Cryptic Voting - HYDRANT posted

[3iff]

Dejmar: spoilered...

I did have a quick look at the chances of a backwards text usage and thought...that's impossible. I was wrong!

[Elethiomel]

Great clue, 3iff!

DejMar, about your clues:

Predatory flyer is a returned infestation of the plant-decayer — Psocoptera.
The uncommon words towards the end are a dead giveaway here, so it's very easy to solve. The construction is solid, but a shorter clue would be better, with everything else being equal. It's cool that you managed to construct a hidden word clue for this, but ultimately, my vote would still be likely to go elsewhere.

Spy pocketed a second note. First it's the cipher: "FISH HAWK".
I like this one a lot, even if the definition is just "pasted in". The wordplay is very nice. You could even use a synonym for SPY without being unfair, if you prefer. I would look for a way to make the definition flow better, but it's already a good clue.

[Suspence]

Yep, we'll call this one. Here are the COPPICE poll results, for posterity:

Copulation ends prematurely - epic failure in the bushes. (7)
75% [ 6 ]

Lawman takes the final chop to kill the forest. (7)
0% [ 0 ]

Policeman with a torn picture of an English wood. (7)
0% [ 0 ]

Stand and manage to take snapshot. (7)
0% [ 0 ]

Brush with law enforcement with the power to kill. (7)
12% [ 1 ]

Manage to keep short film of the thicket. (7)
12% [ 1 ]

To effectively handle the difficulty about the photo — crop the hedges. (7)
0% [ 0 ]

Manage to acquire small picture stand. (7)
0% [ 0 ]
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[groza528]

Is anyone allowed to join in here? OSPREY
Surprised cries-- meal for a raptor

I had hoped to dibs use raptor for the definition; I still like it best even though any definition would fit, really.[/sp]

[Suspence]

[novice]

OSPREY: Hawk and spit loudly behind wino's back.

[DejMar]

Thank you for your input Elethiomel, 3iff and novice.

[Suspence]

OSPREY poll is up.
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[Elethiomel]

"Hawk and spit loudly behind wino's back."

I voted for this, because of the fluent surface and cleverly disguised definition. Its only blemish is that the wordplay is slightly unfair; the homophone doesn't really work when you read out the full answer. (Actually, that's a bigger blemish than I thought earlier, now that I'm revisiting it.)

[Elethiomel]

"Spore acquires chromosome and evolves into raptor."

So maybe I should have voted for this one, after all. My only nitpick here is that I actually think I prefer a more verbose version: "Spore acquires a chromosome and evolves into a raptor."

[novice]

Many good ones here, I actually don't remember anymore what I voted for.

I do feel a bit like a black pot with my clue for osprey after our recent discussions on homophones, however all sources I've found list o-spray as a legal pronunciation (but list o-spree as the most common one).

See for example Merriam-Webster, which helpfully adds that osprey rhymes with astray.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/osprey

[Elethiomel]

Are we ready for a new one?

[Suspence]

Sure. I'll take down the poll later, but go ahead and post a new word.
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[Elethiomel]

Alright. The RNG has spoken...

FECUNDITY

[Zag]

FECUNDITY: Fertility god loses left eye after engaging cheer leaders in merry-making.

DEITY - E follows E + C inside FUN

[novice]

FECUNDITY: Steel constituents against uninhibited nudity causing abundant procreation.

[Suspence]

What is the best cryptic clue for OSPREY?

Predatory flyer is a returned infestation of the plant-decayer — Psocoptera.
0% [ 0 ]

Spy pocketed a second note. First it's the cipher: "FISH HAWK".
0% [ 0 ]

Yes, pro wrestling is a feather in the cap.
42% [ 3 ]

Spore acquires chromosome and evolves into raptor.
14% [ 1 ]

Surprised cries-- meal for a raptor.
14% [ 1 ]

Hawk and spit loudly behind wino's back.
28% [ 2 ]
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[Suspence]

FECUNDITY:
Leaders of fishing expedition cause extreme damage, disrupting harmony of a faraway sea.

Explanation:
leaders of Fishing Expedition Cause = FEC
extreme Damage = D
harmony = UNITY
D disrupting UNITY = UNDITY
a faraway sea = FECUNDITY (the Sea of Fecundity is one of the lunar maria)
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[Thok]

Fertility dancing find cutey.

