Here is a copy of a post made today on CWC90 (Full Results):


         CWC 90 FULL RESULTS --- MODERATOR'S COMMENTS

Nineteen of you responded to the challenge of clueing the two words
for Cryptic Writing Competition #90, with yours truly, Sailor John
Hakemian as moderator.

I thank all of you for your participation, and remind you that clue
judging is a very personal thing, and my opinions are simply that--
my opinions.

The winning clue for word #1, ENMITY, from Kevin Wald, was:

  Men smashed it with a club, displaying hostility (6)

The runner-up award for the first word went to Don Monson,
for his delightful anagramish clue:

   Dynamite exploding without notice engenders malice (6)

The winning clue for word #2, RENAISSANCE, a great homophone
contributed by Matthew Merzbacher, is:

  Descartes, without French, told of artistic revival (11)

Kevin Wald's runner-up clue for RENAISSANCE, was:

   See, Incas ran amok when the Medicis were in charge (11)

By virtue of his first-place clue on ENMITY, and his runner-up award
for RENAISSANCE, I am pleased to announce that the Overall Winner
of CWC#90 is Kevin Wald.  Congratulations to Kevin and to all
others who submitted clues.  By and large, I had a tough job
selecting winners from a truly outstanding group on entries.

FIRST, here is a full list of all regular and bonus clues entered:


         ENMITY:

 1  Ill will within Tiny Tim never returned (6)
 2  Hostility to someone who two-thirds to end
     on motorway yells to start back (6)
 3  Amity declared war (6)
 4  Dynamite exploding without notice engenders malice (6)
 5  Hostility in French (with German).  Why? (6)
 6  It separates out-of-sorts men and youths, at first! (6)
 7  Animosity causes ugly parasite to eat rotten big apple (6)
 8  Men smashed it with a club, displaying hostility (6)
 9  In my team half the trouble is animosity(6)
 10 Tiny Tim never held back hostility (6)
 11 Introductory expletives:  no man is too young for hatred (6)
 12 Hostility arising from lousy ancestry
 13 Dole can confirm Shalikashvili without any buried ill will.
 14 Half-dash it in my anger (6)
 15 Heartless enemy holds it! (6)
 16 Tiny Tim never held back ill-will (6)
 17 Tiny Tim never held back animosity  (6)
 18 Being me, I'd try eliminating the odds of conflict (6)
 19 Dislike even keen e-mail toys (6)

     BONUS CLUES:
 20 Reportedly, two directions with German antagonism (6)
 21 Last funny item destroyed hostility (6)
 22 Hatred caused heartless enemy to swallow it (6)

 
        RENAISSANCE:
  1 Returning Egyptian president received
     Fleming before I left ice revival (11)
  2 ... as I can sneer nastily on awakening (11)
  3 Revival as seen in car design (11)
  4 Revival of the arts since arenas torn down (11)
  5 Descartes, without French, told of artistic revival (11)
  6 Fifteenth century rendering of  saint as sincere if it's missing. (11)
  7 Rebirth of reason in case love is lost (11)
  8 See, Incas ran amok when the Medicis were in charge (11)
  9 Rebirth of insane races (11)
 10 Boiling cane resins start agri-
     cultural explosion (11)
 11 Since Nasser's revolutionary period, when a cultural revival occurred (
 12 Rebirth or death of the dark ages ? (11)
 13 Rebirth of mankind? (11)
 14 This time Cesare's in an intrigue ... Borgia style (11)
 15 Holy men in demolished arena - nice time for a revival (11)
 16 Cultural Revolution smashed Asian screen (11)
 17 Audition Stimpy's friend's father's sister's British revival  (11)
 18 In the 14th and 15th centuries, the English pursued Saracens in skirmis
 19 Amazingly, can erase sin! (11)

       BONUS CLUES:
 20 We hear Renee's insects will be born again (11)
 21 Iran as scene of recreation ? (11)
 22 A scar is seen in botched rebirth (11)
 23 Rebirth of art-rock group of the 1970s (11)

CLUE AWARDS, EXPLANATIONS & MODERATOR'S COMMENTS:

-------------------------------------------------------------
>In the clues and explanations below, this moderator's comments are
>previxed with a ">"

ENMITY:

>The clues I got for ENMITY surprised me in that there was a lot of
>repetition of devices and basic ideas.  This may have given an advantage
>to the top two I selected, as they were both solid charades that were not
>duplicated anywhere else.

