Subject:      PCWC#52 -- The Results
From:         marty@ehabitat.demon.co.uk (Martin McCarthy)
Date:         1996/01/13
Message-Id:   <4d736r$af@ehabitat.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups:   rec.puzzles.crosswords

  The People's Clue Writing Competition -- The Results
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All votes have been cast in PCWC#52, and we have a winner.
It was a close-run thing--each of the first *seven* clues
were, at one time or another, in the lead.  Congratulations
to these, and indeed to all the entrants who entertained
us with their clues.  Thanks, also, to the fifteen people who
voted and so selected the winner.

And the winner, with a score of 72.53%, is Evan Whitney
<evan@scd.hp.com> with the excellent clue:
    Put fire back in oboe arrangement - it can handle the volume (8)
A worthy winner!

Running a very close second was our last moderator, Sailor John, who
scored 71.28% with:
    Study part of "10" starlet's fine suit (8)

Well done, chaps.

Evan is a greatly experienced moderator of the People's Clue Writing
Contest, and he has kindly agreed to extend his experience.  Expect
a posting from him soon announcing competition number 53.

For your delight and entertainment, here are the comments on the
contest, the comments on the clues, and the full results....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't think that 'bookcase' was a particularly good choice of
word.  Perhaps shown by the small number of recurring themes.
But it still generated a few very good clues.

A tough word to clue, particularly if one wanted to avoid splitting
"bookcase" into "book" + "case". Lots of Bo Derek clues, and B.O.
clues, and O.K. clues -- and some better-than-O.K. clues. 

The chosen word to be clued was great, and the moderator is
a truly wonderful and gifted person.  But you knew that.
As for the clues, since a BOOKCASE is simply a BOOK CASE,
I *heavily* downgraded any clue that used BOOK or CASE in
any related sense, treating this as a defective construction.
(For BOOK, all senses are sufficiently related to deserve this
treatment.  For example, making a reservation is "booking"
because your name is notionally being written in a book.)
I have abbreviated this below as "downgraded for BOOK/CASE".

I found bookcase quite hard to define, so clever defns. are marked up.

Bring on the charades!  The hard part was to provide a definition that
was sufficiently descriptive (e.g. *not* "shelf"), yet not too obvious
(e.g. "library furniture").  Extra points were given to clues with
successful puns for the definition.

Almost everyone avoided the 'book' 'case' construction, with
a sacrifice to the elegance of their clue.

I know finding a non-obvious definition for BOOKCASE was difficult--
heavens knows I had trouble, too, but I don't buy "literature
collection" or similar phrases to define "bookcase". A bookcase is
a set of shelving for storing/displaying books. A literature
collection is what you PUT into a bookcase.

My rankings applied a small demerit for splitting the word
into BOOK and CASE.  Not delighted with the Bo Derek clues,
especially since BO is also available as a common noun.

I somehow never saw the original posting that called for entries.
Oh well...

Challenging word to clue.  Limited definition possibilities.

What a downright crappy word. In a regular grid, I would have rethought
that entire portion of the grid before using BOOKCASE.
It was tough to rate clues in this accordingly. Almost all of the clues
fell into
BOOK + CASE, BO+OK+CASE, or BOOK+CA+SE
Anagrams would have been extremely welcome here, althought the best
wordplay was the spoonerism.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1st place (score 72.53%) - clue 13
From Evan Whitney <evan@scd.hp.com>

    Put fire back in oboe arrangement - it can handle the volume (8)

Votes (normalized): 30 51 56 60 70 75 80 83 85 88 94 100

Excellent.  A great surface.  Similar to #6 (which I also like),
but this one has the edge for me.

Not bad at all; I particularly like the definition.

Long and ugly.

Much better punny definitions in earlier clues.  Otherwise, decent
construction.

Ah! another woodwind! Similar to #100, but not as witty.

Hard to criticize this as it resembles my own entry!
Nitpick: the antecedent for "it", apparently "oboe", is
a bit hard to find.

Good clue in most aspects.  The definition would be more 
accurate if "volumes" was used, but that would be impossible
to reconcile with the surface reading.

Very solid.  Good job.

