Subject:      PCWC59 RESULTS
From:         jlg8k@mamba.cs.Virginia.EDU (Joseph L. Ganley)
Date:         1996/07/15
Message-Id:   <DuLEEC.1B8@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Newsgroups:   rec.puzzles.crosswords

PCWC59 RESULTS

Congratulations to Karen L Lingel (80.41%!) for (de)composing the
winning clue:

    Dead man returns in heroes' procession.

(Psst... no one else mentioned it, so I will.  
Lose the stop and add the enumeration.)

I pass the torch to Karen -- she has agreed to moderate PCWC 60 (thanks!).

Kevin Wald (70.65%) wins a vial of embalming fluid for improvising
the runner-up:

   Jazzy score captivates leader of parliamentary body (6)

Thanks to everyone for helping to make my first r.p.c. victory
a sweet one!  (especially my man Joe for posting all this)

Note:  The COPSE+R construction was "obvious" to everyone but myself,
it seems.  You see, I didn't know the word "copse" beforehand.
(*blush* - I have to admit that on r.p.c. of all places!!!)

If I had, who knows whether I would've picked a different word.  (After
all, CC *was* in town last weekend.)  The good news is that it appears
that the repitition barely affected the outcome of the COPSE+R clues.


Here is the complete list of clues, scores, and comments:

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

Clues definining "corpse" as just "body" were rated somewhat
less than those that managed to attach "dead" (or a synonym)
to it, which I regarded as a more proper definition and a
cleverer construct.

Some interesting clues from a seemingly unpromising word.
We could put all the copses together and use the best of each
to drag out the imagery. 
A grove isn't a copse...
they have different purposes. Thicket is nearer. Spinney is closest
but not many people use it. Ain't compiling tough!

Hmmmm . . . . . as the author of the 'last of four . . . body'
clue I can't help but notice it was placed as the last of four
body clues, I think there may be sinister forces at work here.
I work my way through the clues and, bloody hell, a fifth body
turns up in clue #25 now making mine technically inaccurate as
five bodies have been found in the thicket damn, damn, damn.

#26 and #29 (both bonus clues) were the best of the lot.  The real ones
were a good bunch of clues, but those two stood out.
A lot of duplication.  Points were given for uniqueness.

The chosen word to be clued was great, and the moderator is
a truly wonderful and gifted person whom I shall be sure to
include on my Christmas card list.

I find I liked the clues best whose definitions blended into the 
clues, like parliamentary body, body of Marines, etc.
I should also mention that I do crosswords in doctor's offices, etc,
so I prefer clues that I can solve without a lot of reference materials.
That is, I prefer "clever" to "obscure".

Many of the clues, especially the body/thicket ones, led too
directly to the answer.

I didn't actually submit an entry for this contest.  Therefore I'm much
more qualified to vote, and my ballot should be worth twenty :-)

I don't believe in downgrading clues because of similarity, for all you
thicket-lovers.

P.S. nor you core-lovers

Quite a few "copse" clues, which I judged to be the easy way out.
While legitimate, they weren't very 'inspiring'.

The word didn't seem to provide for a lot of distinct clueing
styles.

I found the word somewhat limiting in terms of definitions, and
I think it shows in a comparatively weak showing, all in all.

The word did not lend itself to many definitions, but
I did not expect ten talented 25 cluers to simply use "body".
I gave extra points to more imaginative definitions.
Also got tired of COPSE including some form of R.

Judging from the number of decent entries, I guess this 
was a pretty easy word - but it stumped me to find
a really good, misdirecting clue.

I was expecting at least one clue containing the phrase 
"He's dead, Jim".

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

1st place (score 80.41%) - clue 8
>From Karen L Lingel (kll@lns598.lns.cornell.edu)

    Dead man returns in heroes' procession.

Votes (normalized): 47 50 60 60 63 67 67 70 75 86 88 89 90 98 100 100 100 100 100 100

Nice, image-laden surface; good cryptic; adequate definition.

Being the son, grandson, nephew and brother of vets (who all came
home okay), I like the reading on this one.

Nice surface.

One of my favourites if a little obvious. 'returns' blows it for
me as there is this feeling of 'resurrection'! How about...
Dead man brought back in heroes' procession.

It all fits together.  First place.

A close second place.  reads well and makes sense, and the familiar
cryptic is the only detractor. 

A fun hidden word.  Definition too obvious, though.

Nice topical surface.

Loved this one - it read like part of a synopsis of a Wagner opera. 

Good surface, and a nice hidden word.

Good reverse acrostic, but surface a little questionable. Just a 
little...

Good plain clue.

I like this clue.  Interesting imagery -- like returning from
the dead -- very "folk tale"-ish.  Solid clue, with good usage of
the reverse hidden combination.   And though I am biased against
clues whose definitions in the surface reading mean the same as
the answer, I can't help liking this one best.  Good job!

Nice example of a reverse hidden word clue! Great surface.

Nice clue; "Dead Man" is a little obvious a definition.

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

2nd place (score 70.65%) - clue 2
>From Kevin Wald (wald@math.uchicago.edu)

    Jazzy score captivates leader of parliamentary body (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 31 39 43 60 63 67 68 78 80 80 80 86 89 90 90 100 100 100

Good surface; definition well-integrated into the clue so that
it's not obvious.  I'm not overly impressed with the choice of
anagram indicator.