>I will comment on these clues in a few groups.
>First, the "Tiny Tim" clues:

>I received FOUR clues which used the phrase "Tiny Tim never" to hide
>ENMITY in a reverse direction.  Although quite nice as hidden word
>constructions go, I couldn't give any prizes to four virtual duplications:
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: galejs@ll.mit.edu (Robert Galejs)

Ill will within Tiny Tim never returned (6)

        ill will = enmity (definition)
        within = hidden word indicator
        tinYTIMNEver
           ^^^^^^
        YTIMNE returned = ENMITY

>Nice definition and great reversal hidden word construction, but the
>surface is a little weak and your device, word for word, was identical
>to that used by Merlyn, Phil and Evan.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: merlyn@dgii.com (Brian Westley)

Tiny Tim never held back hostility (6)

   tinY TIM NEver = reverse hidden word
   held = hidden word indicator
   back = reversal indicator
   hostility = definition of ENMITY

>Nice definition and great reversal hidden word construction, but the
>surface is a little weak and your device, word for word, was
>quadruplicated by three others here... That Tiny
>Tim was a really nasty guy, wasn't he?!?
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: pvr@wg.icl.co.uk (Phil Rose)

Tiny Tim never held back ill-will (6)

tin_Y TIM NE_ver    -
held back           - reverse container indicator
ill-will            - definition

>Yet another nasty Tiny Tim! This may be the best of the 4, though it
>differs from two others only in the final word-the definition for ENMITY.
>I find "ill-will" a tiny bit more appropriate to the context than
>"hostility" or "animosity", and even tho Robert Galejs also used
>"ill-will", your surface is a little better. All four are good.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From:   IN%"evan@scd.hp.com"  "Evan Whitney"

Tiny Tim never held back animosity  (6)

        tinY TIM NEver = hidden word fodder
             held back = hidden and reversal indicators
             animosity = defn: ENMITY

>Well, your entry made it four uses of "Tiny Tim never"! It is identical
>to two others except for "animosity" vs. "hostility" or "ill-will".
>Yes, I do like the clue construction.  Yes, it is a fine clue. But I
>can't make four people the winner! I guess great cluing minds run in the
>same channel...
-------------------------------------------------------------

>Next, let's look at the four crostic clues.  What variety!  Jake took the
>"odds", Clay took the "evens", Lev took the endings and Brian took the
>beginnings! Faced with this variety, I have to be impressed with surface
>and imagination.  In descending order:
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lev Polinsky <polinsky@husc.harvard.edu>

Dole can confirm Shalikashvili without any buried ill will.

This is a last-letter acronym (the last letters of the first six words
spell out enmity).  Dole is, of course, Bob Dole, Senate Majority
Leader, while Shalikashvili is John Shalikashvili, the Chairman of  the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position that is, I believe, confirmed  by the
Senate.  Buried, as in 'at the bottom', tells you to look at  the last
letters (it's usually a container indicator, and you said you  wanted to
see odd uses of indicators; see also the 'ill' in...)  ill will, which is
the definition of enmity.  I guess 'buried ill will'  also defines
enmity, but that is beside the point.

>I like unusual and imaginative approaches to cluing, if they are
>reasonably solvable after the solver gains the insight to see the
>construction device.  This is a perfect example of that in action.  The
>surface is reasonable and topical, but I got the correct insight to solve
>your clued primarily by eliminating all other possibilities! I judge your
>clue a little deficient only on the solvability issue, particularly as it
>relates to the meaning of "buried".   Third Place (tie) to Lev!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: jbergman@oxygen.bbn.com (Jacob Bergmann)

Being me, I'd try eliminating the odds of conflict (6)

        eliminating the odds     signal for alternate hidden-letter clue
        conflict                 definition
          bEiNgMeIdTrY

>This is a great "variety-crostic" clue.  The surface is solid and
>meaningful, and you worked the "odds" indicator quite deceptively.  I
>can't find anything wrong with this clue, and quite a bit of excellence.
>My own personal preferences, however, rank it a tad below the top two.
>Award in a tie for Third Place for Jake with another crostic by Lev Polinsky.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Clayton Colwell <eris@bga.com>

        Dislike even keen e-mail toys (6)

        DISLIKE -- defn.
        EVEN    -- indicates taking the even letters of the
                   phrase following (kEeN e-MaIl ToYs)
        KEEN E-MAIL TOYS -- fodder

>Faced with the variety of good crostics I received, I had to be most
>impressed with surface and imagination. Your surface is not bad--I
>dislike some robo-Email systems, as well. But it comes in, IMHO, a little
>below Jake's and Lev's.
-------------------------------------------------------------

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

Introductory expletives: no man is too young for hatred (6)

 "introductory" = first-letter indicator
 first letters of Expletives No Man Is Too Young = "enmity"
 "hatred" = def.

