CWC 42 results
==============

Here are the results of CWC42 (sorry they're a bit late - work and 
holidays intruded).  I was a bit disappointed with the general response to
the words I gave.  There was only 22 clues, plus a bonus, entered in the
competition.  A bit down on previous recent competitions.

In picking the winner I had to separate two clues which in my mind were
excellently constructed efforts and both deserving of the accolade.  In the
end, because I was swaying from one to the other, I decided to do something
which, I think is novel, of awarding joint first to Ryan Harding and Jake
Bergmann for their efforts on prerogative.  Both clues were easy on the
eye, which I found in judging the competition to be important ingredients
for having a winning clue.  Also, both clues were innovative but yet not
too hard for the average punter to solve.

One other point: the clues that won were constructed using what I thought 
to be the harder word to clue?  

Here is a list of the words without explanations:

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Get Italy in time with railway schedule. (9)

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Tiny, rare nit I discovered back in a course I took (9)

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I approach Tipperary - no, not very quietly - by this route. (9) 

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Conventional Order? (9)

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Planned route has long time on railway. I can go earlier. (9)

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Is it a railway, that is, train journey outline ? (9)

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Plan one small comeback for strange insider (9)

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One with yen to cover foreign terrain might make this (9)

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I can return, unfamiliar, at end of fantasy journey (9)

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Jostling a rein, I try the proposed route (9)

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Is it a woman's right to choose a viper or get poisoned? (11)

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Falsely give a report on the Dail Eireann's ability to levy taxes, for
example (11) 

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Right! Let Rabindranath back in to hedge interminably. (11)

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Poetic License (11)

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Privilege of musical turn backed by Prince and Queen. (11)

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Be quiet about a vertigo affliction ? Right ! (11)

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The V.P. turned around in a private party? Right! (11) 

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Right to partake in private ego tripping? (11)

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It's a privilege to give a report on drugs (11)

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I've the programs to remove moths.  Screwy?  Right! (11)

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I prove great results, right? (11)

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Dictator's wife meets vice president and Republican Party is 
returned to power (11)

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Authors explanations and moderators comments follow.

++

Clue:	Get Italy in time with railway schedule. (9)

Authors Explanation:	

"Get"		= make your word from...
"Italy"		= "IT" (abbr.)
"in"		= "IN" 
"time"		= "ERA" (synonym)
"with"		= and append...
"railway"	= "RY" (abbr.)
"schedule"	= Meaning of ITINERARY

Moderators Comments:

The surface reading is a bit choppy but otherwise a decent conventional
clue. 

++

Author: Ryan Harding (rkh2@ukc.ac.uk)

Clue: Is it a woman's right to choose a viper or get poisoned? (11)

Authors Explanation:

"Is it a woman's right to choose?" suggests solution 
from the phrase, "a woman's prerogative"
"right to choose" is also the meaning of prerogative
"a viper or get" is an anagram of "PREROGATIVE"
"poisoned" is the anagram indicator

Moderators Comments:

I thought it a well put together clue well worthy of the top prize.  A nice 
anagram indicator - poisoned and a sort of double definition at the 
beginning.  It read quite well too.

++

Clue: Tiny, rare nit I discovered back in a course I took (9)

Authors Explanation:

["discovered back in" = reversed hidden word indicator;
"Tiny, rare nit I" hides "yrarenitI", which is "itinerary"
reversed; "a course I took" = "itinerary"]

Moderators Comments:

Nice reverse hidden word clue but again the surface reading took away a lot 
of the good impression created by the innovative clueing style.

++

Clue: Falsely give a report on the Dail Eireann's ability to levy 
taxes, for example (11)

Authors Explanation:

["give a report" anagrammed = "prerogative"; "Falsely" = anagram 
indicator, "the Dail Eireann's ability to levy taxes, for example" = 
"prerogative"]

Moderators Comments:

The meaning of this clue is a bit obscure for people who may not know what 
Dail Eireann (Irish Parliament) is.  Was this an attempt to impress the 
Moderator with some local knowledge?  What would really impress me is
if you could pronounce it properly :-).  Another decent anagram and 
definition, although as I said the definition part was a bit obscure.

++

Clue: Right! Let Rabindranath back in to hedge interminably. (11)

Authors Explanation:

Right (def.)
Rabindranath = TAGORE (as literate contributors to r.p.c. must know)
hedge = PRIVET, which interminably (without end) -> PRIVE  
TAGORE back -> EROGAT in PR..IVE = PREROGATIVE

Moderators Comments:

Another decent, solid clue, nothing special.  The reference to Rabindranath 
had me scurrying to my local 1000 page dictionary.  Possibly the use of 
privet obliquely may not be allowed as it increases the difficulty level of 
the clue quite a lot.  Any comments?

++

Clue: I approach Tipperary - no, not very quietly - by this route. (9) 

Authors Explanation:

no: insert N;    not "very quietly": remove PP;    route = def.  
I -> TI.PP.ERARY + N - PP ---> ITINERARY

Moderators Comments:

A nice attempt at introducing an Irish element into the clue, no doubt to
impress the moderator.  I had problems trying to solve this clue because of
the adding of letters and then the taking away of others.  The indicators
weren't very strong IMHO. 

++

Clue:  Conventional Order?

Authors Explanation:

A play on words.  The order in which a convention proceeds is the itinerary. 
Not an answer like "like chaos" which might be the order of a convention.

Moderators Comments:

This smells and tastes more like a definition clue rather than an out and 
out cryptic clue.  What was missing the proverbial meat in the sandwich 
e.g. anagrammed version of the answer.

