From: tomd@bali.amd.com (Tom Deneau)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: CWC10 -- Second Word Clue List (SPOILER)
Date: 24 Jul 92 23:59:02 GMT
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Austin TX

If you don't want to see the words for Clue Writing Competition 10,
skip this article now.















The following are the CWC10 clues for the second word,
KNUCKLE.  I counted 27 entries.  For the winner, I picked

With luck, knee won't end up as arthritic joint! (7)

I liked the surface reading.  I wished the "up" and "as"
could have been eliminated and I wasn't crazy about
arthritic as an anagram indicator.   As other judges
have mentioned, it wasn't easy to pick one winner and I
found that particularly true for this second word, which
did seem to be hard to clue.


In what follows, I have tried to group the clues by type; I have not
tried to order them by merit. The explanations given are the author's although
in some cases, I have paraphrased them to save space. Comments by me
are in brackets. If the clue was straightforward and, IMHO, sound, I
may not have made any comment.



DOUBLE MEANING
--------------
[There were lots of these.  The concept of "knuckle sandwich"
was a popular one]

Sandwich joint.  (7)

A kind of sandwich joint. (7)

This joint makes a mean sandwich! (7)

[Two solvers, (both women) sent in this identical clue.
It was my favorite wording in this group]

Joint made of brass? (7)
	MADE OF BRASS = brass knuckles

Exert yourself and get this joint down (7)
	(knuckle down)

That sort of naked aggression has been banned in this joint. (7)
	(Bare-knuckle boxing has been banned since the turn of the century)
	(The sender adds: Using "sort" instead of "kind", right before a couple of words
	 whose lengths add up to the length of the answer, is always good
	 for a few moments of extra torment to the solver. )

Indelicacy nearby (7)
	("near the knuckle", meaning, more or
      less, "close to the bone", or as my dictionary has it,
      "approaching indelicacy".) 

[seems too tricky to me]



Coupling, hinge in hand.(7)
	(knuckle coupling, a railway term)




KEN anag  holding LUCK anag
---------------------------

Poor Ken has bad luck with finger joint.  (7)

Ken gets around confused luck?  Excitement can make it white.  (7)

Ken, confused, has bad luck making thug's sandwich? (7)

[I shy away from names in clues unless the name has some
special meaning for the surface reading.  Of these
three, I liked the last one best].



STRAIGHT ANAGRAM
----------------
[only one of these]

In some ken, luck shows on the back of the hand! (7)

[some = anagram indicator?]



UNCLE + KK clues
----------------
Hand back joint to uncle, OK? OK -- organise it, and take nothing.(7)
	 uncle OK OK, with nothing (OO) taken, and organised
[surface reading awkward ]

Uncle gets entangled with Kris Kristofferson initially to smoke a joint.(7)
(anagram of UNCLE +       (KK                        )) --------> KNUCKLE

[smoke = anagram indicator??   Someone else used "roll"]


Resort two kings relative to the middle of the hand. (7)
anagram|  KK    |  UNCLE |->|      KNUCKLE

[Good surface reading but I didn't like the indirect anagram]
 

Uncle, with a heartless kick, reset the joint. (7)

[Direct, but maybe too easy to solve?]


With a thousand irregulars, Sam got the king to yield (7)
	K + NUC(K)LE 
[Another indirect, Sam --> uncle ??]

Uncle messes with Ku Klux joint.

[strange reading]


(KNCK around U) + LE
---------------------
Ability without a... without you - half able to be... near the indecent (7)
	Knack - a around u = knuck              le              near the knuckle

[surface reading awkward ]



KN + UCKLE
----------
Knock first,too; don't begin to buckle under that brass finger ring.(7)
[ first, too --> first two??]


KNU + CKLE
-----------
Knute, tackle!  No note or thanks for surrender.  (7)
	Start with KNUTE TACKLE, take away TE (note, as in do re mi
	fa so la te do), and TA (thanks, esp. British).

[In my dictionary, its ...so la ti do]



INDIRECT ANAGRAM
----------------
Eastern cayenne, we hear, can with luck be rolled to make a joint. (7)
   Eastern => E   cayenne, we hear => KN   + LUCK all rolled

[Too indirect for me.] 


OTHER
-----
Down Under ball buster after this joint? (7)
	(i.e. knuckle down, knuckle under, knuckle ball and knuckle buster
	are all common phrases)

[I enjoyed this one although the surface reading
is a little shaky]

Result of working my finger to the bone: clue. I know it stinks.
I'm in disorder; upset, I insist it won. I'm leaving. (7)

	[anagram of CLUE+I+KNOW+IT+STINKS+IM+IN less I+INSIST+IT+WON+IM]

[I'm sure we an all identify with this one. :-)
 It's good to get a clue that makes you laugh. ]



Joint: large piece of moose's back that's not high (7)
	(knuckle = joint; "elk chunk" = large piece of moose, reversed
	without h(igh))

[elk chunk ??]


Carpenter axes are bad luck with dovetail joint (7)
  KAREN    -   ARE   UCKL     +     E    =KNUCLKE

[The sender admitted he would not want to have to solve this one!]



Finally, I couldn't resist posting this "iambic couplet" clue
from Guy Jacobson (not his official entry, unfortunately).


	This sandwich has no bread/so curly is this head (7)
	   (Think about the Three Stooges).


Perhaps we could have one contest where the clues are
required to be iambic couplets!!













 Tom Deneau                    {uunet, cs.utexas.edu!ames}!amdcad!cayman!tomd
 Advanced Micro Devices, Austin TX     +1 512 462 4952     tom.deneau@AMD.COM