>Nice acrostic, but the surface mystifies me--are you
>saying that "expletives" are the cause of hatred among
>our young, or what? (-;
-------------------------------------------------------------

>Next, let's examine the anagrams, of which I gratefully only had a few.

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

From: dmonson@direct.ca (Don Monson)

Dynamite exploding without notice engenders malice (6)

DYNAMITE        -   anagram material
exploding       -   anagram indicator
without notice - i.e., remove advertisement=ENMITYAD - AD
engenders     -   link word
malice          -   definition

>I generally don't like anagram-minus constructions, although I have used
>them myself for difficult words. But the surface value of dynamite
>"exploding" here is terrific; my main quibble is that, with that
>explosive beginning, you needed to find a stronger link and  word to
>define ENMITY, rather than simply "engenders malice". Maybe creates or
>causes "hate" or "hostility".
>  The Runnerup Award for Don, only inches behind the winner!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Edward Stalin <em2@acsu.Buffalo.EDU>

In my team half the trouble is animosity(6)

half team = te
trouble =  anagram indicator
animosity = definition
enmity is an anagram of in my te

>Not bad, but... I don't like "the trouble" as an anagram indicator. I
>also don't like separating the anagram indicator from the fodder by one
>of the other wordplay indicators ("half"); BTW, is your "team half" the
>offense or the defense??
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: paula@interserve.com (paula)

Animosity causes ugly parasite to eat rotten big apple (6)
EXPLANATION:
Animosity = definition
ugly parasite= MITE
rotten big apple= NY
MITE + NY = anagram of enmity.

>Welcome to a newbie!  Your clue is quite good, but please realize that in
>a contest of this type, I'm hoping for perfection!  You have an
>extraneous anagram indicator "rotten" that isn't doing anything, and
>MITE, arranged in any manner whatsoever, cannot "eat" (take inside) NY to
>produce ENMITY.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Now to the charades and containers, one of which was the winner.
There was some duplication here as well...
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: DW Bullock <BULLOCK@whio.lincoln.ac.nz>

Hostility to someone who two-thirds to end
   on motorway yells to start back (6)

Hostility to someone = definition
two-thirds to end = EN
on = position indicator
motorway = MI
yells to start = YT
back = reversal indicator

>A funny and meaningful surface, marred only by the somewhat stilted "to
>end".  I know M1 is a London motorway, but it's not really fair to expect
>solvers to know this--I'm sure that an American cluer who used "highway"
>to mean USI would be  roundly criticized. I think the construction
>requires the plural (startS).
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: matthew@ella.mills.edu (Matthew A. Merzbacher)

Hostility in French (with German).  Why? (6)
  Hostilty    = defn.
  in French   = EN
  with German = MIT
  Why?        = Y

I think of it as a summary of a breakdown in EC negotiations.

>I don't see a homophone indicator for "Why", although in a clue
>constructed this way, that's not a fatal flaw. But I can't put it much
>higher than average.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Edward Coulson <fyj@psu.edu>

It separates out-of-sorts men and youths, at first! (6)

It=IT
out-of-sorts=anagram indicator
men=anagram fodder =>ENM
youths, at first= Y
...so the whole is rendered as ENM(IT)Y and is also a straight definition.