Sorry, but I *hate* anagram a bunch of letters and stick one in it.

Nice to have a different 'body'. I like it a lot except for
'captivates' as a container.

Hard to visualize the jazz combo in the legislative chamber,
getting a response, it appears, only from the leader.

I like "jazzy score" but that's not what captivate means.

Good solid clue, and surface is unrelated to definition.
Perhaps a bit obvious that first item (jazzy score) must
contain something, which in turn pretty much points to
"body" as the definition by default.

Flawless.  

The only "body" clue I really liked - putting "parliamentary"
in front of it provided some measure of disguise. 

Clean, with a nice beat.  I'd give it a 85, Dick.

I marked this up because I liked "jazzy" as an indicator.

A good example of an anagram plus

I like this clue.  Decent surface, with at least a different
contextual meaning of the overused definition "body".  Clever
and fitting anagram indicator.  My second favorite.

Nice construction, but surface fails.

Obscure but legitimate use of "captivate" more than made up
for by a rock-em sock-em glitteringly misleading surface.
Bravo!

Love the surface.

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

3rd place (score 70.15%) - clue 13
>From Ben Zimmer (zimmer@prolog.net)

    "Dead Man Walking," "Serpico," "Missing," "One From the Heart" (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 20 25 38 38 50 60 67 71 75 80 80 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

"What are four films that have never been in my kitchen, 
Alex".  Sorry, couldn't resist a little Cheersful humor.
Wonderful interaction of surface, definition, and cryptic;
flawed (though only somewhat) by a less-than-action-packed
anagram indicator and the extraneous "...from the heart".

At least is wasn't "Clueless" 8-)

"Walking" as an anag. ind.? Sorry, I don't buy it. Cute idea, though.

Like it - extremely clever but just doesn't make my top couple of
clues. I'd love to see a thematic made up of these even though
I'd never manage to solve it!

Loved it, but the waste words at the end drag it way down.

I liked the idea, but unfortunately not the result

My winner.  Only fault is that ONE (I) is not actually at
the "heart" of SERPICO.  Close enough, though.  The most unique clue.
Well done.

Another very creative clue with a well-integrated theme
having nothing to do with the definition.  Ties for #1
with the "writeback cache" clue.  Good job!

Very clever linking of these movies.  Although "walking" is a weak
anagram indicator.

Very clever, but I felt "one from the heart" should have referred
to P and not I. 

Extremely clever.

Marked up for clever cinematic clue; but marked down for using 
"walking" as anagram indicator.

Very clever, though the surface doesn't *mean* anything.  But I 
like it; it's original.  I'll even buy "walking" as an anagram
indicator, with a smile (I keep picturing the letters walking
around aimlessly...)  (...and no, I haven't been.) <g>  Third best.

Outstanding, imaginative clue. How in the world did you come
up with this gem?! Even the "heart" is placed anatomically 
correct!

I'll break my normally fussy punctuation rules for a 
spectacular novelty clue like this.  Top marks.

Nice idea (but drop the quotes); pity "from the heart" is superfluous.
Can't think of another suitable film though, unless "Missing" gets
a sequel, in which case you could have "Missing I"

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

4th place (score 57.91%) - clue 17
>From Ralph Kennedy (kennedy@asuvax.eas.asu.edu)

    Stiff company reps with abandon (6)

Votes (normalized): 10 19 20 20 38 40 50 50 56 58 60 67 70 71 88 89 95 100 100

Good thing your explanation was there; I was ready to read
"stiff" in the surface as an adjective.  Good clue in all
aspects.

I *hate* partial anagrams, although this one isn't so bad because
at least the rpse was next to the co so really the whole thing
is anagramed. I'll shut up now. babble babble

Screwed up surface. You might work on 'reps facing stiff
competition', I suppose..

Weaknesses in the surface, esp. "abandon"

"with abandon" ain't that great an indicator.  The rest is fine.

Great solid clue with deceptive definition having different
meaning and different part of speech (verb) to that
of clue word (noun).  Nice anagram indicator.  Not quite as
fun or boldly imaginitive as as the two winners.

I am glad someone found a way to cleverly use "stiff" as the definition.
The surface is particularly appealing, not only as a surface, but I can
REALLY visualize stiffing those company hosers with abandon!  Wooowee!

Nice solid clue.

Not as good as those other stiffs!

I seem to be reading a meaning into stiff as in to stiff someone. 
This isn't in my idiolect.

You know, even after I *know* how the surface is supposed to read,
I have to *force* myself to see "stiff" as a verb.  It just doesn't
come naturally, especially since most company reps *are* stiff (adj).

Nice surface, good construction

Madly or angrily might be better then "with abandon"

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

5th place (score 57.77%) - clue 6
>From Scott Glazer (scottgl@onramp.net)

    Thicket conceals head of rotting body (6)

Votes (normalized): 20 25 26 26 29 50 50 50 56 67 68 70 75 75 80 83 90 100

Taken literally, of course (of corse?), that means that the
rotting limbs and torso are in plain view.  A sufficiently
good clue, but not a winner, I'm afraid.

Ooh, a little more graphic than 4 and 5.  I like it.

best thicket - some more imagery.

I liked this method of coming up with the 'R', but it comes with
the price of a weird surface: it wouldn't take Hercule Poirot
to locate the concealed head somewhere near the unconcealed body!

