ARAUCARIA CLUEING CONTEST NUMBER 75:  FULL RESULTS

The winning clue for ACC 75 was submitted by Merlyn Leroy...

	The "white album" without the wit! (4)

Merlyn has graciously agreed to moderate ACC 76.

I had fun with this competition, and it appeared that most of the 
entrants enjoyed it as well.  I felt a little guilty after reading that a 
few of the entrants had wanted to moderate a Beatles-theme competition.  
I don't consider myself a great Beatles fan, and I thought of the idea 
while watching the ABC documentary two weeks ago.  Perhaps, in the future, 
someone else can come up with another Beatles-theme competion with a new twist.

I have a few moderator's notes.  In the announcement post, I mentioned 
that the entries were to be cryptic subsidiaries leading to the title of 
a Beatles song, i.e. "defintions" were unnecessary.  I don't think I was 
clear on this point since some entrants included a definition half in 
their clues.  I also mentioned that I would frown on superfluous words 
in the clue (words which do not contribute to the crytpic construction).  
However, since I may have been vague on the issue of definitions, I did 
not penalize entries that included a definition half.  On the other hand, 
if the clue included words which provided a peripheral hint to the answer 
without being a "definition" or part of the construction, I considered 
the words superfluous. 

Some entrants, it appears, interpreted writing a subsidiary the same 
thing as an &lit. clue and punctuated accordingly (!).  In general, I didn't 
penalize anyone for punctuation.

I've noticed that bonus clues are starting to outnumber the official 
entiries in ACC competitions.  In his entry, John Hakemian suggested that 
I substitute any of his bonus clues for the official entry if I found one 
I liked better.  I have always assumed that moderators are not supposed 
to do this.  However, it might be an interesting idea to allow multiple 
entries in the ACC and CWC competitions from which the moderator can pick 
the preferred clue.  With recent r.p.c. discussions about cryptic clue 
standards, the allowance of multiple entries would enable participants to 
hedge their bets by submitting clues of different styles/devices.  In the 
case of ACC 75, I did not substitute a bonus clue for an official entry, 
but I did give one of John's bonus clues an honorable mention in the 
Bonus Section.  Does anyone have any thoughts about the multiple entry 
proposal?

Now, on to the clues.  First, without explanations or commentary...
  
NOTE:  As moderator, I took some editorial license regarding  
presentation of the clues.  If necessary, I altered clues so that final 
period punctuation was omitted and enumeration was converted to 
multi-digit with commas separating different words (no spaces after commas).
These elements did not affect judging and I apologize if any entrant is 
offended by the alteration.  My only interest was uniform presentation in 
the ACC 75 results.


ENTRIES:

The "white album" without the wit! (4)
It's amongst Beatles' simplest arrangements, lacking a syncopated intro! (3,2,2)
Desire engulfed bald men, reportedly ate eight times (4,2,2)
Ringo had out with Paul at the end (2,7)
Object! Lyric chains hit me helter-skelter (9)
Agreed - today sounds troubled but ... (9)
George started "Girl" on radical chemical (5,5)
With _Revolution_, for example, John scored a victory, captivating
   her (7,3)
Imagine writer describing Icarus before meltdown (4,2,1,4)
Unfulfilled young man, having nothing previously, meets one and 
   another like him, and one more (6,6)
Suggest handouts? (5,3,5)
969? (10,6,4)
English staff notes Darryl never comes up to bat? (10,6,7)
Encrypt Beatles song--Help pals drub "Revolution" (3,7,6,6,4,4)
Let "Shelter", sung by Apple Corps, break up the gang (3,7,6,6,4,4)

BONUS CLUES:

86s 25th hit (8,6,6)
"T", e.g.? (3,4)
Paul epitaph: left "Wings" (4)
Sung 24 hours ago (9)
S.O.S. (4)  
Harrison's debut: excellent album! (4)
Dancing, Starr and me mum smoke hemp, play note (4,2,7,9,3)
Abbey's ultimate title (3,7)
Ringo song so captured kelp bed (8,6)
Annie Oakley, zonked, toked it trice (6,2,4)
Chicken sandwich is Low Bluer Meany revolver (6,9)
She works to exact change via trolley (6,4)
States of flux physically, said our gent Mantel, came down bang! (8,6,6)
Crafty Ringo repaired bus and Indy car (3,4,4,3,4)
First part of Yellow Submarine turned into raucous pop anthem (9,3)
Urban hicks set out for Russia! (4,2,3,4)
Shirley Temple pregnant? (5,2,5)
Average guy with a lot on his fastball (4,2,7) 
Cowardly hero (6,9)
In that world, you had no turmoil (1,4,2,4,4,4)
Take cordite, it's explosive (1,6,2,4) 
How John Lennon prepared them on life (1,3,2,3,4)
In ABC's November promotions, they're all over (4,4)


The clues, with explanantions and comments follow after several blank lines.


























