Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Path: bryson.demon.co.uk!demon!zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk!uknet!pipex!uunet!spool.mu.edu!torn!nott!bnrgate!bcrka451!sjm
From: sjm@bnr.ca (Stuart MacMartin)
Subject: PCWC18 results
Message-ID: <1993Aug17.122612.26246@bcrka451.bnr.ca>
Sender: 5E00 Corkstown News Server
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 12:26:12 GMT
Lines: 386


What a wonderful experience, hosting this contest!

I accidentally put this week as the deadline for voting, so I bided
my time hoping for some deciding votes.  This great set of clues
deserved some more voting.  Where are all the closet critics?
Hopefully on holiday.  

Also, I find comments in the PCW contest to be quite interesting,
especially the extremes of the comments.  When voting, please be
liberal with your comments (being careful not to discourage people
like me, of course).
                                               
Stuart
------------------------------------------------------------------
There were 13 clues and 9 voters; maximum total 108.0
This was a very tight race:  As one voter put it, "I find that this
word CARGO has produced more clues that I really like than any
previous PCWC."  This can by seen by the disparate votes. 
            
&lits faired fairly well.

The overall winner was Paul Asente, with:
    Crates addressed rather graphically on their tops! (5)
This received only one first place score!

Second place goes to Tovah Hollander for:
   Bamboo gracefully twisted holds the goods (5)

Mark Oshin finished third, with nearly half of the voters placing
his clue 1st or tied for first.  His beloved and behated clue:
    Transatlantic argosies bear this! (5)

With only 9 voters, 7 different clues were given first or ties
for first.

Scores:

Clue	total	 %max	rank	  mean	 st.dev	 median  # 1st 
----	-----	 ----	----	  ----	 ------	 ------  -----
  1	 60.0	 55.6	 5-6	  6.67	  4.32	  8.50    3
  2	 45.5	 42.1	 11	  5.06	  3.07	  4.00
  3	 30.0	 27.8	 12	  3.33	  1.56	  3.50
  4	 55.0	 50.9	  8	  6.11	  3.30	  6.00    1
  5	 52.0	 48.1	 10	  5.78	  2.27	  4.50
  6	 53.0	 49.1	  9	  5.89	  2.50	  7.00
  7	 66.5	 61.6	  3	  7.39	  4.14	  9.00    4
  8	 59.0	 54.6	  7	  6.56	  3.50	  6.00    1
  9	 63.5	 58.8	  4	  7.06	  3.44	  7.50    2
 10	 72.5	 67.1	  1	  8.06	  2.68	  8.00    1
 11	 69.5	 64.4	  2	  7.72	  1.72	  7.50
 12	 15.5	 14.4	 13	  1.72	  1.96	  0.50
 13	 60.0	 55.6	 5-6	  6.67	  3.04	  7.00    1



Vote distribution histograms:
-------------------------------------------------------
The contents of many an ancient vessel (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |                         
           1 | XXX        X    XX  XX X
Clue #1      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
-------------------------------------------------------

Load calcium with argon nucleus (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |        X                
           1 |X   X  XX   X  XX    X   
Clue #2      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Devilish rogue replaced Europium with Calcium for shipment.(5)
           3 |                         
           2 |    X  X                 
           1 |  X XX XX  XX            
Clue #3      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
A log rack holds up the freight.  (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |        X                
           1 |  X    XX   XX X     X  X
Clue #4      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Load up in dog race (5)
           3 |        X                
           2 |        X                
           1 |       XXX  X  XX    X   
Clue #5      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Load shifted during dog race (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |               X         
           1 |  X   X X   X XXX X      
Clue #6      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Transatlantic argosies bear this! (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |                  X     X
           1 | X X      X X     X    XX
Clue #7      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Rag company recycled crates of material. (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |                         
           1 | X     X XX X X     XX  X
Clue #8      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Load argc variable with zero (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |            X  X         
           1 |   XX       X  X     XXX 
Clue #9      |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Crates addressed rather graphically on their tops! (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |                X        
           1 |       X  X X   XX   XX X
Clue #10     |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Bamboo gracefully twisted holds the goods (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |               X         
           1 |           XXXXX X  X X  
Clue #11     |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Add car to the aborted embargo and have shipment (5)
           3 | X                       
           2 |XX                       
           1 |XX X X  X   X            
Clue #12     |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2

-------------------------------------------------------
Primary sign of commerce on ship!  (5)
           3 |                         
           2 |                         
           1 |  X    X  X X XX X   XX  
Clue #13     |_________________________
                                  1 1 1
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
=======================================================
COMMENTS:

  1) The contents of many an ancient vessel (5)

        Many an ancient vessel = C (hundred) + ARGO
        ARGO being Jason's ship
        The contents (of) being CARGO

RANK: 5-6

 "Many" is too vague a clue for "C"

 I find that this word CARGO has produced more clues that I really like
 than any previous PCWC.  This excellent &lit is in a 3-way tie
 for first place in my ranking.

 Nice.

------------------------------------------------
  2) Load calcium with argon nucleus (5)

        "Load" = "cargo"; "calcium" = "ca" (atomic symbol),
        "argon nucleus" = "rgo" (center of the word "argon")
RANK: 11

 Good surface meaning!