Ditto.

Again, see #4.

The best of the "thicket" clues.  Somewhat gruesome, but I like the 
topical surface.

I'm beginning to get thicket of this!

Another copse; and much the same as the others.

The most disgusting! But the surface implies activity on the part of
the copse. Pause for police jokes :-{

Simple and straightforward but without much imagination, especially
in using "body" as the definition in the same sense as the answer.

Same construction, worse surface

My personal favorite of the bodies in the thicket.  
(a) It has a verb, (b) it's nice and grisly, and (c) I wrote 
it.

Too obvious.

Best (and most gruesome) "thicket" clue.

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

6th place (score 57.29%) - clue 20
>From Serge Elnitsky (elnitsky@coos.dartmouth.edu)

    Initially, Carter observed ruins; presently, sarcophagus; eventually, mummy. (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 11 33 35 38 40 47 50 60 67 69 71 71 74 75 75 80 92 100

Great, thematic surface concept; the chronological-progression
technique works well toward veiling the usual bumpiness of an
acrostic clue.  Seems to me that there's a inconsistency in 
tense between observed/presently; perhaps "observes" would have
been a better choice.

Damnit, I agree with you.

Clever but not quite there. A good chuckle.

A possible winner.  Outstanding sequencing, and the definition
is very well chosen, too.

Yes, surface is cool.  Points on for that and for uniqueness.

I don't think the surface flows all that well,
but I do agree with you that a long clue following
the neon sign "initially" is indeed too obvious.

Normally, I don't like first-letters clues, but this one is fantastic!
Incredibly topical surface.  My number 1 choice.

Reading slightly awkward because of missing articles. 

Well, you gave a better self-criticism than I ever could.

Nothing wrong with construction, but it's too easy!

I found 'presently' to ruin the clue

Well the surface was lost on me; guess I'm not much of a historian.	
I kept trying to figure out what Jimmy Carter was doing in a pyramid.
<g>.  And I tend to agree with assessment of "mummy" as a definition.
But overall, not a bad clue.

Too obscure and I DIDN'T "like the way the surface flows".

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

7th place (score 56.33%) - clue 14
>From C. Kenneth Stern (ken.stern@yale.edu)

    Body of Marines heads east

Votes (normalized): 0 11 20 30 40 42 44 47 50 50 56 63 65 86 88 88 92 100 100

Clue is okay in surface, but "corps" and "corpse" are too
etymologically related for me to like the cryptic.

Fleet Week's over, I guess.

"Body" doubles as both the definition for "corpse", and part of that 
for "corps"...

Nice workmanlike clue. Although not exciting, it is a good
professional filler. Scored high as a result.

My clue.

A bit too obvious in both definition and cryptic.

Ooh, good one.  Flawless, simple.  

Very tight.  Nice clue.

I have a problem with body as definition of corpse... but at 
least it didn't use copse!

Surely it's the body of soldiers that's the corps. 

Simple and to the point, if not too exciting or imaginative.
Nice to see "body" in a different context than "corpse".

Didn't like construction. Dull.

Solid, simple, but somehow uninspired 

Corpse and corps have the same derivation.

Tight, except for the extraneous "of".

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

8th place (score 54.56%) - clue 10
>From Brian Spollen (bcs@sc.harris.com)

    Reflect, with uncanny insight, on fabled bird's lifeless body (6)

Votes (normalized): 10 25 30 30 37 38 40 40 44 50 60 71 72 74 75 78 83 88 92

Seems more like "pseroc" to me.

Imaginative; I like it - but either the 'with' or 'on' is
extraneous.

You need an altar and a pile of kindling, but why insight?

Good clue.  Good surface.  Good cryptic defs.

Definition too straight, but otherwise a very
imaginitive clue.  "Roc" perhaps a bit obscure
for some tastes, puzzle masochists might love it.

Nice surface, but too complicated for me

"With" and "on" seemed misplaced in their cryptic functions.

There are a few extraneous words, but solid.

This struck me as too "awk"ward of a surface.

'Tis a shame that so many birds are driven to extinction.

I just don't like it.  It seems too strained, and verges on
unsolvable (and I like challenging clues in general -- but this
one is hard to see even knowing the answer).

Excellent, imaginative construction and a surface that ALMOST
makes it all the way, but the "uncanny insight" lost it.  

Nice surface, but only because of the extraneous "with"
and "on."

"with" shouldn't be there.

"With" is extraneous.

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

9th place (score 52.66%) - clue 7
>From Joe Tozer (joe@tozer.demon.co.uk)

    Body is the last of four located in thicket (6)

Votes (normalized): 20 24 25 26 29 30 33 43 45 50 63 63 63 65 67 70 75 75 88 100

Boy, this thicket is just thick with the dead!  As with the
similar clues of this type, okay but not great.

Not as good as "head of rotting body".

middle thicket - a better 'R'.

One of the better thicket clues, but "located" could be improved
upon.  The four bodies will not be mentioned in the Michelin guide.

"last of four" is good for R, but doesn't work in surface.

Again, see #4.

Clever twist on the "thicket" clues.

Thickening!  I give the moderator 100 bonus points for putting this
clue after three other "thicket" clues!

ditto.

Now it's mass murder! Best of the four, though found would have worked
better in the cryptic as well as the surface.