>I love this clue's construction, and it got better each time I read it!
>So much so I chose another clue with a similar construction as the
>winner! Unfortunately, I can't agree with the &lit designation for the
>definition as I can think of a LOT of things that initially come between
>nasty men and youths other than ENMITY, like, e.g. rap music. And the "at
>first" is not attuned to the basic meaning of enmity. Great try, no cigar.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kevin Wald <wald@math.uchicago.edu>

   Men smashed it with a club, displaying hostility (6)

       hostility = ENMITY
       smashed = anagram indicator
       Men (anagrammed) = ENM
       a club = Y
       ENM + IT + Y = ENMITY

>A very solid contribution from Kevin, written as a charade so concrete it
>reads like an equation!  Some would quibble with the "club=Y" detail, but
>most in the U.S. are used to it and UKers have seen it frequently as
>well. Good imagery, although quite violent for this peaceful group!
> The winner by a clear, but small margin!
-------------------------------------------------------------

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

 Half-dash it in my anger (6)

   Half-dash = EN (printer's mark half the width of letter 'M')
   it = contained word
   in = container indicator
   my = container
   anger = definition
   EN M (IT) Y

>I don't find "anger" too accurate as a definition of ENMITY. And I'm not
>wild about the EM's and EN's of the printer's world--I like cryptic clues
>that use normal words and everyday abbreviations. And so although this is
>a very solid and cleanly constructed clue, it doesn't rate that high with
>me.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Martin McCarthy <marty@hermetica.com>

        Heartless enemy holds it! (6)

        Heartless    -- remove the centre from....
        enemy        -- ENMY
        holds        -- container indicator
        it           --   IT

 And enmity is the feeling that a heartless enemy holds.  Hence the &lit.

>This is the same basic construction as Paula's bonus clue below, with
>less words, and trying to masquerade as an &lit. I'm not really satisfied
>with the &lit construction, since anyone who is hostile, unfriendly,
>inimical, can be described as having enmity, whether they are heartless,
>cruel or not. But the clue is still quite good and rates highly overall.
>  Honorable Mention to Marty!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Now the rest of the group, and the Bonus Clues:
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Yap Yok Foo <yfyap@pop.jaring.my>

   Amity declared war (6)

When I start thinking about the word, I decided to
play with the homophones, ENMITY and AMITY.

This girl is really pugnacious.

>It's a bit of a stretch to consider ENMITY and AMITY as homophones.
>Perhaps "Amity declaring near to war" would have signaled ALMOST a
>homophone! If I could get over that problem, this clue would be the
>winner. Unfortunately, I can't.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: skaur@pc.jaring.my (Sharon Kaur)
Been hesitant at entering the contest, being a total newbee to Internet.

   Hostility arising from lousy ancestry

Explanation = Hostility = enmity
              Lousy = Bad
              Ancestry = blood
              Bad blood = enmity

>Welcome to another new entrant! This is an indirect double
>definition...one has to turn "lousy ancestry" into "bad blood" before the
>solver can come up with another meaning for that phrase.  This is
>considered unfair and might be unsolvable unless you had several crossing
>letters in a puzzle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

BONUS CLUE        From: paula@interserve.com (paula)

   Reportedly, two directions with German antagonism (6)

     Reportedly=homophone indicator
     two directions= N + E
     with German = MIT
     antagonism= definition of N-MIT-E homophone.

>In addition to a weak surface meaning, this clue is an indirect
>homophone, which might be OK in the rare case where the syllables
>to-be-spoken are very clear, but not here. Additionally, you need
>something to indicate that the MIT goes _between_ the "N" and the "E". I
>admire your imagination for (as you have indicated) your rather low
>amount of experience!
-------------------------------------------------------------

BONUS CLUE       From: paula@interserve.com (paula)

   Last funny item destroyed hostility (6)

  Last of funny = NY
  Item destroyed = anagram signal for ITEM
  NY + ITEM = ENMITY anagram
  hostility = definition

>Most here would find you need to say "last _part of_ funny" if you want
>to get NY rather than just Y; a lesser problem is that the anagram
>indicator DESTROYED applies to both the NY and the ITEM, which makes it
>at least semi-indirect.  These rules that you are transgressing to some
>degree are intended to keep clues fair for the solvers, not just  to be
>arbitrary. The surface isn't too bad, tho...
-------------------------------------------------------------

BONUS CLUE       From: paula@interserve.com (paula)

    Hatred caused heartless enemy to swallow it (6)

  Hatred - definition
  heartless enemy - enemy minus "e" in middle --ENMY
  swallow - container indicator
   ENMY with IT inside = ENMITY