++

Clue:  Poetic License

Authors Explanation:

A commonly used phrase to describe an artist's prerogative to interpret a
concept or stated fact.

Moderators Comments:

Another clue more definition that cryptic.  it needs something else to make 
it a really good clue...

++

Clue: Planned route has long time on railway. I can go earlier. (9)

Authors Explanation:

Planned route = definition
long time = ERA
railway = RY
I can = I TIN
go earlier = put 'I TIN' before 'ERA RY'.

Moderators Comments:

Solid clue made up of the expected "data structures" - definition and then 
a clipped together version of the answer.  Personally I hadn't before seen 
the "I can" variant turned into "I TIN", but that's neither here nor there.

++

Clue: Privilege of musical turn backed by Prince and Queen. (11)

Authors Explanation:

Privilege = definition
musical turn backed = (EVITA GO) reversed = OGATIVE
Prince = PR
Queen = ER (Elizabeth Regina)

Moderators Comments:

Good clue and the use of Evita turned up was a nice touch.  Semantically a
bit suspect though. 

++

Clue: Be quiet about a vertigo affliction ? Right ! (11)

Authors Explanation:

Be quiet --> p (short for piano)
about ---> re
affliction ------> anagram indicator for "a vertigo"
Right ---> Definition.

Moderators Comments:

A nice clue with a good anagram indicator in "affliction".

++

Clue: Is it a railway, that is, train journey outline ? (9)

Authors Explanation:

railway --> ry
that is ---> ie
Is it ---> anagram indicator for ry,ie,train
journey outline ---> definition.

Moderators Comments:

Choppy surface reading mars this clue somewhat.  A smart touch trying to 
bring an anagram of train into the reckoning though this is ruined by the 
anagram indicator "is it".  Is "is it" an allowable anagram indicator?  In 
my book no!

++

Clue : Plan one small comeback for strange insider (9)

Authors Explanation:

Plan one small comeback for strange insider
^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^
Defn  I  TINY  ERAR (rare reversed) indicator for container
I+TIN(ERAR)Y 

Moderators Comments:

Average solid clue.  The meaning of the sentence is a bit dubious though.

++

Clue: The V.P. turned around in a private party? Right! (11) 

Authors Explanation:

The V.P. turned around in a private party? Right!
^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
  GORE     reversal     in  PRATIVE anagram defn  
PR(EROG)ATIVE

Moderators Comments:

Good clue.  Straight forward to explain and solve.

++

Clue: One with yen to cover foreign terrain might make this (9)

Authors Explanation:

[1 + Y (abbreviation for yen) around anagram of "terrain", &lit.]

Moderators Comments:

First and only &lit.  Surface reading a bit tough but otherwise a decent 
clue.  Honourable mention.

++

Author: Roger Phillips (roger@quantime.nl)

Clue: Right to partake in private ego tripping? (11)

Authors Explanation:

[R (right) in anagram of "private ego", &lit.]

Moderators Comments:

Good &lit clue.  Surface reading is fine too.  Honourable mention.

++

Clue: I can return, unfamiliar, at end of fantasy journey (9)

Authors Explanation:

I can return, unfamiliar, at end of fantasy journey 
- --- ------  ----------     -------------- -------
I TIN   |        RARE              Y         defn.
     reversal indicator
I + TIN + ERAR + Y
tin (British) =  can (U.S)

Moderators Comments:

Nice clue but the surface reading disrupts it a little.

++

Author: Jake Bergmann (bergmann@boston.SINet.SLB.COM)

Clue: It's a privilege to give a report on drugs (11)

Author Explanation:
It's a privilege to give a report on drugs (11)
----------------    ------------- --------
    Defn.            GIVEAREPORT  anagram
                                 indicator

"It's a" in the sense that "A PREROGATIVE is a"

Moderators Comments:

This tickled my funny bone especially the anagram indication "on drugs".  
It is like something a person might say before giving a report about drugs.
Joint first.

++

Clue: Jostling a rein, I try the proposed route (9)

Authors Explanation:

Jostling -- anagram indicator
a rein, I try -- to be anagrammed to ITINERARY
The proposed route -- defn.  (the guy must be on horseback)

Moderators Comments:

Another well built clue.  Nothing wrong with it but not a star clue needed 
to win this competition.

++

Clue: I've the programs to remove moths.  Screwy?  Right! (11)

Authors Explanation:

I've the programs to -- to be anagrammed
remove moths -- take out the letters MOTHS
Screwy? -- anagram indicator
Right! -- defn. of PREROGATIVE

Moderators Comments:

A slightly different clue where you provide too many letters and then 
remove some to get the anagrammed word Prerogative.  (The most used word in 
this posting) Nice.

++

Clue: I prove great results, right? (11)

Authors Explanation:

I prove great results, right? (11)
------------- -------  -----
 Anagram       anag     defn
             indicator


Moderators Comments:

So many good clues and to pick a winner.  This is a nice clue but didn't 
catch me by the throat as a winner.  Well the Author says he proved great 
results ... I wonder ;-).

++

Bonus clue: Dictator's wife meets vice president and Republican Party 
is returned to power (11)

Authors Explanation:

Dictator's wife meets vice president and Republican Party is returned to power
---------------       --------------     ---------- ----- -----------    -----
   EVITA                  GORE               R        P   reversal       defn.
                                                          indicator
EVITAGORERP reversed.

Moderators Comments:

A really nice clue.  The only clue which used the backward spelling of
prerogative.  It would have been hard for me to not go for this one if this 
had been presented for the competition properly.  You did a good job this 
time around, Jake.