Simple and straightforward but without much imagination, especially
in using "body" as the definition in the same sense as the answer.

Same construction, even worse of a surface

Too obvious. (The last of four? does that mean there aren't any more
"thicket" clues?)

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

10th place (score 49.33%) - clue 4
>From Ed Coulson (fyj@psu.edu)

    Dead body right in the midst of thicket (6)

Votes (normalized): 25 25 26 28 29 29 31 40 44 50 50 58 60 60 63 67 70 75 75 83

Ah, yes; this was exactly the form of clue that I first thought
of for this contest, and rejected as unworthy (and likely to be
duplicated ad nauseum; looks like I was right).  An okay clue,
but no winner.

OK but not special.

I prefer a less obvious definition, but very good overall.

"thicket" seems to be common for COPSE, as does "body" as a def.  
points for excellent surface.

(Ahead many comments will say "See #4" referring to this.)
Too obvious that "R" goes into something from the
end of the clue, leaving "dead" or "dead body" as
the definition.  Also, the definition is too straight.
Sometimes this can't be helped (as in defining a highly
technical term, eg.), but can be avoided with many
clue words, including this one.

Flawless simple clue; alas will suffer from unoriginality.

Thicket-mania begins!

All the 'copse' clues were solid; but uninspired.

First of 4 thickets hiding dead bodies. This is the worst - it has
no story.

Simple and straightforward but without much imagination, especially
in using "body" as the definition in the same sense as the answer.

The first of a group of COPSE incl. R clues.  The duplication
hurts, as always, but the pedestrian construction does as well.

Too obvious for this sort of competition.

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

11th place (score 48.02%) - clue 1
>From Gareth Williams (gw@fmode.demon.co.uk)

    Ignoring odd echo, even in crypt, seek body. (6)

Votes (normalized): 13 17 20 25 30 30 40 40 41 47 50 57 58 60 67 67 74 88 90

Surface is a nice effort at a creepy-feel clue, and it avoids
the oft-awkward phrasing in such clues, although the use of 
both "odd" and "even" in close proximity is something of a 
(forgive the pun) dead give-away.

Good construction; mediocre surface.

The surface needs more plausibility and flow, especially
the "even".  What would be surprising about an odd echo in
a crypt?

Interesting take on it.  Kind of contrived, though.

A cute clue, only quibble is surface reading is
too closely related to definition, plus use of
both "odd" and "even" together a bit too obvious.
One might miss either by themselves, but together
they act a bit like a 2x4.  Still, a fun clue.

Excellent topical cryptic, but I am confused about the odd/even.
"ignore odd" means even, but then even means even.

Too difficult to interpret - for example, should "ignoring" apply to "even"
as well as "odd"?

Nice surface.  I think the cryptic is borderline illegal, since one
could argue that it really spells "COVNNRPSE" or "CORPEK".  Having
more charade "control" words in the middle of the fodder is unusual.

Surface bumpy; and a bit too confusing-- between odd and even.

Not my favourite construction style. Especially as it's in two parts.

Strange surface, but clever cryptic elements combine for a fair
overall clue.  Using "body" in the same sense as "corpse" shows
lack of imagination.

Switching from odd to even letters in the middle of a clue was
somewhat unfair, probably unnecessary, and hurt the surface.

Doing the exact same thing (taking the even letters) with
two consecutive pieces of "charade" fodder leaves a bad
taste.

Should be "odd in" as well as "even in" for clue to work.

Odd/even clues rarely work, but this one's nice.

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

12th place (score 47.06%) - clue 25

    Body right in the middle of a thicket  (6)

Votes (normalized): 15 26 28 29 29 31 38 40 44 45 50 53 56 60 60 60 63 67 75 75

At long last, the final "thicket" clue (not counting bonus
clues); evaluated similarly to the others.

Wordier than 5, and not as good as 4.

OK but not special.

Nothing brilliant here, and usual cryptic convention is to
omit "the" and "a" when they carry no cryptic significance.

see #4.

See #4.

Flawless simple clue; alas will suffer from unoriginality.

The last of the thicket!

Another body and copse clue...Suffers for being the last one.

Too staid

Simple and straightforward but without much imagination, especially
in using "body" as the definition in the same sense as the answer.

Almost identical to #5 & same construction as five others.

Glad to see someone noticed my earlier comment...

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

12th place (score 47.06%) - clue 18

    Following ruined crops, the Eastern Front still remains

Votes (normalized): 15 16 17 18 20 30 40 43 47 50 50 50 51 63 63 65 67 67 71 100

Well, they're not complete ruined; the anagram is a mere
transposition of the "o" and "r"!  I'm not impressed by the
loose (IMHO) association between the clauses on either side
of the comma --- it seems to imply to me that he who can't
farm will be impressed into military service, but it doesn't
express that thought very well, if that's even what was at all
intended; "still" strikes me as superfluous.

Surface makes no sense to me.

Where did "Front" go?

I like 'still remains'. 'beside' might work better than
'following' - in the sense of there being two problems.

Surface suggests nothing.  Are ruined crops an event?

"still" is unnecessary.  The surface is a bit weird.

Surface reading a bit forced, and anagram a bit
too obvious with "ruined."  "Following" also a bit
obvious, and not really needed from cryptic point of
view since the two components are in the correct
order anyway.

Straightforward cryptic, although I think "still" is superfluous.