Great surface reading

An okay surface, with relatively okay wordplay. The definition was a
little weak though.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd place (score 71.28%) - clue 8
From SAILORJOHN@delphi.com

    Study part of "10" starlet's fine suit (8)

Votes (normalized): 10 24 40 60 75 81 84 86 88 88 92 100 100

I had to read this a few times before I got the surface
reading -- but then I have been told that I can be pretty
stupid.  I do find it a bit of a stretch to get from 'study part'
to 'bookcase', though.

"I swear, Ms. Derek -- I was just examining your *suit*."

"'10' starlet" for BO (Derek) is going to be either a dead giveaway
or totally obscure, depending on the solver.  But I fall in the first
group, and I did find the rest of the clue is nicely misleading, so
I'll give it a good overall score.

Way to conceal the definition; I'm not familiar with Bo Derek, so I 
can't judge whether this is an OK reference, but it seems like a fine 
clue. 

Tops so far, but hurt by the "'s" (BOSOKCASE?).  Killer, misleading
definition!  Thanks for the distraction!  ;->

Solid construction, defn is well hidden.

"10" starlet's fine suit = BOSOKCASE.  Do something about the
apostrophe.

A rather unspecific definition.

Acceptable cryptic, good surface (as long as Ms. Derek is one's
cup of tea).  Definition is properly synonymous without being
obvious and is nicely obscured by the meaning of "study" in
the surface.

I guess that's what Dudley Moore was doing.  Some of the time he studied 
her swimsuit, and some of the time he studied her birthday suit.

An okay clue

-------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd place (score 71.17%) - clue 11
From Tom Deneau <Tom.Deneau@amd.com>

    Smell good, by example, with large volume shower? (8)

Votes (normalized): 40 50 50 51 63 63 71 75 88 91 92 92 100

A nice surface.  I would find this hard to solve, but I still
like it.

In my opinion, "large volume shower" is the best definition
of "bookcase" in this competition.

Excellent, except that "by example" messes up the surface reading.
I particularly like the "large volume shower" definition!

Yes, but what does it mean?

Nice brief charade, but I have seen small bookcases.

Didn't realize we had cluers with B.O. that smelled "good"!
But one of the wittier charades, with a great punny definition.

"example" is not very strong for CASE

A quite good punny definition, imaginatable surface, good
cryptic (flawed slightly by using just "smell" for "BO" with
no malodorous adjective attached).  All in all, a better 
way to approach this construct than clue 3.

I like punny definitions, and this is a good one.  "Smell" -> "B.O."
is a little soft, however.

An awkward surface, but points for originality with the definition.
Wordplay's ok.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

4th place (score 67.06%) - clue 1
From Kevin Wald <wald@math.uchicago.edu>

    Sack oboe-playing library-keeper? (8)

Votes (normalized): 10 50 50 59 63 64 75 77 80 90 92 95

A nice surface-reading.  Solvable.  I liked 'library-keeper'.  In
all, a very good clue.

Pretty.  Very pretty.  A close second behind #12, for me.

As usual, we start off with an anagram.  And, as is usual with 
anagrams, the surface meaning is shaky at best.

solid anagram with nice pun.  But, what is a library-keeper???

I think we're going to see lots of woodwinds here...

Pleasant surface in the first of a number of double-reed clues;
acceptable cryptic.  In the effort to construct a phrase which
fits both the definition and surface, though, "library-keeper"
comes out sounding a bit awkward, even taking the pun into account.

"library-keeper" is pretty far-fetched, even for a pun, but the rest of 
the clue is super.

At first a relatively okay clue, but I'd quibble with the indicator and
fodder being parts of the same word, and the def leaves me dry

-------------------------------------------------------------------

5th place (score 65.82%) - clue 21
From Garison Piatt <garison@alpha.kestrok.com>

    Derek gets approval to survey part of library (8)

Votes (normalized): 10 35 40 50 57 67 71 76 77 88 92 94 100

Very nice clue.

Unspectacular.

Ms. Derek is a popular lady!  "gets approval" suggests "OKS".

Very similar to #8, with a surface just as pleasing.

Hard to get from SURVEY to CASE.

A fair clue, by the looks of it (as with another clue, one
must have to be familiar with a B-level actress, of course).

I'm sick of Derek.  How about Jackson or Diddley?  I know, it's not
your fault that you're clue #21.