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The "white album" without the wit! (4)

The white album = THE WHITE LP
        without = remove
        the wit = THE W IT
	plus !
	leaves         H  E LP !

The clue can also be read as a comparison of the album "Help!" as
being inferior to the "white album", thus the ! for &lit, and, of
course, the album/song title "Help!" also gets the "!" from this.

>Very nice deletion clue.  I really like the surface 
>interpretation as a critical compraison of the two albums, which 
>legitimates the &lit (if you agree with the comparison :) ).  
>Incidentally, just over half of the entered clues in this competition had 
>Beatles imagery in the surface, as I had suggested.  Top marks go to 
>Merlyn LeRoy     

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It's amongst Beatles' simplest arrangements, lacking a syncopated intro! (3,2,2)

    "It" = "it"
    "amongst" = inclusion indicator
    "Beatles" = anagram fodder
    "simplest arrangements" = anagram indicator
    "lacking" = subtraction indicator
    "a" = "a"
    "syncopated intro" = "s"
    So, simply arrange "beatles" as "let be as", remove "a+s", insert "it",
    yielding "Let It Be"; &lit

>Fairly good combination clue.  Pure anagrams and combination anagram 
>clues were the most common ways that entrants achieved Beatles-themed
>surfaces in this competition.  I'm not sure why "simplest" is necessary
>in this clue, but the clue does describe the song in question fairly 
>accurately.

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Desire engulfed bald men, reportedly ate eight times (4,2,2)

    ANSWER: When I'm 64
       Desire = WHIM
     engulfed = container indicator
     bald men = EN  (bald meaning topless here)
      Insert EN in WHIM : WH[EN]IM = WHEN I'M
      "reportedly ate" = homophone = eight or 8
      "eight times" is instruction to multiply by 8
      8 x 8 = 64

>An interesting construction, but I don't think the indirect partial
>homophone is a fair device for most solvers.  The surface is somewhat 
>elusive.  There is a potential quibble about the enumeration (is "64"
>a two-letter word?) but it does not affect the constrcution so I 
>ignored it.  Another moderator might insist upon (4,2,5-4).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ringo had out with Paul at the end (2,7)

answer: Oh, Darling

RINGO HAD = anagram fodder

OUT = anagram indicator

PAUL AT THE END = L

>Pretty good clue with an evocative surface.  I assume that "with" is 
>supposed to signal a container, but "with is not a very strong choice for
>this function.

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Object! Lyric chains hit me helter-skelter (9)

ANSWER: Something 

EXPLANATION: Chains and Helter Skelter are both Beatles song titles.
	This could be Charles Manson representing himself in court.

	Object = definition
	Lyric = SONG
	chains = container indicator
	hit me = anagram fodder = METHI
	helter-skelter = anagram indicator
	SO (METHI) NG

>The construction is okay in this clue, but the surface doesn't do much
>for me (even if the Manson imagery was obvious, it doesn't quite make the
>stretch to the Beatles theme.)  

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agreed - today sounds troubled but ... (9)

EXPLANATION:
Agreed          = YES
today sounds    = TODAY => TERDAY
troubled but    - alludes to the first line(s) of the song

>I wonder if a second clue is supposed to go after the ellipsis.  Even if
>partial homophones were universally accepted, the "TODAY -> TERDAY" 
>connection isn't very close.  The "troubled but" is an example of the 
>superfluous peripheral hint I mentioned earlier in this post.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
George started "Girl" on radical chemical (5,5)

 Solution: GLASS ONION

 Explanation:  George Started = G; girl = LASS; on = ON ; radical chemical
 = ION.  (btw, "Girl" is the name of another Beatles song).

>A nice construction and an evocative statement made in the surface.  I think
>the desire to indicate drug use stretched the meaning of ION a little too
>far.

------------------------------------------------------------------
With _Revolution_, for example, John scored a victory, captivating
   her (7, 3)


	With Revolution = reversal indicator
	for example, John = NAME
	scored a victory = WON
	NAME + WON (reversed) = NOWEMAN
        NOWEMAN "captivating" HER = NOW(HER)E MAN

>Nice surface, limning the courtship of Yoko, perhaps.  The indicator
>"for example, John = NAME" supports the Beatles theme, but isn't very 
>strong in and of itself.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagine writer describing Icarus before meltdown (4,2,1,4)

Imagine writer is JL, author of Imagine
Before the sun melted the wax holding the feathers together, Icarus
   was  FREE AS A BIRD escaping from Crete (song title of 
                                JL's posthumous release in Anthology 1.