Not sure that "still" is necessary.  Otherwise, I like this clue!

Liked the definition; not crazy about the surface.

CROPS/CORPS are a bit too similar for an anagram.

RRRRRRRRINNGGGGGG!!!!  WARNING!!  ANAGRAM COMING UP!!!!  :-)
Seriously, you can see that one a mile away.  And despite the
fact that I like "remains" (especially in its "out of context"
surface) as a definition, the overall clue doesn't excite me.

Lacks meaningful surface

"The" extraneous an unneeded, otherwise OK

Nice surface, but "the" isn't needed.

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

14th place (score 46.01%) - clue 5

    Body found right in thicket (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 14 25 26 28 29 33 38 40 50 50 55 60 60 63 63 67 70 75 75

Clone of #4, with an similar evaluation.

A little less wordy than 4.

OK but not special - a thin thicket.

Poor man's version of #4.  Not great surface.

Again, works, but pretty much same commentary as for #4.

Flawless simple clue; alas will suffer from unoriginality.

The plot thickets!

Okay, but uninspired.

Too staid

Simple and straightforward but without much imagination, especially
in using "body" as the definition in the same sense as the answer.

See #4

"right in" refers to alignment, not location. "right in the middle of" would
be better (unless the clue refers to the founding fathers looking for
suggestions for the US constitution in a hedge...)

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

15th place (score 45.25%) - clue 22

    Occult magic (or pseudoscience?) remains (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 15 20 20 25 25 32 41 43 44 47 47 50 57 58 67 80 88 100

Good cryptic and definition; the surface is okay, but
not very concrete to me.

This desperately needs an 'in' or something after 'occult'
to give the sense of 'hidden in'. I like the imagery.

The "magic or pseudoscience" is not "occult", in the cryptic
reading.  It's the C OR PSE that's occult WITHIN the three words.

Occult is a weak indicator.  Surface is pretty good.

Hidden indicator doesn't quite work.  There has
to be a subject somewhere (hiding place "hides"
clue word, or clue word "found in" hiding place,
eg.)  Just saying "occult" by itself doesn't
satisfy this requirement.  Notice how "occupies
processor's writeback cache" cleverly did the
trick by way of apostrophe.

Bonus marks for getting a word that starts with "PSE".

Lost points on surface reading.

The tops - the indicator and the definition are concealed in the 
surface, which reads well.

Eh.  Sorry, I expect better surface from hidden word clues; they
give you plenty of leeway.

Didn't like indicator nor surface, but liked the way the word
was hidden

As near as I can tell from the dictionary, "occult" doesn't
quite work as a hidden-word indicator.  Still, the 
forward hidden-word clue is unique for this word.

Can't see how "occult" can be a hidden word indicator...

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

16th place (score 45.23%) - clue 9

    One thing put into the plot is this afterthought in the middle (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 20 20 20 25 25 26 30 33 42 50 50 50 50 56 57 68 82 100 100

A slightly confusing but obviously literary surface; a good
cryptic well-integrated with the surface.  The definition, in
trying to avoid the obvious "body" reference, is too clever by
half, as "the plot" without the "burial" connotation is 
rather indirect --- perhaps I'd be more disposed toward 
"one kind of plot", or something like that ("funereal plot",
even, although that might be too obvious).

One thing missing from this clue is a readable surface.

Too long and the surface goes astray.

Just too wordy and nothing special to offer.

Didn't go a bundle on the definition

Nice surface, except afterthoughts aren't usu. in the middle.
Excellent definition of the word.

A very nice clue, with deception in the definition with
the other meaning of "plot."  I don't like "middle" as
a definition of "core," though.  Does anyone ever speak
of the middle of the Earth, or an apple's middle?  Or the
core of a novel?  "Core" implies the very heart or center,
not something as vague as the middle.  A relatively minor
nit, but the author did take a bit of poetic license here
in an effort to get the surface meaning to work, and there
were other clever clues with no flaws.

I like the definition part, but the surface is a little rough.

Good idea, but awkward reading. 

Nice charade, but the surface needs to be tightened.  Perhaps something
like "Afterthough in the middle of what goes into plot", only better.

Couldn't buy the definition; it was too loose for me.

Doesn't scan. Was his reputation buried with him, like Caesar?

This one took me a while to figure out, even knowing the answer;
it *is* quite clever, though I have some doubts as to its "fairness".
The definition possibly warrants a '?'.  Also, I find the surface
to be a strange read.  

One of several CORE + PS clues. This one is too tough IMHO.

Making the leap to "burial" plot would be tough.

A bit too wordy; otherwise very nice.

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

17th place (score 43.01%) - clue 11

    Remains Missing: Hot Exotic Porsche (6) 

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 20 25 29 30 33 38 40 43 50 50 58 60 63 63 70 89 100

Nice "classified-ad" surface; reasonable definition.  I'm a
little perturbed at the order of the cryptic directions, in
which one is to subtract something which isn't there yet.

An interesting idea that doesn't come off. The word order is wrong
for a clean reading.

This is from the point of view of the previous owner.  It's
only hot from the point of view of the thief.

good new take on it, but the surface requires that the elements ofthe
clue go in bad order.  It's a bit muddled.

A bit farfetched on the surface, but pretty good overall.

Concise, straightforward.  But it took me two readings.