This is very good, with a nice charade and good solid definition.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

6th place (score 65.08%) - clue 23
From msb@sq.com

    Sob--a Coke spilled into library storage unit (8)

Votes (normalized): 30 40 47 50 63 64 64 69 70 75 83 90 100

I liked the image.  Solid clue.

My favorite, but then, I've worked a library myself . . .  

My clue, and people who know me won't find it a bit surprising
(though, I must point out, I haven't had that *exact* accident yet).
I still like it better than most of the field this time, and am
scoring it below only #12 and #1.

Cute.

Decent anagram, but I prefer the charade attempts for this word.

Obvious anagram.

Sound, original and a meaningful surface.

Way too obvious.

The surface is a little artificial right where the
anagram fodder appears

An okay definition.  Somewhat inconsistent surface,
in my opinion, stemming from the anagram fodder's informal
tone coupled with the straight-laced definition --- as if
Benny Hill started a sentence that David Niven finished.

Ick, what a mess!

An interesting surface and def. While anagrams are frowned on, you still
run into cases where they offer the best approach

-------------------------------------------------------------------

7th place (score 64.37%) - clue 12
From Brian Spollen <bcs@sc.harris.com>

    Spooner's chef found where the encyclopedias are stored (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 12 25 30 50 70 80 84 86 100 100 100 100

Like the spoonerism.

Clate grew.

Excellent.  Good service-- er, *surface* reading, and a most
unusual cryptic transformation.  First place.

Great idea, but this clue seems a bit tough.

Def. makes answer too easy.  IMO, Spoonerism fodder should match the
meanings of the words given (e.g. "chef foundation").  In this clue,
"chef base" makes no sense, and Spooner would be hard-pressed to make
such an utterance in this context.

Good construction and defn.

INDIRECT Spoonerisms do not get votes from this solver.

Good work.  The surface isn't much helped by Rev. Spooner,
though.

Pretty good clue, as long as one's familiar with the "Spooner"
indication.

A good plan, but "Spooner's" is stuck-on.  Perhaps somehow "Spooned"
could be worked in instead.  Maybe "Boil stock, spoon where..."  
That carries the cooking motif a bit further.
And who (besides me) has multiple encyclopediae?  Talk about a good
way to raise your earthquake insurance.

I rated this the highest. Novel wordplay, and the cryptic use of found is
encouraging.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

8th place (score 64.18%) - clue 6
From Jacob Bergmann <jbergman@bbn.com>

    Put fire back into criticism-- "fourth-rate collection
    of literature!" (8)

Votes (normalized): 38 40 40 57 59 61 63 71 75 75 92 100

I read this as "put KCAS into BOO" not into "BOOE".  Other
than that, I thought this was a great clue - love the surface.

Why is E fourth-rate and not fifth-rate?

The submitter did not explain how "fourth-rate" yields E.  I suppose
it was supposed to mean to take the fourth letter of RATE.  Not what
I call acceptable cluing -- you need to say "fourth *of* rate" or
something like that.  And the definition is shaky too -- the collection
would be something *stored in* a bookcase. 

Great clue!

Nice construction, excellent surface, misleading bang, inappropriate def.

Collection of literature is not a bookcase.

Nice construction, but don't buy "fourth-rate"=E
and "collection" as a definition.

Good, if lengthy clue, particularly in the areas of cryptic
construcition; I particularly liked the surface imagery.
I'm (slightly) less thrilled by the definition, which doesn't 
seem quite synonymous.

A good piece of work, with the two halves nicely sewn.  I suggest that
it should be 'Fire back after criticism...', which uses the proper
placement instead of the "into" container.

A good clue overall, except "fourth-rate" does not accurately define E.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

9th place (score 62.67%) - clue 16

    Shelves novel about stormy sea (8)

Votes (normalized): 12 43 44 52 55 60 63 69 71 71 75 100 100

Indeed, 'about' also re-doubles as a misleading container alert.
And 'novel' could be an anagram indicator, too.  Nice clue, short
and sweet.  And extra marks for all the misleading words. :-)

I like this. Not only is "about" a misleading anagram indicator,
but so is "novel".

Downgraded for BOOK.

I'm not too happy about the about=c bit.  Otherwise, solid.

Three potential anagram indicators!  :-)  Nice trickery with "shelves",
but use of "novel" in the charade isn't that great.

I can't buy about="C"=container indicator. Otherwise quite sound.