>Many entrants chose to compose subsidiary clues by using punny second
>definitions of the song titles.  This one is fair, not measuring up
>to the clues with Betales-theme surfaces I was looking for.  I considered
>the "Imagine writer" to be a superfluous peripheral hint.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfulfilled young man, having nothing previously, meets one and 
another like him, and one more (6,6)

  Explanation:
young man = BLADE
unfulfilled BLADE = BLAD
nothing = O
BLAD having O previously = OBLAD
another like him = OBLAD  
one = I
one = A
OBLAD meets I and OBLAD and A more = OBLADI OBLADA

The surface reading is supposed to be a short early history of the Beatles!

>An interesting idea for a clue which struggles too much in constrcution
>to be satisfying to the solver.  I don't know if it's fair to call the
>arrived upon group of letters OBLAD a "him."  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suggest handouts? (5,3,5)
Answer: TWIST AND SHOUT
Explanation: "Twist and shout" could be the cryptic part of a clue for
HANDOUTS since TWIST would indicate and anagram and AND SHOUT would be
anagram fodder.  Thus "Twist and Shout" does suggest handouts.  

>I'm giving Rhys Price Jones an Honorable Mention for this clue.  While
>unorthodox to the intents of this competition, I'll admit it's a clever
>and unique device for a cryptic clue.  Perhaps someone could devote an
>ACC contest to finding titles or phrases which could be construed as 
>cryptic clues indicating other words.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
969? (10,6,4)

  Revolution Number Nine

>A unique "hieroglyphic" style clue--it certainly wins the brevity award.
>I found it amusing, if not especially outstanding.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
English staff notes Darryl never comes up to bat? (10,6,7)

 solution:      Strawberry Fields Forever

 explanation:   English staff notes    --  English music-Beatles song

                Darryl                 --  Strawberry

                never comes up to bat  --  Fields Forever

>This clue nets Daniel Stewart an Honorable Mention for the best pun (is
>that an oxymoron?) in this competition.  I didn't pay much heed to the
>lackluster "definition" since it was not required for this competition.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Encrypt Beatles song--Help pals drub "Revolution" (3,7,6,6,4,4)

Anagram of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 
"Revolution" - anagram indicator.

>Can you imagine stumbling upon a 30 x 30 crpytic crossword and finding
>a clue running the whole length of the diagram which is a pure anagram!
>The fodder in this clue isn't that bad until we get to "pals drub."

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Let "Shelter", sung by Apple Corps, break up the gang (3,7,6,6,4,4)

Explanation:
  let shelter sung by apple corps      anagram material
  break up                             anagram signal
  gang                                 BAND

  Anagram becomes  SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB

  Apple Corps was, of course, the group's division of EMI Records.
  And yes, it's a fantasy that the Beatles ever recorded
  "Gimme Shelter".

>Slightly smoother anagram fodder in this clue than the previous, but it
>still would be a bear to solve, and this clue adds a charade to make it
>more difficult.  But the fantasy of such long clue answers is what makes
>these competitions fun :).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
BONUS CLUES:

>From Yap Yok Foo (yfyap@pop.jaring.my)...

Sung 24 hours ago (9)

 YESTERDAY

S.O.S. (4)  

 HELP!

>From Jim McLean (mclean@bcrvm1.vnet.ibm.com)...

Harrison's debut: excellent album!  (4)

  Solution: HELP!


  Explanation: Harrison's debut = H ; excellent = E ; album = LP ; ! = ! .

Dancing, Starr and me mum smoke hemp, play note (4,2,7,9,3)

  Solution: MEAN MR. MUSTARD / POLYTHENE PAM

  Explanation: these are two massive anagrams in sequence for two
               songs that "come together" on the Abbey Road album.
               starr and me mum --- > mean mr mustard
               hemp play note --- > polythene pam
               dancing, smoke are anagram indicators

>From Murray W. Smith (smithmw@direct.ca)...

Abbey's ultimate title (3,7)

ANSWER: Her Majesty

EXPLANATION: This is a double &lit clue.

	On the Canadian release of the 'Abbey Road' record album, the
	last cut on side 2 is this 23 second long Lennon-McCartney song.
	*note - This title is only listed on the disc, not the sleeve.