Unfortunately, "remains" adds nothing to the sentence if read as a
notice, and a headline probably would have been turned around. 

I don't like "hot" -> "H" and it doesn't seem necessary to capitalize
every word in the clue.

Sound clue with clever surface.

The surface is a non-sequitor. Also, to augment Porsche as
exotic is tautological (unless they're made in the States as
well as Germany)

Too complex, with nothing to show for it.  Surface is babble.
Indicators don't flow right for me; shouldn't it be the exotic
porchse that's missing "hot", not the "remains"?

Punctuation spoils wordplay portion.

This doesn't say what it means, i.e. missing applies to "remains", 
not "porsche".

Good surface, but the clueing is all backwards.

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

18th place (score 42.27%) - clue 19

    Body buried feet up in foe's procession (6)

Votes (normalized): 20 20 22 25 25 28 29 33 38 43 47 47 50 50 50 56 60 60 63 80

A fair clue; I'm not satisfied with the concept of a body
"buried" in a "procession".

surface without logic.

where does "feet" come in besides surface?  

Surface makes no real sense and whole thing a bit too obvious.

I like the "buried feet up" to indicate hidden reversal, but
I like heroes' procession" better than "foe's procession". 
Also, buried in a procession is somewhat rough.

And how do you carry a buried body in a procession? 

Surface doesn't work for me.

Still don't like body as definition: clumsy surface looses 
points.

I'm not sure how one can be buried in a procession. Concealed perhaps
is better.

Not bad, but who said it was a down clue?  Not the strongest of
the reverse hidden clues.  Uses "body" in same context as definition.

Lacks a surface, but I loved the "body buried feet up" part.

You don't bury things in a procession, do you?

How do you know it's a down answer?

I think "carried" would make more sense in the surface reading.
(Can a buried body be in a procession? You'd have to carry the
whole plot around . . .) 

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

19th place (score 40.08%) - clue 21

    Problem on stage - ropes tangled after opening of curtain (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 6 10 14 16 20 22 25 38 50 60 60 61 65 68 71 75 100

Good surface and cryptic, but the definition strikes me as far
too parochial to be fair.

I'm giving this clue the highest score, on the good-faith assumption 
that the author didn't lie about the theatrical-term thing. If I find
out he did, I'll hunt him down and kill him. :)

I like this. Different. Good surface. Slightly faulty logic:
in this sense, corpse is a verb and problem is a noun. A
leading 'have' might help.

Your definition is acceptable but needs more help anent the
nature of the 'problem'.  Surface is great.

Def is a bit weak.  good cryptic though.

Definition too obscure to those not in acting profession,
clue too wordy.  Clever theme nicely integrated, however.

Corpse = idiot actor is too obscure for me.

I really liked the surface but didn't think "problem on stage" was 
a sufficient definition of "corpse." 

In spite of your explanation, I think "Problem on stage" is a bit
vague as a clue.

Too obscure a definition for me.

Given the jargon - the definition is too vague

Okay, let's start the "wedding feast" discussion anew!  :-)  *I've*
never heard of "corpse" being used in this fashion, so *you're*
getting penalized for it.  I checked two reputable (IMHO) dictionaries
and came up empty.  Seems like insider slang to me.  Sorry!

Couldn't find definition

The surface is spectacular, but if this were a real puzzle,
I don't know that I'd *ever* figure out why "corpse" =
"problem on stage."

Oops! I checked after submitting the clue - corpse is a verb.

Hmm . . . my dictionaries (OED and Webster's 2nd New International)
list a *verb* "corpse" meaning "to blunder on stage", but no noun
with a similar meaning.

Even if you know the theatrical use of "corpse,"
"problem on stage" is pretty oblique.

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

20th place (score 39.45%) - clue 12

    Result of deadly virus occupies processor's writeback cache. (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 10 14 17 20 22 30 33 38 40 47 50 55 60 75 88 90 100

Good cryptic; co-ordinates well with the very nice surface.
The circuit is too indirect for my taste.

Definition is ok but the indication just doesn't work for me.
how about...
Result of deadly virus causes processor's inverted contents.

Computer jargon aside, the word "cache" isn't enough to
signal a Hidden clue.  "occupiES PROCessor"'s <hidden
contents> , not <hiding place> , is what's needed.

"Writeback Cache" doesn't really work.  Result of deadly virus is a
bit contrived as well.  Like the computer surface, though.

Very imaginitive.  Definition has some challenge to it,
and "writeback cache" is quite brilliant, albeit a bit
daunting to people unfamiliar with computers.  Still,
very nicely integrated theme not related to definition.
I've got to rate this clue tied for #1 with the movie
clue.  Lose the period at the end, btw, ca ne fait pas.

Never heard of a "writeback" cache, but I like that phrase to indicate
a hidden reversal.  Not so keen on the definition though.

I really liked "writeback cache" as a hidden reversal indicator! 

Clever and smooth, but there's an extra word ("cache") and the defn.
isn't my favorite.  Still, nice job.

Marked down for over-complicatedness...and what is 'CACHE' doing 
in clue?  While it helps the surface, it seems an extra word, to 
me.

This would have been the top, but spoilt by the use of jargon.
The surface is meaningless to a non-nerd
I have an aversion to filmic clues established by ACC 85.

Strange clue, but I have to give credit for the most original
definition in a field of pretty banal stuff.  Not crazy about
the reverse hidden indicator.