>Paula, this is a VERY good clue for ENMITY! Your  definition is solid,
>your construction solid and fair, as there is no requirement that "IT"
>get "swallowed" where ENEMY's "heart" used to be. Congratulations! Now if
>you could just get some more surface meaning, this clue could have been a
>winner.  Keep up the good work!
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Now on to RENAISSANCE:
-------------------------------------------------------------
>I got a very, very good set of clues for RENAISSANCE, and  the judging
>was QUITE difficult. A couple of you were nice enough to misspell your
>anagrams so I could eliminate those clues quickly! (-; I received several
>excellent homophonic clues, and like all clues of this type, a minor
>difference in construction and/or surface can make a great difference in
>how this moderator judges such a clue.
>   IMHO, the top ten clues were all of top-notch caliber! There were no
>major duplications, so here are the clues in the order received:
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: galejs@ll.mit.edu (Robert Galejs)

   Returning Egyptian president received
      Fleming before I left ice revival (11)

        revival = renaissance (definition)
        Egyptian president = Nasser
        Fleming = Ian (as in James Bond)
        NASSER received IAN = NASSIANER
        NASSIANER returning = RENAISSAN
        I left ICE = CE
        RENAISSAN before CE = RENAISSANCE

I hope the surface evoked a foreign dignitary greeting a former
skating champion (Peggy) during a ice skating performance

>This comes fairly close to my "tortured charade" category, but each piece
>of the clue is fair and solid, and I even like the surface...but what
>were you doing with Peggy?         Honorable Mention to Robert!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: DW Bullock <BULLOCK@whio.lincoln.ac.nz>

 ... as I can sneer nastily on awakening (11)

as I can sneer = anagram fodder
nastily = anagram indicator
awakening = definition

>This clue evokes the image of of a real low life, who barely gets his
>head off the pillow before breaking out into a big Sneer! Although
>"awakening" is OK, it's not a particularly strong definition for
>RENAISSANCE.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Yap Yok Foo <yfyap@pop.jaring.my>

   Revival as seen in car design (11)

Revival = def
as seen in car = anagram fodder
design = anagram indicator

Reads like a headline from the motoring press about the British car
industry ?

>Yap comes up with another solid clue, and an anagram that actually has a
>reasonable surface meaning! The "as" is clumsy in the surface, but, of
>course, is necessary for the anagram.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: dmonson@direct.ca (Don Monson)

   Revival of the arts since arenas torn down (11)

Revival of the arts -   definition
SINCE ARENAS        -   anagram material
torn down           -   anagram indicator

>This anagram clue is very solid with a surface that has no extraneous
>words, but accomplishes a real meaning. I can actually hear some
>anti-sports politically-correct person saying this phrase in support of a
>proposition to remove the Astrodome!    Third Place Award to Don!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: matthew@ella.mills.edu (Matthew A. Merzbacher)

   Descartes, without French, told of artistic revival (11)

  Descartes           = Rene
  without French      = sans
  told                = homophone indicator (Rene sans)
  of artistic revival = defn.

>Oh my gosh, a great homophone clue!  Complete with a phony French accent
>like a New York maitre'd!   And the surface, although slightly stilted,
>actually MEANS something! Only the technical detail that a correct French
>pronunciation of "sans" would not sound the final "S"  keeps this clue
>from perfection.   The winner? YES!!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Edward Coulson <fyj@psu.edu>

   Fifteenth century rendering of saint as sincere if it's missing. (11)

Fifteenth century= definition
rendering of= anagram indicator
saint as sincere= anagram fodder
if it's missing= remove ITS from anagram fodder
   which yields RENAISSANCE

>Although an anagram-minus construction is not the kiss of death to this
>moderator, everything had better hold together very well to get rated
>highly.  This clue falls a little short in the definition and
>the surface meaning.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: paula@interserve.com (paula)

   Rebirth of reason in case love is lost (11)

Rebirth= definition
reason in case = anagram of renaissance minus "O".
love is lost = remove the O from "reason in case"

>This newbie's clue is very good, but she needs to point out that rebirth"
>serves not only as the definition, but also as an anagram indicator. The
>"anagram-minus" construction is not objectionable here with such a nice
>flow and surface meaning.  Great job! Newcomer Recognition Award!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kevin Wald <wald@math.uchicago.edu>

   See, Incas ran amok when the Medicis were in charge (11)

       when the Medicis were in charge = RENAISSANCE
       amok = anagram indicator
       See, Incas ran (anagrammed) = RENAISSANCE