Good misleading use of "about"

A reasonably good clue, flawed mostly by running afoul of
the "don't break a compound word into its two pieces" 
rule-of-thumb --- "novel" means nothing different in the 
surface than it does in the cryptic.

It's not really kosher to use "novel" for "book", since that's the
same meaning as in the word.  Otherwise, the entire clue shines.

Since the BOOK in BOOKCASE and in teh charade mean the same thing, this
is less cryptic

-------------------------------------------------------------------

10th place (score 62.08%) - clue 5

    Drunken cook hid in cornerstone for literary foundation? (8)

Votes (normalized): 30 35 36 60 61 62 69 71 75 75 75 75 83

The 'for' is extraneous, but doesn't hurt.  I had a bit of a
problem with hiding in a cornerstone, though -- although it
is still a sight better than many published clues.

A bookcase is not exactly a literary *foundation*.

Yes, but what does it mean?

Does "cornerstone" really suggest "base"?  Another nice pun!

Can anyone hide in the cornerstone?

Witty anagram charade marred only by strange surface/definition.

This one is original!  Is this a real cornerstone in a real
building foundation (unlike the literary one we're about to
meet)?  The cook's also a contortionist!

Clever cryptic, not-bad surface.  Nice effort on the 
punny definition, but I don't think it's accurate enough
for my taste.

Been hitting the sauce, eh?  Good job!

I liked the wordplay (I can just see Julia Child crawling in there now)
but not the definition.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

11th place (score 58.18%) - clue 15

    A startling noise (backfire & engine starting) has many volumes (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 30 41 47 50 57 61 69 70 72 75 85 100

This is so nearly an excellent clue.  A very nice surface reading...
except a noise having many volumes is a really awkward phrase.  I
just wish I could think of a better way of phrasing it.

Bang -- vrooom.
Bang! -- Vroooom!
*Bang*!! -- *Vrooooom*!!
*BANG*!!!! -- *VRROOOOOOOOOM*!!!!
Well, I'll be darned -- it *does* have many volumes . . .

This was looking excellent -- I really like "Backfire and engine
starting" for KCASE --until the last three words.  But the last
part is in sufficent need of more work to downgrade the clue.
First, the definition is defective: "has many volumes" defines
a verb, not a noun.  And second, so is the surface reading:
a noise can't have "many volumes".

Liked backfire - but think you'll be marked down for it

Good clue except for the 'many volumes' but.  Almost another 'Yes, 
but what does it mean?'

There were many better, similar entries.  backfire -> KCAS is clever but
unsolvable, esp. with such a deficient definition.

Another backfire.

Seems to want to say "Startling noises have many volume levels";
the "a" & "volumes" make the surface seem clunky.

Great clue in most ways, but "volumes" (plural) suits the 
the definition far better than the surface.

Super job.  "backfire" is excellent!

If "has many volumes" is the definition, the light should be an adjective

-------------------------------------------------------------------

12th place (score 55.18%) - clue 22

    Reserve accountant points to library furniture (8)

Votes (normalized): 24 30 38 38 39 43 45 58 73 76 77 88 90

The 'to' doesn't worry me too much.  Nice clue.

Downgraded for BOOK, and I don't think much of "reserve accountant"
in the surface reading either.

Unspectacular.

"CA" and "SE" could be tough, but def. makes it solvable.  Another
apt charade.

I hate "points" (NSEW) clues and "CA" for accountant is a cliche,
but I'll give this clue points for the most meaningful surface here.

A nice try, but I got BOOKCPASE.  And whoever heard of a 
Chartered Accountant?

"point" has four possibilities, but "points" has 16 for
the two-letter case, 64 for the three-letter case,...
(I guess I don't mind seeing "points" when employed
subtractively and when there is no ambiguity; then also,
"quarter" is standard, I think, for NE/NW/SE/SW)

Not a bad clue.  It may not sit well with judges on one side
of the Atlantic, where "accountant" is typically abbreviated
as CPA (Certified Public Accountant).

I know "CPA", but I'm not familiar with "CA".  Must be my Americanism
shining through.  "points" isn't really "SE", since that's only one
"point".  But, "Reserve accountants point..." works fine as 
"BOOK-CAS-E".