 The surface reading does not make chemical sense, and on the
 cryptic side, "argon nucleus" suggests "g" rather than "rgo".
 In some previous contests this clue could easily have ranked in the
 middle; here, it ends up in last place.

 I think that the surface reading needed a touch more scientific validity.

------------------------------------------------
  3) Devilish rogue replaced Europium with Calcium for shipment.(5)

        anagram rogue = eurgo, subtract eu, add ca = cargo
        shipment = definition

RANK: 12

 Decent surface meaning, but the construction is awfully complicated,
 and "europium = Eu" is somewhat specialized knowledge.  Also, why
 are the element named capitalized?

 "Europium" and "Calcium" stick out like sore thumbs.
------------------------------------------------------------
  4) A log rack holds up the freight.  (5)

        A -- superfluous
        LOG RACK -- container; L(OGRAC)K
        HOLDS -- container indicator
        UP -- reversal indicator
        THE FREIGHT -- dfn. of CARGO

RANK: 8

 Not bad.  It's interesting how many clues this time included
 the solution word backwards.
-------------------------------------------------
  5) Load up in dog race (5)

	load = definition; dOG RACe = reversed hidden word

RANK: 10

 This doesn't seem to read as well as clue 4 to me.

 How can you "load up" during (== in) the race?
--------------------------------------------------------------
  6) Load shifted during dog race (5)

        Load          = definition
        shifted       = reversal indicator
        during        = "hidden" indicator
        dOGRACe
        (Sled dogs, apparently)

RANK: 9

 "shifted" implies anagram to me, not reversal.

 Why "shifted" for "reversed"?  Why "during" for physical containment?
 Clue 5 is significantly better than this.
--------------------------------------------------------------
  7) Transatlantic argosies bear this! (5)

        Hidden (bear = contain) and lit.

RANK: 3

 Another solid &lit, downgraded just below the first-place tie because
 of the relatively obscure word "argosies".

 Doesn't quite work for me (but keep on trying --- a good &lit is like a
 pearl).
------------------------------------------------------------
  8) Rag company recycled crates of material. (5)

	Rag company = RAG CO.
	recycled = anagram indicator
	crates of material = definition of CARGO

RANK: 7

 Good surface reading.
---------------------------------------------
  9) Load argc variable with zero (5)

        Load = def; argc variable = anag. CARG; zero = O

        (Note to non-programmers:  argc is the standard variable
		name for the argument count to a C program)

RANK: 4

 Excellent surface meaning!

 Obscure, but clever, and I liked it even though I'm not a c programmer.

 One more for the first-place tie.  Given the nature of the Usenet
 readership, I think it reasonable to assume knowledge of C, and
 I find the surface meaning particularly charming here.

 Perhaps too simple.
---------------------------------------------
 10) Crates addressed rather graphically on their tops! (5)

        "Crates addressed rather graphically on" their tops (first
            letters) = C a r g o.   The whole clue also describes
            cargo.

RANK: 1

 I usually detest clues that use an acronym in their construction,
 but here the &lit is pretty enough to offset that.  However,
 "rather graphically" is rather forced.

 I don't think that the clue as a whole describes cargo. 
------------------------------------------------
 11) Bamboo gracefully twisted holds the goods (5)

	bamboO GRACefully = reverse container
	twisted = reversal indicator
	holds = container indicator
	goods = definition

RANK: 2

 But what does it mean?

 "twisted" implies anagram to me, not reversal.

 Reads beautifully.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 12) Add car to the aborted embargo and have shipment (5)

        "Add"             <-- anagram indicator
        "to the"          <-- link word
        "aborted"         <-- action verb on the next word, meaning remove
        "aborted embargo" <-- remove the first few letters of "embargo"
                              to get "argo" (as is often in abortion,
                              remove in the 'first few' months)
        mix 'car' & 'argo' <-- you get "CARGO" <need to concatenate>
        "shipment"         <-- defn.
        overall            <-- by stopping embargo on products, we can
                               trade with others, & thus have CARGO!

RANK: 13

 I do not like this charade

 Too complicated, and it's not clear how much to remove from "embargo."
 "Aborted" implies "cut off before the end" so I would read it as 
 meaning "embarg".

 Why should "aborted" mean "including only the LAST part of"?

 I don't like "argo" from "aborted embargo". `

------------------------------------------------
 13) Primary sign of commerce on ship!  (5)


        Primary sign of commerce = C
        ship = ARGO
        &lit   

RANK: 5-6

 Can "primary sign" mean "first letter"?

 Yet another excellent &lit completes the first-place tie group.

 I don't like "Primary sign of commerce" to indicate "c".
 Rest of the clue good, though.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BONUS CLUE:  Load Jason's ship beyond the sea.
             DFN.     ARGO  put behind     C

 There is no indication that "sea" indicates a soundalike.
 The author probably did well to choose their other clue for their
 official entry.  However, I am still of the opinion that an author
 should be permitted to submit more than one entry anyway.  Why not?

 Best of the lot! Bravo! I'd award this 1st place if permitted.

-- 
== Stuart MacMartin   sjm@bnr.ca   Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, CANADA
==                                 Standard disclaimers apply
