Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: Bobg@cullen.demon.co.uk (Bob Gregory)
Path: bryson.demon.co.uk!demon!cullen.demon.co.uk!Bobg
Subject: ACC20 Entries & Judgement
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Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 19:49:56 +0000
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                    ACC20 Moderator's Judgement
                    ===========================

This posts the results of the ACC20 entries.

Your moderator ended up with some egg on his face and has learnt a lesson
for next time ! < If there IS a next time.... >. It seems that the phrase
COME UP TO SCRATCH which entrants were asked to clue (total 15 letters
making it a perfectly acceptable cryptic 15*15 across or downer in The
Times) is not jargon in common usage on the other side of the Atlantic.

This produced some brickbats from irritated would-be entrants proclaiming
their refusal to participate in the PAROCHIAL phraseology which I had
myself proscribed in the announcement blurb. Some messages were rather
more vitriolic than others. Apologies to those that were polite to me !
It was my first judgement and like Solomon, wisdom accrues with
experience.

We received seven entries which was more than ACC18 and less than ACC19.
Peter King, my ACC predecessor asked rhetorically whether ACC ought to be
continued in view of the popularity of the CWC and PCWC competitions and
the relative lack of entries to ACC. I have to concur and feel it
necessary to highlight, moreover, the disappointing non-availability
of the two equal firsts in this round to moderate the next one. Any
opinions on continuing or otherwise ?

The standard of the few clues was excellent. It's not easy to decide
between largely first class offerings and your moderator's subjective
judgment is as follows :


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Macho scout crept nervously to meet the criteria! (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

Imagine a boy scout working on a cave-exploration merit badge.
(You do have boy scouts over there in the UK, am I right?)

Take "macho scout crept", make it nervous (as in webster 5b)
to produce COME UP TO SCRATCH.  To meet the criteria is the defin-
ition of    "   "  "    "    .

                     ...................

I thought that this anagram by Chris(tine) Quinn was rather nice creating
a clever imagery but I'm not sure that I would go 100% with "nervously"
being an acceptable anagram indicator although I have to confess to being
unfamiliar with the (Webster 5b) reference which she uses as
justification. The definition is nice although I might have preferred
"REQUIRED criteria" or just plain "DESIDERATA". On the whole, a pretty
clue and whilst not quite No.1 in a strong field nevertheless takes over
as moderator of the ACC21 competition in view of non-availability of the
two joint first entrants.

Thank you, Chris.


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Remove competitors at the top to achieve desired level (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

        Remove competitors = SCRATCH (as in horseracing)
	at the top -> _COME UP_ TO SCRATCH.
	achieve desired level = COME UP TO SCRATCH (defn)

                     ...................

Thanks to Chris Boek for this one. I enjoyed the use of "remove
competitors" for TO SCRATCH but somehow can't really accept his concept
of <AT THE TOP> to equate with <_COME UP_>. It seems to me that the
process of COMING UP is tantamount to AIMING FOR THE TOP not BEING THERE.
Nevertheless a good and well thought out clue which suffers more from
being amongst a strong field than from any inherent weakness.


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Do what's required to deal with itch on surface (4,2,2,7)
------------------ -- --------------    -------
        def.       TO    SCRATCH        COME UP

                     ...................

This is a good succinct clue by Mark Manasse well defined by DO WHAT'S
REQUIRED. I'm not quite sure how one could "come up" to "deal with an
itch on the surface" but since the whole thing scans nicely this would
tie for equal first for me. However Mark has indicated that he would not
be available to accept the mantle for ACC21 so I offer the laurel wreath
and have to take it back again.


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It is quite satisfactory for Itchy Kate to invite the tailor 
who lives downstairs to confront the devil.     (4,2,2,7)    

                     ...................

1) To be quite satisfactory: Come up to scratch.

2) Kate's invitation to the tailor who lives downstairs: COME UP TO 
	`SCRATCH her wheree'r she did itch.' (The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 2)

3) confront the devil:  "Come up to Scratch" (The Devil and Daniel Webster)

                     ...................

An interesting and "different" clue from newcomer Amitai Halevi. Whilst
he justifiably referred to my statement of acceptability of mythological
and literary input, I feel that he has perhaps strayed a little too far
into the abstruse. The clue is too long and if used in a real competition
would defeat too many solvers thus proving a defeat for the setter. Well
done and welcome to a new participant and interesting and original but
not the sort of clue that turns me on !


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Trash compactor chutes are in good working order (4, 2, 2, 6)
----- ---------------- -------------------------
anag. COMPACTOR CHUTES=         def.

                     ...................

This is a delicious anagram from Guy Jacobson. Hat off for elegantly
tying in the indicator with the anagrammed words. Very nice ! At first I
was a bit troubled about equating "are in good working order" with the
strict definition of the answer. It seemed to me that COME UP TO SCRATCH
is a state of REACHING rather than BEING but the more I thought about it,
the more I can accept that THEY (come up to scratch) = (are in good
working order). Nice clue, Guy.  Equal first but Guy also indicated that
he would not be available to moderate the next ACC round so same as Mark.


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Difficult soccer match constrains excited team's first round to be as good
	as expected (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

Explanation:

Difficult soccer match constrains excited team's first round
  anag.   SOCCER MATCH   holding   UP           T        O

to be as good as expected
   (definition)

                     ...................

This one from Ilana Stern. Ilana's clues are usually first class but this
one, I felt, was not amongst her best. OK, the "AS GOOD AS EXPECTED" is
nice as also is the anagram of SOCCER MATCH with DIFFICULT as an
acceptable indicator but CONSTRAINS=HOLDING/CONTAINING and EXCITED=UP is
asking too much of the solver in my opinion. Clever, sure, but (for me)
too tough (and a fraction too long) ! Sorry, Ilana ....


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Be good enough to loop custom rope into hitch (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

        be good enough = definition
	loop = anag. indicator for CUSTOM-ROPE (OMEUPTOSCR)
	hitch = CATCH

                     ...................

This one from Tovah Hollander. VERY very clever when taken as a
meaningful sentence but for me it's rather too contrived for the average
frail human solver. Would the solver get the answer from this clue ? I
find it difficult to accept that HITCH=CATCH would spring readily to
mind. I agree that there would be a "Oh, of course !" situation when the
blanks get filled in by the intersecting letters but I find this clue
more clever than strictly fair. I also wonder whether the use of LOOP as
an anagram indicator is not a wee bit too stretched.


                     ...................

Bonus clues came from  TOVAH only :

    Did travelling pro scout catch me hit the standard? (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

        (This would've been my entry, except that it would read
	 so much better as "hitTING the standard" and that would
	 not be a correctly parallel definition.)

                     ...................

Nice one Tovah. I like the TRAVELLING but I'm afraid that I have to agree
with your suspicion that HITTING THE STANDARD would have to define COMING
UP TO SCRATCH. Pretty scan apart from the HIT nevertheless.

                     ...................

    Tom crochets a cup imaginatively to qualify (4,2,2,7)

                     ...................

TO QUALIFY = TO COME UP TO SCRATCH  is fine by me but my imagination
can't quite stretch to the concept of TOM CROCHETting A CUP. Neither can
Tovah's otherwise she would have offered this clue as a front runner
rather than a slightly tongue in cheek afterthought.


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