A nice clue, like 21.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

13th place (score 51.44%) - clue 14

    Live without bag (having two holes) up on shelf (8)

Votes (normalized): 25 26 30 35 43 48 51 60 63 67 69 76 77

Another one that I had to read a few times before I was happy
with the surface.  But I was happy with the surface in the end.

"On" is gratuitous, and a bookcase with only one shelf isn't much
of a bookcase. However, my heart does go out to the poor bloke 
who has to go through life without even a torn bag on his shelf . . .

One shelf does not make a bookcase, and the construction seems
a bit complicated.

Yes, but what does it mean?

So-so surface, so-so container indication, so-so charade parts, so-so def.

Sound construction; surface is strange.

"on" is a waste word

Solid cryptic and definition, but the surface lacks a context
(is there a reason for me to really care whether my shelf lacks
a leaky bag?) and thus seems arbitrary.

I'll never go anywhere without my I.V.

Interesting construction. Surface weak.

While the wordplay is novel, I doubt it's solvable. The surface is a
little weak, and a bookcase is usually more than one shelf.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

14th place (score 49.75%) - clue 4

    Reserve container for library furniture (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 19 24 24 50 51 54 57 67 68 70 80 84

Unexciting, but a perfectly good clue.

Downgraded for both BOOK and CASE.

The first decent clue of the bunch.  Nice, simple, though perhaps a 
bit bland.

Points deducted because "case" has same meaning in both parts.

I don't like the use of container since bookcase is a container.

The synonyms (RESERVE;CONTAINER) for "book" & "case" are too general.

An unlikely concept.

An acceptably legal clue, but the cluing of "container" is
virtually indistinguishable from its use in the compound
"bookcase" (hence the usual dictum about *not* cluing a
compound word with its constituents).

The only flaw is that "container" is used in the charade as the same
meaning it has in the straight definition.  Perhaps some version of
"check" (as in, "to case out the joint") or "argument" (as in, "to
make a case"), but each of these requires surface reworking.

Anyone who simply used a BOOK + CASE charade got zip from me. It's lazy
and not very cryptic.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

15th place (score 46.99%) - clue 3

    Furnishing sweat fumes acceptable shortly before argument (8)

Votes (normalized): 16 20 29 38 38 40 40 50 63 67 69 71 71

What a horrible image this conjours up.  Extra marks for that! :-)

I'm attempting to imagine this scenario . . .
"I'm really glad the hotel furnished us with those sweat fumes."
"Yes, that was nice. So, shall we start arguing now?"

Yes, but what does it mean?

Don't like the definition.  Is "shortly" needed?  Awkward surface, but
I like the charade construction.

Didn't like "sweat fumes" = "BO"; surface makes no sense.

Strained.  

I liked the "BO OK" cryptic part of this clue.  But the 
definition is a little vague for my taste, and I can't get
a handle on exactly what the surface meaning.

I like the definition, but what does the surface mean?

Awkward surface. Shortly is extraneous. An okay attempt though.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

16th place (score 45.48%) - clue 9

    A hypothetical example would hold volumes? (8)

Votes (normalized): 12 13 25 30 30 30 43 48 50 51 75 85 100

Downgraded for BOOK, though I do like the way it reads.

A nice try that falls short.

Good attempt, but unsolvable. 

I don't normally think of (text)book cases as hypothetical; still
it's a good pun.

I'm not entirely comfortable with the surface, but the 
definitions --- both of which I'd regard as punny --- 
are pretty good.

I didn't think a double-definition was possible for this word, but you 
have proved me wrong!

There is no realisitc way for a solver to get BOOK CASE from "Hypothetical
example"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

17th place (score 39.73%) - clue 10

    Toss the casebook over to the shelves (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 1 12 14 40 40 43 50 50 60 63 69 75

Downgraded for BOOK.

I don't like clues that all but say the answer in them.

Unusual, but points off for being too easy to solve.

A bit too simple

Nice & simple, with a straight definition; but dull.

Too obvious.

Wouldn't "shelf" be fairer to the solver?  On the other
hand, the solution is virtually in plaintext in the
middle of the clue, so ...

Not a bad, if staring-in-your-face obvious, clue.  It's 
debatable whether "toss...over" adequately indicates
transposition rather than outright reversal.