	A Lady's chamber maid used to be known as an Abigail - hence
	Abbey's (or any woman's except Lady Di) rise to the throne would 
	be the ultimate advancement.

Ringo song so captured kelp bed (8,6)

ANSWER: Octopus's Garden

EXPLANATION: This song was written and sung by Richard Starkey a.k.a. 
	Ringo Starr - the clue is an &lit.

	Ringo = anagram indicator
	song so captured = anagram fodder
	kelp bed = definition

Annie Oakley, zonked, toked it trice (6,2,4)

ANSWER: Ticket To Ride

EXPLANATION:
	Annie Oakley = definition (In the Wild West Show, Annie Oakley
		would shoot a hole in the ace of spades when it was 
		tossed in the air. A train or bus ticket when punched 
		by the conductor thus became known as an Annie Oakley.)
	zonked = anagram indicator
	toked it trice = anagram fodder

Chicken sandwich is Low Bluer Meany revolver (6,9)

ANSWER: Yellow Submarine

EXPLANATION: The Blue Meanies were animated policemen in the film Yellow
	Submarine. Revolver is the 1966 album first featuring this song.

	Chicken sandwich = definition 
	    (yellow = cowardly or chicken; submarine = a hoagie sandwich) 
	is Low Bluer Meany = anagram fodder = YELLOW SUBMARINE
	revolver = anagram indicator

She works to exact change via trolley (6,4)

ANSWER: Lovely Rita

EXPLANATION: Lovely Rita was of course employed as a meter maid. She
	could have driven her 'trolley' to check on parking violations.

	This clue is an &lit
	She works to exact = definition (an exactor collects taxes etc.)
	change = anagram indicator
	via trolley = anagram fodder = LOVELY RITA

States of flux physically, said our gent Mantel, came down bang! (8,6,6)

ANSWER: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

EXPLANATION: 
	States of flux physically = MAXWELLS (a maxwell, in physics, is 
		a unit of magnetic flux)
	said = homophone indicator
	our gent = homophone fodder = argent = SILVER
	Mantel = HAMMER (specifically one used as a weapon - Maxwell's
		hammer was used as a murder weapon)
	came down bang! = definition ('!' is known as a 'bang' - so this
		should be read as '... came down bang bang')

>From (kurtzdt@musc.edu)...

Crafty Ringo repaired bus and Indy car (3,4,4,3,4)
And Your Bird Can Sing
(anagram)

First part of Yellow Submarine turned into raucous pop anthem (9,3)
Polythene Pam
Yel- pop anthem
(anagram)

Urban hicks set out for Russia! (4,2,3,4)
Back in the USSR
(anagram)

Shirley Temple pregnant? (5,2,5)
Baby's in Black
(sorry)

Average guy with a lot on his fastball (4,2,7) 
Mean     Mr.          Mustard

>From John Hakemian (sailorjohn@delphi.com)...

Cowardly hero (6,9)  ANSWER:  "Yellow Submarine"
      Do I really have to give an explanation for this one???

>Beautifully punny second definition clue.  Honrable mention!

In that world, you had no turmoil (1,4,2,4,4,4)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^
  Anagram fodder        indicator
  
  ANSWER:  I Want to Hold Your Hand
    ...for this clue, we could use Emily/Henry's enumeration style,
       i.e.  (19-six words) Use your judgement as moderator.
    _____________________________________________________________

Take cordite, it's explosive (1,6,2,4) [or (13-four words)]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   ^^^^^^^^^
  Anagram fodder    indicator
 
   ANSWER: A Ticket to Ride

>From Brian Spollen (bcs@sc.harris.com)...

How John Lennon prepared them on life (1,3,2,3,4)

    "them on life" = "MON in 'the life'"; thus, "A Day in the Life"


In ABC's November promotions, they're all over (4,4)

    "In" = hidden-word indicator
    "...they'RE ALL OVEr" = phrase containining "Real Love",
    the new song by the Beatles

>From Merlyn LeRoy (merlyn@digibd.com)...

86s 25th hit (8,6,6)
        86s = Maxwell's (Smart, Agent 86)
        25th = Silver (anniversary)
        hit = Hammer (as adjective)
        (surface reading, "86s" is slang to nix or scuttle something)

"T", e.g.? (3,4)
        Teg = Get Back

Paul epitaph: left "Wings" (4)
        "paul epitaph" left = "hpatipe luap"
        wings = the "wings" (extreme right & left letters) of the words = help


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd McClary
toddm@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
