why I had (correctly) picked novice as a favorite over me for this contest. (I don't quite get Eleth's version, though.)
BTW, I forgot to say it, but grats to Suspence and novice for winning! Well done! |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:24 pm Post subject: -5 |
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Another idea for the rerun:
Ask each of the previous contestants to submit a word each.
That would eliminate the "Times" idea, but would also allow for some possible great variations. |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:53 pm Post subject: -6 |
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| No, the letter A&E only mean Accident and Emergency to me. It would seem I should have kept working on it. Elethiomel's version is fantastic! |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: -7 |
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| Cinemas play "Finding Nemo - leaving the sea" for all the "Total Recall" fans. |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject: -8 |
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| Zag wrote: |
Perhaps you don't get the A&E channel where you are. I'm considering 'finding' here to be the insertion indicator; no need for 'inside.'
Cinema plays "Finding Nemo," eliminates Arts & Entertainment's "First Memory Aid."
edit: If you want to keep 'finding ... inside' as the insertion indicator, how about this:
Cinema played Finding Nemo & Inside Edition, and premiered Lost Memory. |
Or just
Cinema plays "Finding Nemo" after forgetting Arts & Entertainment's initial reminder. |
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| Zag |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:12 pm Post subject: -9 |
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Perhaps you don't get the A&E channel where you are, but when you said A and E it practically jumped out at me.
I'm considering 'finding' here to be the insertion indicator; no need for 'inside.'
Cinema plays "Finding Nemo," eliminates Arts & Entertainment's "First Memory Aid."
edit: If you want to keep 'finding ... inside' as the insertion indicator, how about this:
Cinema played Finding Nemo & Inside Edition, and premiered Lost Memory. |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:35 pm Post subject: -10 |
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WHile I think of it:
MNEMONIC: I tried for ages to do: Cinema played "Finding Nemo" inside.
But I then need to clue removing A and E. I couldnt find an elegant way of doing so. I also thought about "cinema reruns the Omen" as well. Same issue. Can anyone think of a way that clue could have worked? |
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| groza528 |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:32 pm Post subject: -11 |
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| Quote: |
9) ZOOLOGIST
Eager beaver student spent a month repairing broken gizmo tools.
GIZMO TOOLS - M(onth) anag. |
I think I gave this one a bronze. It probably would have been higher except Month is more clearly abbreviated as "Mo." I'd have suggested "spent a thousand." |
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| Quailman |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:46 pm Post subject: -12 |
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| Quote: |
| 7th - Immoral spot in the 60’s, for example - 1 pts - (G) 0 - (S) 0 - (B) 1 - Quailman |
This got a vote? The wordplay doesn't work. I had about a half hour to write all of these (thus my clue for chutzpah). I had two approaches with two clues each for decadent- DECADE + NT and DECENT around AD. None had a good surface read, but I saw a way to recombine the clues for a better read. Unfortunately I took elements from a mismatched pair, cluing DEC(AD)ADE.  |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:07 pm Post subject: -13 |
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| As a middle ground then, I'll give a clue with fewer options. |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:00 pm Post subject: -14 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| How did everyone feel about the "category" clue (countries), rather than a specific assigned solution? More of that? Skip it next time? |
To be honest, I wasn't a great fan of that. Too much freedom for me, I need some restrictions to focus my mind. But it is obviously not a showstopper. |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:54 am Post subject: -15 |
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| As for format, the first game was fine...10 words isn't too many and, yes, have a word we choose ourselves from a specifed category. It does give an extra bit of freedom and allows creativity. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:49 am Post subject: -16 |
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| How did everyone feel about the "category" clue (countries), rather than a specific assigned solution? More of that? Skip it next time? |
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| Vagrant |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:41 am Post subject: -17 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| Is there a specific source for respected puzzles I should use? |
I'd suggest The Times or The Guardian but I'm not sure where you'll find access to more than the current issue's puzzle without a subscription. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:33 am Post subject: -18 |
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I'm working on a word list for a Cryptic Contest II right now.
I'll try to incorporate the "published clue" idea. Is there a specific source for respected puzzles I should use?
Again, any other feedback before I start the next one is appreciated. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:30 am Post subject: -19 |
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| Chaperone shredded corset = ESCORT |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:27 am Post subject: -20 |
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| Quailman wrote: |
| There's one that pretty obviously clues a completely different word. |
Which one was that? |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:25 am Post subject: -21 |
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Two candidates for the head of Billing would be "F or K", as in Filling or Killing.