>Incas. See Incas. See Incas run. See Incas run amok! Great definition.
>Great indicator.  And a surface that conjures up an image of native South
>Americans caught up in European court intrigue!  Wonderful clue.
> The Runner-Up to Kevin, by a close margin!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Edward Stalin <em2@acsu.Buffalo.EDU>

   Rebirth of insane races (11)

anagram of insane races = renaissance
rebirth = definition
also, rebirth = anagram indicator
also, entire clue signifies renaissance

>This is a solid anagram clue, with a solid definition and a reasonable
>surface. But there isn't anything that makes it stand out from the crowd.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: merlyn@dgii.com (Brian Westley)

   Boiling cane resins start agri-
    cultural explosion (11)

   boiling = anagram indicator
   CANE RESINS start AGRI = CANE RESINS + A
   cultural explosion = definition of RENAISSANCE

>Neat trick with splitting a word to create both part of your Anagram+
>construction and the definition to boot! In another contest, that much
>itself might be enough to win, but I've got some great clues for this
>word, and the somewhat unlikely surface slips you a little behind.
>  Honorable Mention to Merlyn for a great clue!
-------------------------------------------------------------

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

  Since Nasser's revolutionary period, when a cultural revival occurred (11)

      "since nasser" anagrammed = "renaissance"
      "revolutionary" = anagram indicator
      "period when a cultural revival occurred" = def.

>Well, Brian, I never would have believed that it could happen to a great
>cluer like you, but "since Nasser" anagrams to RENAISSSNCE. 'Nuff said.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: skaur@pc.jaring.my (Sharon Kaur)

   Rebirth or death of the dark ages ? (11)

Rebirth = renaissance
Death of the Dark Ages = beginning of the Rennaisance

>There is nothing WRONG with this clue, but the two definitions use
>meanings that are derived from the same base. So it doesn't do anything
>FOR me, as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lev Polinsky <polinsky@husc.harvard.edu>

   Rebirth of mankind? (11)

Renaissance is translated as 'rebirth'.  Cryptic:  this is a pun on the
words 'renaissance man'; renaissance is, in a punny way, a kind of man,
or mankind.  A stretch?--yeah.

>Yeah...I agree
-------------------------------------------------------------

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

   This time Cesare's in an intrigue ... Borgia style (11)

        This time = definition (Renaissance Period)
        Cesare's in an = anagram fodder
        intrigue = anagram indicator
        Borgia style = definition (Renaissance Style)

Cesare Borgia, the (illegitimate) son of Pope Alexander VI, was a patron
of the Renaissance artists in Italy in the early 16th century and
protector  of Leonardo da Vinci. He was the model which Machiavelli's
'The Prince' is based upon - well-known for his (and his sister
Lucretia's) various  intrigues. His father fell victim to a poisoning
intended for them both.

>But how about my favorite actor, Romero? (-; This is a very interesting
>and history-filled clue, but as a _cryptic_, it leaves me a little cold.
>The definition(s) are split and are really hypernyms; "this time" could
>mean any time, & "Borgia style" could mean a brand of arsenic. "Intrigue"
>as an anagram indicator is also pushing it a bit.  The anagram fodder is
>great, as is the surface, but that's not enough to push it to the top.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Martin McCarthy <marty@hermetica.com>

        Holy men in demolished arena - nice time for a revival (11)

        Holy men        -- SS  (abbreviation of "saints")
        in              -- containment indicator
        demolished      -- anagram indicator
        arena nice      -- anagram fodder for:  RENAI..ANCE
        time for a revival -- definition.

You didn't ask for my opinion, but I think my first clue is OK and the
second is terrible.  Feel free to disagree about the second one :-).

>I won't argue with you on SS as an abbreviation for "saints", but none of
>my references have it. (Why not "storm troopers"?) I like the unique
>definition and the nicely crafted anagram, but the surface is contrived.
>I guess I agree with your own evaluation!
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: pvr@wg.icl.co.uk (Phil Rose)

   Cultural Revolution smashed Asian screen (11)

Cultural Revolution - definition - after all the Renaissance
                      was a major cultural change in Europe
smashed             - anagram indicator (apologies :-))
Asian screen        -> ASIANSCREEN -> RENAISSANCE

>A great anagram clue with a deceptive surface. In this competition,
>however, it is near, but not at the top of the heap.
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Evan Whitney <evan@scd.hp.com>

   Audition Stimpy's friend's father's sister's British revival  (11)

    Audition = homophone indicator
    Stimpy's friend's = REN IS  ('s is contraction, not possessive)
    Father's sister's = AUNT'S
    British = accent for AUNT'S (rhymes with HAUNTS)
    revival = defn: RENAISSANCE

This clue has a slightly flawed construction in that REN is not
really a homophone; however, "REN IS" is.