Really interesting attempt at misdirection; I haven't 
seen the clever (to a CS major, anyway) "writeback cache"
reverse container indicator before.  However, the 
definition portion is hopelessly weak.

"writeback cache" doesn't work (and can a computer virus be "deadly"?)

"Writeback cache" doesn't do it for me.

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

21st place (score 36.49%) - clue 24

    Takes procurator back inside to attend post-mortem on this? (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 10 11 18 20 20 20 25 35 38 40 42 43 44 44 50 58 75 100

Quite nice surface, good cryptic; but I don't really buy the
definition, even with the punny intonations.

3.0

I like this a lot. Slight fault in that it dangles on the 'this'
but I can't see what to do to fix it.

Partial overlap between cryptic and (very long) def., and
INSIDE works in the wrong direction.

Def is weak, "back inside" doesn't especially work well.

A bit overbearing, but not bad.

Definition is too complicated for me, but using the "post-mortem" keyword,
I probably could solve it.

I don't know whether to downgrade for using such an odd (to me) term
("procurator") or to give bonus marks for local flavor.

This seems clumsy to me.  Isn't an indicator needed here-- since 
'takes' is part of the hidden word container?

my clue - no vote

Hmmm.  Well, the "pun" is somewhat forgiven, in that you at valiantly
tried to avoid the common definitions: body, stiff, remains,...
Still...something bothers me about it.  I think it's the way it flows.

Awkward.

Prosecuting legal officer in Scots law?  Oy vey.

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

22nd place (score 36.36%) - clue 23

    Heart, clutching afterthought, remains  (6)

Votes (normalized): 10 15 20 22 25 29 29 30 32 35 41 42 44 47 50 50 50 50 70

Good cryptic and definition; surface makes little literal
sense to me.

I starting to have afterthoughts myself. Sigh.

The surface does not work for me.

seen it before.  good surface.

"Heart" is much better defintion of "core" than "middle"
used in clue #9.  Too bad surface reading makes no sense

Straightforward, but surface is rough.

Surface remains murky.

So did this one.  

Doesn't quite flow

Oh look!  Another "afterthought" inside CORE clue.  What does it mean?

Best of CORE +PS clues

Quite an industrious little heart.

Heart, clutching afterthought, remains  (6)

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

23rd place (score 31.91%) - clue 15

    Stiff afterthought in centre

Votes (normalized): 0 0 10 10 14 15 16 22 25 30 30 31 33 35 42 50 60 63 75 78

Pretty good cryptic and definition parts, but the surface
reading means nothing to me.

A stiff afterthought?

What on earth does the surface mean?

No surface. Well, I read 'stiff afterthought' as a man
remembering the girl he saw yesterday!

Again, afterthought in center ain't great.

Surface reading makes no sense.

Cryptic is fine, but surface doesn't make sense.

What's a "Stiff afterthought"?

Marked down for puzzling surface reading.

Best of the PS in COREs - I'll just pop down the club for a whisky.

Surface is very weak.  Nothing exciting to balance it.  

Bartender, I think I'll have another stiff afterthought!

The surface here is close to meaningless, as near as I 
can tell.

Somewhat meaningless

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

24th place (score 14.55%) - clue 3

    Stiff someone??   (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 10 29 33 41 70 100

Not really an &lit clue, in my book; just a single, punny
definition --- a good one, at that; yet I'd prefer a 
standard, two-part cryptic.

A "stiff someone" and a "stiff" is the same thing. You have a pun
but no cryptic.

This is 'double def' not '&lit'. Don't like the surface.

Extra points for &lit, but STIFF as a verb doesn't mean CORPSE. 
This would be a dynamite clue for CORPSE in a standard crossword.

One of us is missing something.  I hope it's you,
because this clue appears to flunk.

The double definitions are too similar.  

No cryptic part. 

Don't you hate it when you make a great clue, and then the judge doesn't
understand what you're trying to do?  I know I do.  So I typically provide
a bit more direction for where the cryptic portion resides.

I liked this best of the "stiff" clues; and the stiff clues were 
my favorites.

In my opinion &lits require cryptic and definition readings for the
same words

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't get it.  Where's the double meaning?
Where's the cryptic element?  Am I being too stiff?  <g>
And &lits end in '!', not '??'.

If "stiff" is the definition, then what does "someone" mean, or
how is "stiff someone" different than "stiff"?  
Maybe the next time I get bad service, I should say, "I have a 
mind to corpse that waiter!" (?) No points.

Huh?

Not an &lit clue - just a misleading definition.

Hmm, this isn't really an &lit, but it would be 
a good clue in a Puns & Anagrams.

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

25th place (score 13.41%) - clue 16

    Goes to a funeral and doesn't return! (6)

Votes (normalized): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 25 40 89 100

Either the rules for &lits have changed, or your explanation
is woefully inadequte (or both).  Looks to me to be a single
clever definition, and a bit long for having no wordplay.

Am I missing something!

This is not "&lit.", it's just "lit."

I prefer my 'lit' to have some '&'.

Also defines CASKET and probably some other six-letter words.

If it'd been "One goes . . . ." I'd have marked much higher.

5 points for half a good clue.  I get the &lit, but where's the
cryptic def?  Even if I SHOULD see it, you should include it.

I see the definition, but where is the cryptic?
An &lit still needs a cryptic.