Is there a precedent for such a syllabic inversion, as opposed to
a pedestrian anagram or a complete reversal?  I didn't think so,
but it stikes my fancy.  My only small objection is that the meaning
of "book" in "casebook" is really the same as in "bookcase" (note
that this is *not* true of "case").  In a perfect world, this would
not be true.

This is even lazier than the BOOK + CASE examples.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

18th place (score 39.09%) - clue 20

    Schedule legal action cabinet shelved (8) 

Votes (normalized): 0 12 20 28 38 40 42 43 50 57 62 78

I have trouble with the surface reading.  Is it too subtle for me?
Would "Cabinet schedule legal action" be a little better?  Not a
particularly bad clue, but spoiled by my not being able to get the
surface.

Downgraded for BOOK, and I don't care for the foreign/archaic word order
of "cabinet shelved".

Yes, but what does it mean?

best of the similar approaches, but definition wording is awkward.

Would be better as: "shelves schedule legal action"

"cabinet shelved" really do not fit in this surface

Very awkward surface, given the elements to work with.  I
think "Cabinet shelves schedule before legal action", or
something like that, would have gone a lot farther towards
impressing me.

This clue no active verb.

No points for the weak charade, no points for surface, and no points for
def

-------------------------------------------------------------------

19th place (score 29.00%) - clue 19

    Presidents' Boris' and Oleg's Kremlin cabinets--and secret exits! (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 8 12 13 14 17 29 48 51 54 63 70

Full marks for the imagination.  Was there a slip of the fingers,
though?  I get 'BAOKCASE' from this.  Should it have been "...Boris'
*or* Oleg's..."?

I think that first "and" must have been meant to be an "or", since
as it stands the author has clued "BAOKCASE". Also, for an 
"initials" indicator, one should really have something like
"presidents *of* . . .". Maybe "President of Byelorus or . . .".

I like the imagery, as well de Gaulle of de presidential initial-
letter indicator. :-)  But the clue is carelessly constructed: the
straight definition is in the plural, and the first two words are
unaccountably put in the possessive, as if we were using Latin.
Then in the surface reading, I've never heard of a President Oleg.
And finally, nothing says that we are to take the "presidents"
(first letters) *of* the other words.

Would have been my favorite clue (heck, I wrote it) if I hadn't just 
realized the answer is bookcases, not bookcase.  So much for quality 
control.  How could I have missed that?  Sorry, folks.  (I still like 
it, though.)

Close!

Points only for originality.

Not bad, but I got BAOKCASE.

I guess you meant to say OR

I don't buy "presidents" as an initial-letter indicator,
myself.  As an &lit, the "secret exits" part, at least,
seems completely extraneous.  The surface suffers somewhat
from the roughness that's typical of this sort of clue.

Baokcase?

A nice try, but and should be replaced with an & (otherwise, you get
BAOKCASE)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

20th place (score 20.15%) - clue 17

    Shelf with a ring on horseback overthrown, removed shortly
    an hour later (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 10 10 11 12 25 29 30 38 38 60

A few clues in this contest have surface readings which I just
couldn't get for a while -- and then they made sense.  Unfortunately
this one still evades me.  I am a solver of little brain.

Too complicated; "later" does not participate in the cryptic;
a "shelf" is not a bookcase; and there is no surface reading.

Rather a tortuous route to bookcase

Yes, but what does it mean?

Sub-standard def, awkward construction, wordy, meaningless surface.

Tortured anagram-removal clue, with a equestrian plank?

makes your head hurt to read it

Far more lengthy and complicated than I'd care for, and 
with murky surface imagery (what's a shelf doing, riding
a horse?) to boot.

A (almost doubly) indirect anagram, as "ring -> o" before 
participating in the anagram, which then participates in the 
charade - oh my!

Too confusing, poorly constructed, non-sensical

-------------------------------------------------------------------

21st place (score 15.82%) - clue 2

    Shelving reacts unfavourably in Missouri before floating at sea (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 13 13 20 43 50 54

A strange surface reading -- but I didn't mind that at all.
The 'before' is unnecessary for the charade, but it helps the
surface reading and it can be justified -- so I have no problem
with that.  However, not being familiar with US geography, I would
have no idea what cities are in Missouri -- fine for a US crossword,
but not for an international one.  Sorry.