>A very good and technically perfect homophone clue! I wouldn't agree with
>your statement that it is "slightly flawed" by the "Ren".  I have
>somewhat more of a problem with the "Stimpy's friend's" = REN IS...in the
>context given, this might need a dose of ESP to derive.  As a pure
>homophone, it is actually a tad better than Matthew's winner, but your
>surface suffered as the result of your imaginative construction.
> Great job. No cigar. But an Honorable Mention instead to Evan!
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From: jbergman@oxygen.bbn.com (Jacob Bergmann)

In the 14th and 15th centuries, the English pursued Saracens in
skirmishes  (11)

        In the ... centuries     definition
        English                  E
        pursued                  place after
        SARACENS IN              anagram fodder
        skirmishes               anagram signal
              RENAISSANC + E

>In a normal contest, this excellent anagram+ clue would place, perhaps
>even win.  But, at least for MY taste, this competition has many other
>entries equally as good and somewhat more imaginative.  You can't beat
>this one for historical accuracy, and smooth surface, however. I have to
>give Jake yet another Honorable Mention!
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From: Clayton Colwell <eris@bga.com>

     Amazingly, can erase sin! (11)

        AMAZINGLY -- anagram indicator
        CAN ERASE SIN -- fodder

  This is a &lit. whether you take the phrase to refer to the
fundamentalist "born again" syndrome or you take it to mean the
Renaissance, with its new focus on Rational thought and much less
emphasis on religious credos.  (Note that this is why I used
"amazingly" instead of "miraculously", since the latter word
does not lend itself to the second interpretation.)

>Clay, I read your explanation as to why this clue is a $lit. several
>times, but I just don't buy it. I don't see how the Renaissance had much
>to do with "amazingly" erasing sin.  It's a leap to go from a phrase of
>that type to "Rational thought" and "less emphasis on religious
>credos".   In fact, I could make a decent case for your clue suggesting
>MORE emphasis on religion.  Good try, and you might have succeeded with
>someone else as moderator, but not with me.
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From: paula@interserve.com (paula)
BONUS CLUE
    
    We hear Renee's insects will be born again (11)

     We hear= homophone indicator
     Renee's = homophone
     insects= ANTS (homophone)
     born again = definition

>As much as I am prejudiced FOR imaginative homophones, I just can't
>accept this one. Sorry, particularly coming after Matthew's beauty.
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From: paula@interserve.com (paula)
BONUS CLUE

          Iran as scene of recreation ? (11)

  Iran as scene = anagram or renaissance
  recreation = definition

>OK, with a nice punnish definition. But again you have a word that could
>do double duty as a def'n AND a anagram indicator, i.e. Re-creation", and
>you stopped short of that imaginative idea.
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From: paula@interserve.com (paula)
BONUS CLUE

    A scar is seen in botched rebirth (11)

  botched - anagram indicator
a scar is seen - anagram of renaissance
rebirth - definition

>Well, I got RENAISSASCE out of "a scar is seen".  
>But then I'm not a great speller(-;           
>Maybe you meant "A scar seen in botched...", omitting the "in", which not 
>only gives you the correct letters, but which BTW works beautifully 
>with your surface.
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From: bcs@sc.harris.com (Brian Spollen)
BONUS CLUE:

   Rebirth of art-rock group of the 1970s (11)

      "rebirth" = def.
      "art-rock group ..." = def. (likely obscure)

>So that's what my son was playing on his stereo...
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Once again, thanks to all, and I look forward to Kevin Wald's moderating
CWC#91!

John Hakemian, aka
         /|
        //|\   ***
 ****  ///|\\         Sailor John
  **  ////|\\\  *** Chesapeake Isle
   __/////|\\\\_      MD and NYC
  /__PANACHE__/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* S.V. PANACHE on the Chesapeake, S.V. PANACEA in the BVI *