I don't see this as a cryptic at all.

No cryptic part. 

Don't you hate it when you make a great clue, and then the judge doesn't
understand what you're trying to do?  I know I do.  So I typically provide
a bit more direction for where the cryptic portion resides.

Points for cleverness and humor..

In my opinion &lits require cryptic and definition readings for the
same words

What's with these "&lit" clues that don't have a cryptic reading?

Couldn't find wordplay.

Another "Huh?"  Maybe I'm dense, but if after reading the
explanation I still don't get it, I'm going to give a
clue bottom marks.

Not an &lit, just a definition (maybe someone should write a 
short article defining &lit?)

Unless I'm missing something, this clue (like #3)
isn't technically an &lit; it's just a pun (which ought 
to use a question mark instead of an exclamation point).

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


And, finally, the bonus clues:

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

clue 26

    Focus of phallocentric, alienated prose is dead white male, perhaps (6)

Votes (normalized): none

"Focus" doesn't really strike me as a proper indicator; nice
surface.

"Focus of phallocentric" -- that's a long way to go for a "C"

Too elaborate for the word. 'disturbed' might be better than
'alienated'? You have one tough component, so give a little!

I like it!  Best surface of any I saw.  Should have done this for
credit.

I don't like "focus," and overlong clue makes no sense.

Rough surface.  Demerits for not being a "family" clue.

I'm wary about the use of focus to mean middle

Cute.  I like it.  Better than most of the submitted ones.

Tortured

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

clue 27

    "She's dead inside" cries pro-choicer, backing down.

Votes (normalized): none

Pretty good clue; "down" seems extraneous as part of the 
indicator.

Interesting clue - well worth having. 'backing DOWN' is unlikely
to be a reversal! 'backing off' is better but has the overtone of
an anagram indicator. O well...

DOWN is not a reversal signal.

A lot of these reverse hiddens.  The surface isn't exactly right,
though, as a pro-choicer crying "she's dead inside" would not be
backing down.

Surface makes no sense.

My clue.  I submitted it for two purposes: a) I am an equal opportunity
corpse employer and b) to stir up strife and dissension for no
good reason.

Was she killed by a pro-lifer, some oxymoron perhaps?

Don't like the definition.  Not because women can't be corpses,
but because "She's dead" is a statement formed of a pronoun (she)
a verb ('s) and an adjective (dead), while "corpse" is a noun.
Bloody nice rip at a topical surface reading though.  :-)  (Though
wouldn't be a pro-lifer?)

Is this clue intended as an anti-abortion argument???

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

clue 28

    Dead body, right in a small grove (6)

Votes (normalized): none

Wow, a small grove instead of a thicket. Too bad it's a bonus.

See (0) 

Hello again.

See #4.

A welcome relief from "thicket".

I've got bored by this theme by now.

Yeah, yeah....see #4, #5, #6, #7, and #25.

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

clue 29

    In cemeteries, processions left this! (6)

Votes (normalized): none

Nice clue --- better than a number of the "official" entries
as far as I'm concerned.

Shame the plurals go awry. This clue would work well for CORPSES
with a 'these' on the end.

Very effective, especially the 'left' which no one else found!

This is DEFINITELY the best clue of all 31.  There's nothing better
than a good &lit, and this one has a good cryptic as well.  Should
have submitted this one for score.

"This" is extraneous to the cryptic, making the
definition overlap the cryptic by one word.
Close, but not quite.  Probably acceptable to
the British.

Decent &lit.  

At least this &lit attempts to be cryptic, but it has no
indicator.

Nice &lit construction.  My only question is how one corpse
can be left in more than cemetary by multiple processions?

At last! a real &lit! (which would have got top marks...)

More of an &lit than #3 or #16!

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

clue 30

    Army group heading east suffers fatality (6)

Votes (normalized): none

As with clue 14, "corps" is to close to "corpse" in origin
to be valid.

Army group heading east suffers fatality (6)
Not as good as the marines.  "suffers" is superfluous".

'suffers' ?? Doesn't fit - implies an anagram which isn't there.

No points, too much like my clue :)

Naahhh.  You were wise to choose your other clue.

I would say fatality = death more than corpse.

This is a better clue that the other CORPS-E

What do we do with "suffers"?  Can't put it on the definition or
it becomes a verb.  Doesn't seem to act as an indicator either.

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

clue 31

    Right in Pecos, fighting produces a dead body (6)

Votes (normalized): none

"Fighting" is just an adequate indicator; I think "rioting"
might be better.

Not keen on the 'right in' as in 'right here in'.

fighting   is a dubious anagram signal

Good surface.

Naahhh.  You were wise to choose your other clue.

Somewhat rough surface.  

It's too obvious to use proper nouns as anagram fodder

It's okay, though the surface isn't particularly exciting.  Yet
direct definition ("dead body" for "corpse").  Yawn.

-- 
       Dave Eggleston        *    Accept the ordeal, barcoded.
SUNY-Albany Computer Science *    Cut the deals, downloaded...
                             *    I'll breathe the free air
HAMBURGERS!! BAD NUTRITION!! *    and remain nameless.         - Napalm Death

-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
 Joseph L. Ganley           Cadence Design Systems       San Jose, California
 email: ganley@cadence.com        R&D:DLE/DLR            phone: (408)944-7232