"Boo" should be "react unfavourably" (as a verb) or "unfavourable
reaction" (as a noun). The "at" before "sea" messes up the
anagram indication. (And "KC" for "(in) Missouri"? Sheesh.)

KC is in Missouri -- well, mostly in Missouri but "in Missouri" is not KC.

Missouri = KC !?, I thought he led the Sunshine Band.

Yes, but what does it mean?

"in" is extraneous, and suggests a container (KBOOCASE?).  "at" is
extraneous as well, and "before" isn't even necessary.  I got "BOOS"
instead of "BOO", and Missouri -> KC?  From surface to construction, I
reacted unfavourably to this clue.

reacts unfavourably = boos.  Even if Missouri = KC, the IN would
yield Kboosc.  'Floating at' doesn't work as an anagram indicator
either

Didn't like "KC" for "Missouri"...why not STL? And despite the
explanation, still think the "floating" indicator is misplaced.

"Reacts unfavorably" = BOOS, not BOO; "Missouri" = MO, not KC;
"floating at sea" anagrams "at sea", not just "sea".  Everything
about this one is wrong.

I don't understand the surface.  Is this the USS Missouri?
Would prefer to see an abbreviation indicator for Kansas City.

Original, but treading (floating?) on shaky ground:  "boo" 
should be "react ...", not "reacts ..."; Missouri --> KC is
indirect (I might have bought "Missouri city", but that loses
the clue's "river" connotation).  

This charade needs polishing.  "Missouri" -> "KC" is not a proper
definition;  "floating at sea" should be an anagram of "at sea", 
not just "sea";  "reacts unfavo(u)rably" is a bit clumsy for "boo"; 
"in" suggests a container.  Together, these minor points conspire 
to damage the overall clue.  Further, the surface makes no sense.

How one gets KC from Missouri is beyond me
At FLOATING AT SEA indicates ASATE or something similar

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22nd place (score 15.48%) - clue 18

    Resting place for Marple and McGee (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 0 4 5 13 14 15 25 25 30 70

I've never heard of McGee -- but that's OK because I would still
be able to solve this.  Some people might like a '!' and/or '?' on
the end, but I think it's fine as it is.

No cryptic part. 

The cryptic definition, although interesting, is hardly misleading
enough to qualify for the rare "cryptic part only" clue.  The clue
setter's remark that they "solve cases in books" suggests that this
was not being attempted anyway, but that assertion hardly constitutes
a proper cryptic construction.

almost vg but . . . . not quite.

I don't get it.

huh?

This is either a very good clue or a very terrible clue. I vote the
latter since the double definition/&lit just doesn't work for me.

This sounds more like a standard clue than a cryptic.

Why make it so obvious?  Why not, "Resting place for
J.M. and T.M." ?

As far as I'm concerned, this amounts to a single definition
at best.  The "cases in books" reference, reworked into the
clue itself, might have made a decent charade; as it is,
it's far too indirect for my taste.

Either you haven't got a complete clue, or you have a problem with
bookcase vs. bookcases.

Would be a good def for an American crossword

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23rd place (score 8.75%) - clue 7

    Make six in a suit (8)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 14 38 50

A good cryptic part (aside from the extraneous "in a"), but no straight
definition part.

The answer, when obtained, is insufficiently obvious to justify the
rare "cryptic part only" clue.  Also, "in" to indicate concatenation
rather than containment is misleading.  And the reference to bridge
or whist is probably unknown even to many bridge players today, let
alone to a general audience.

make six = book, rather too technical

When I first read this, I thought, 'Shit, another clever &lit that's 
gonna win'.  Fortunately not.  It's (a) too bridge-specific and (b) 
missing a cryptic part.

This clue would be unsolvable even if it had a definition.  Another clue
with an extraneous, and misleading, "in" (i.e. CABOOKSE).

Missing definition; bridge term "book" is too obscure.

A proper clue consists of two parts: the literal clue and the 
wordplay.  This clue has only the wordplay, and does not qual-
ify as &lit.

Lovely cryptic.  But I refuse to accept a clue which makes no
effort to provide a "straight" definition.

This is, alas, only half a clue.  There needs to be a straight 
definition, too.  However, the cryptic is pretty good.

Make a definition next time. 

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-- 
Martin McCarthy                 /</              marty@hermetica.com
PGP key available.              \>\              marty@ehabitat.demon.co.uk