I agree that finding a word that only could start with F or K would have been better. I doubt such a word exists... |
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| Thok |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:23 am Post subject: -22 |
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I'm not really going to worry that much about criticisms of clues where I submitted stuff at the last minute (and submitted a clue for ALTERNATE that flat out doesn't work, which I apologize for; I included an extra N in my wordplay that I should have caught and completely rewritten the clue when I found.)
For what it's worth, I think I would have made the clue "Debater, criticized!" if I had a little more time, which works better as a definition (berated is treated as a gerund rather than the past tense of a verb in either case, but that phrasing makes the whole gerund thing more obvious.)
I do feel bad for Suspence submitting the same idea for the clue for BERATED. Or I would, if he didn't win the contest  |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:18 am Post subject: -23 |
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| Vagrant wrote: |
| In the next round I'd like to see included in the submissions a clue taken from an actual published cryptic crossword. Only the moderator would know which clue was the published one. As a side competition voters could try and pick which clue was the published clue. |
Great idea! Explanations for all clues might also be a good idea. Perhaps the mod should write the explanations, to better ensure anonymity? That would also serve as some basic quality assurance. May as well filter out broken clues before the voting stage.
For ten clues, I think a week or so for construction would be fine, though we could set a tighter deadline if people prefer. For voting, I think a couple of days should suffice? |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:08 am Post subject: -24 |
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FORK clue
I understood everything until "Head of BIlling" which made no sense to me at all...(could be me, though). Vagrant's clue made even less sense...
| Quote: |
Another statistic that deserves recognition - novice's clue for ALTERNATE is the only clue that got a medal from every single voter.
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I found the clues to this word some of the most impenetrable. In fact, I only scored 2 clues for this (allowed as I wasn't participating as a contestant). |
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| Jack_Ian |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:08 am Post subject: -25 |
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I agree with the criticism re my &lit. Audi is only borderline decadent, even in these straitened times.
For me, there's always a trade-off when forming a clue.
The aim for me is to make it clever, pithy and accurate.
If a clue gets too long then the surface reading has to be impeccable.
I'm happy enough with my votes. Some of the clues really needed a little more time to apply some much needed polish, but unfortunately time-constraints would not allow.
For the record, here were my clues:
1) ALTERNATE
Take turns with backup. [Double-Definition: Take turns, backup]
2) BERATED
Jumped all over bed with speed [Definition: Jumped all over, Wordplay: BE(rate)D]
3) CHUTZPAH
Fiendishly hatch puzzle without lesbian insolence [Definition: Insolence, Wordplay: Anagram of "hatch puzzle" - LEZ]
4) DECADENT
Audi, oddly indecent! [&lit: DEC(AD)ENT, Audi as example of decadent car]
5) FORK
Attack pieces of a branch [Double-Definition: Attack pieces (as in chess) & a branch]
6) INCANDESCENT
Red-hot, evil, indecent scan. [Definition: Red-hot, Wordplay: anagram of "indecent scan"]
7) MNEMONIC
Monica follows bad men without a thing to remember [Definition: thing to remember, Wordplay: MNE + MONICA - A]
8) PHILANDER
Carry-on show's doctor with emergency room. [Definition: Carry-on, Wordplay: Show's doctor (PHIL) + AND + E.R.]
9) ZOOLOGIST
Glitz, gets oddly odorous and disturbed by searches for new species [Definition: searches for new species, Wordplay: anagram of GLIZT & OdOrOuS]
10) CHAD
South of Libya is notorious for hanging. [Double-definition: South of Libya, see "hanging chad" for notoriety] |
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| Vagrant |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:02 am Post subject: -26 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| I'd like feedback on my clue for FORK, so I know where I went wrong... |
I liked your clue and gave it a medal. If you could've found a word that could only start with F OR K you would've got gold. Clearly if people couldn't understand yours than they weren't gonna understand mine FRANK can replace F OR K with C (copyright) to make FRANC (money) or CRANK (handle). |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:57 am Post subject: -27 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| I'd like feedback on my clue for FORK, so I know where I went wrong... |
8th - Branch provides two candidates for the Head of Billing
The surface reading is good, but I actually didn't understand the wordplay...