[DejMar]

Here's two:

D, in unity with Iron supplemented with C, in the forefront for virility. (9)
FE+C+UN(D)ITY // FECUNDITY
wordplay definition (abbreviation): Iron = FE
container indicator: in {container: unity; target: D}
wordplay link: supplemented with
wordplay positioning indicator: in the forefront {target: FE+C}
definition-wordplay link: for
clue definition: virility

Redistribution of city e-fund leads to productivity. (9)
(CITYEFUND)* // FECUNDITY
anagram indicator: redistribution of {target: city e-fund)
definition-wordplay link: leads to
clue defintion: productivity

[Elethiomel]

FECUNDITY:

God discards the first elements in pursuit of iron, copper, and nitrogen (for fertility). (9)

[Elethiomel]

Looking at the others now... Zag's clue is pretty awesome. I also like Suspence's definition, even though the clue as a whole is a bit too convoluted.

[DejMar]

[DejMar]

Suspense,
I think your clue for FECUNDITY is somewhat clever but for the difficulty that exists in the encrypted D. The way you used EXTREME to indicate the extremity of the word DAMAGE would make the word EXTREME a noun, yet you used it as an adjective which has a different meaning. This use makes the wordplay syntax incorrect.
In addition, the D is only one of the two extremities of the word thus requiring the need of a missing indicator that identifies or hints which extremity of DAMAGE is the target.

[Suspence]

[DejMar]

[Suspence]

I think it could work in this context:

Sell a very extreme object.
a Very extreme = V (could also be Y, if that worked with the rest of the clue)
object = END
sell = VEND
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[DejMar]

And that it could.

Your liberty with using the noun's definition as that of the adjective's with "extreme danger" was my objection to your clue.
In the parsing of the wordplay for "Sell a very extreme object.", 'Extreme' is used as a noun for the adjective 'very' And as a noun, it can refer to an extremity of the target 'very'. The letter count is also properly identified with the correct article ('a') in the wordplay sense.
Similar to the problem with your clue, Zag's clue suffers with a blackened "left eye". Purportedly, "loses left eye" is to infer that the letter E is to be omitted from DEITY. What Zag should have encrypted was something like "loses left side of eye". Of course the clue would not then have the good read. It is the ommision that I must say, contrary to Elithiomel's comment, makes Zag's clue far from awesome.

I will aver that the surface read is interesting. Both his and your clue are good, interesting reads, but as good cryptic clues, they fail. Rating them good cryptics would indicate they have no defect. Of that, I can't award them. Only award I can offer one of the two is a vote. (I prefer yours, which in my opinion, is a little less defective.)

I also note that El's clue suffers from the same problem. Cryptic clue grammar is being sacrificed for surface reading.

[novice]

You should vote for my clue, it has no defects.

[Elethiomel]

Hehe, I was literally just about to post that this:

"Steel constituents against uninhibited nudity causing abundant procreation."

Is another great clue, really. I just think Zag's clue outshines it. I have no issue with "left eye" as a clue for E.

[Suspence]

Yeah, left eye = E seems to be fairly standard usage.

In my clue, I prefer the "a". It clues that there are two options - a "very" extreme, as in "one of the extremities of the word VERY". Leaving out the "a" suggests there is only one option, which isn't the case.
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[DejMar]

[Suspence]

Let's call this one for Zag. Zag, please choose a new word, or I can generate a random word for us.

What is the best cryptic clue for FECUNDITY?

Fertility god loses left eye after engaging cheer leaders in merry-making.
66% [ 4 ]

Steel constituents against uninhibited nudity causing abundant procreation.
16% [ 1 ]

Leaders of fishing expedition cause extreme damage, disrupting harmony of a faraway sea.
0% [ 0 ]

Fertility dancing find cutey.
0% [ 0 ]

D, in unity with Iron supplemented with C, in the forefront for virility.
0% [ 0 ]

Redistribution of city e-fund leads to productivity.
16% [ 1 ]

God discards the first elements in pursuit of iron, copper, and nitrogen (for fertility).
0% [ 0 ]
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[Zag]

The new word is CELIBATE.

[3iff]

CELIBATE: Virgin cuffed by cable tie

[Suspence]

I'm going for alliteration (over quality )

CELIBATE: Bachelor badgers bagging bail, bizarrely.
bachelor = celibate
badgers = CETE (a group of badgers is a cete)
BAIL bizarrely = LIBA
CETE bagging LIBA = CE(LIBA)TE
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[3iff]

Suspence: >> bachelor = celibate is a bit of a stretch, is it not?

It also makes a great tongue-twister...

[Suspence]

One way I see "bachelor" defined is as a noun meaning "a person who remains unmarried".

CELIBATE is also a listed synonym for bachelor.
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[3iff]

I see that definition is there...just seems a stretch for attitudes today...

[Suspence]