Which reminds me, in a contest like this the clues should be elegant but easy to understand, for maximum score. Of course they could still be difficult to solve for someone not already knowing the answer. |
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| Vagrant |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:53 am Post subject: -28 |
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| In the next round I'd like to see included in the submissions a clue taken from an actual published cryptic crossword. Only the moderator would know which clue was the published one. As a side competition voters could try and pick which clue was the published clue. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:52 am Post subject: -29 |
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| 3iff wrote: |
Novice,
I liked your FORK clue (bronze from me) and how did I miss the backwards word in MNEMONIC? I saw the backword in the Fibonacci clue but somehow missed yours...it was just too well hidden. Probably deserved a bronze at least. |
I think two people who asked for explanations asked about this clue, so they hadn't noticed the backwards hidden word either. |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:46 am Post subject: -30 |
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I'm happy to sit out the next round and just run the contest, if you'd all like to do this again.
Please provide any feedback on the game - format, word selection, number of clues in a round, clues posted with/without explanations, voting method, scoring method, timelines for clue and vote submissions. I'll incorporate your feedback into the next round.
Another statistic that deserves recognition - novice's clue for ALTERNATE is the only clue that got a medal from every single voter.
I'd like feedback on my clue for FORK, so I know where I went wrong... |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:41 am Post subject: -31 |
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Novice,
I liked your FORK clue (bronze from me) and how did I miss the backwards word in MNEMONIC? I saw the backword in the Fibonacci clue but somehow missed yours...it was just too well hidden. Probably deserved a bronze at least. |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:38 am Post subject: -32 |
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"Judge, being in the..." sounds stilted to me. It sounds like "A judge in the..." is what you're really trying to say. Though actually, I think the main problem is that the clue has to say just "Judge" instead of "A judge", which would of course break the clue.
How about:
Charge into the flower garden, to be raked over the coals. (7) |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:11 am Post subject: -33 |
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| Actually, you're the second to make the same comment to me about my clue. (Judge, Flower Garden). So it apparently reads 'stilted'. BUt I don't see why? What is it about it that clashes? |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:07 am Post subject: -34 |
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I think criticized is borderline acceptable as an anagram indicator, but "Criticized debater" is a weak definition. Novice's clue is much better. This is how I rated that clue:
GOLD - Moderated without hesitation.
SILVER - Told a thing or two about what will happen to these clues
BRONZE - Judge, being in a flower garden, is raked over the coals.
The surface reading is a bit stilted for the bronze medal, but I like the semantic connection between "flower garden" and "raked over the coals". |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:07 am Post subject: -35 |
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| Quote: |
| Bean oil produced in backwater country (7) |
= ELBONIA |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:03 am Post subject: -36 |
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| If anyone wants me to run a round 2, I'd like to volunteer. But Suspence gets first call on that. |
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| Amb |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:56 am Post subject: -37 |
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"BERATED - GOLD - Criticized debater! - 11 pts - (G) 2 - (S) 2 - (B) 1 - Thok "
Shouldn't have ANY awards! It failed to provide an anagram indicator at all. |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:50 am Post subject: -38 |
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Agreed that surface reading is king.
Since I'm actually a misunderstood genius , here are the explanations to my clues:
1) ALTERNATE
A large sea swallow swallowed its replacement.
A+L+TERN+ATE
2) BERATED
Moderated without hesitation.
B(ER)ATED (et lit.)
3) CHUTZPAH
Famous thai meditation master overwhelms blithering idiot with unbelievable insolence.
CH(UTZP)AH (Chah is a famous thai meditation master)
4) DECADENT
Indecent; indicative of an era.
DEC(AD)ENT (et lit.)
5) FORK
At this point you need to choose between a German's and a Brit's temperature scale.
Fahrenheit OR Kelvin
6) INCANDESCENT
Red-hot South American roots.
INCAN+DESCENT
7) MNEMONIC
Cappuccino men make extracts to recall and aid in remembering.
MNEMONIC is hidden backwards in "Cappucino men make", "extracts to recall" indicates this, "aid in remembering" is the straight definition.
8) PHILANDER
Satisfy desire to keep initiating heterosexual illicit liaisons.
P(H.I.L)ANDER (et lit.)
9) ZOOLOGIST
Eager beaver student spent a month repairing broken gizmo tools.
GIZMO TOOLS - M(onth) anag.
10) Country.
Newly created nation-state escaping succinct attention, typically. (7)
Answer: ESTONIA (nation-state anagram minus attn) (et lit.) |
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