From: bcs@sc.harris.com (Brian Spollen)
Subject: PCWC7 results
Organization: Harris Electronic Design Automation
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 21:02:35 GMT



                      PCWC7 RESULTS


The people's choice for WISTFUL is:

 6) Disoriented wife is consumed with lust and longing (7)

Submitted by Uday Rajan (urajan@leland.stanford.edu)


Other above-average clues (see COMMENTS section for actual clues):
number 5, by Guy Jacobson; number 1, by Greg Lawler.


Neither Ulan nor Guy are able to moderate the next round.  This 
honor (?) has been accepted by Greg Lawler (jose@math.duke.edu), 
who will moderate PCWC8.


The following are the scores and histograms for all clues, followed
by the anonymous comments sent in for each clue.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Scores:


There were 7 clues and 10 voters; maximum total 60.0

Scores:

	Clue	total	 %max	rank	  mean	 st.dev	 median
	----	-----	 ----	----	  ----	 ------	 ------
	  1	 35.5	 59.2	  3	  3.55	  1.56	  4.00
	  2	 25.0	 41.7	  5	  2.50	  1.38	  2.75
	  3	 11.5	 19.2	  7	  1.15	  1.23	  0.75
	  4	 26.0	 43.3	  4	  2.60	  1.36	  2.75
	  5	 45.5	 75.8	  2	  4.55	  1.65	  5.00
	  6	 47.5	 79.2	  1	  4.75	  1.62	  5.50
	  7	 19.0	 31.7	  6	  1.90	  1.66	  1.25

Vote distribution histograms:

           4 |        X    
           3 |        X    
           2 |  X     X X  
           1 |  X X   X XX 
Clue #1      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |             
           3 |       X     
           2 |  X    X     
           1 | XXX XXX  X  
Clue #2      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |             
           3 | XX          
           2 |XXX    X     
           1 |XXX    X     
Clue #3      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |             
           3 |  X          
           2 |  X   XX     
           1 |  X XXXX   X 
Clue #4      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |             
           3 |          X X
           2 |          X X
           1 |  X X   X XXX
Clue #5      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |            X
           3 |            X
           2 |           XX
           1 |  X   XX  XXX
Clue #6      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

           4 |             
           3 |             
           2 | XX    X     
           1 |XXXXX  X   X 
Clue #7      |_____________
                           
              0 1 2 3 4 5 6

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

COMMENTS for PCWC7. (comments separated by single lines; clues separated 
by a line of hyphens)


 1) Intent to start with incredible scenes that 
    feature underwater lovemaking   (7)


The definition "intent" isn't quite accurate for WISTFUL, but it is
deceptive.  I usually don't care for these initial strings, but this
one reads well.

Pretty good, but I don't like first-letter-of-each-word clues
that much.

A  good clue with a major flaw:  intent is a relatively
obsolete definition of wistful (it will be found in dictionaries
published in the forties but not in many modern dictionaries).
Probably could have been as good with longing replacing
intent

The definition isn't strong, and the clue doesn't read as well 
as it ought to, considering that it uses initial letters.

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

 2) "Wait, sit", I foully sputter, sadly pensive (7)

It's tough to think of taking alternate letters from the indication
"sputter". 

Eh, surface meaning is so-so, sputter as every-other-letter is 
a little weak.

Reads OK but not great.  Using sputter for alternate is a little
unusual.

Sputter seems a bit weak as an indication of alternation; it seems 
more likely to indicate some random subset of the letters.

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

 3) Dairy state, one fourth empty, is pensive (7)

"Dairy state" by itself would be OK for WISCONSIN or WI, but then you
have used up the "state" and can't use it again.  "One-fourth empty"
--> three-fourths FULL?  Clever, but a bit ambitious to expect the
solver to get it.  Also, how can a State be pensive?

Makes no sense.  How can a state be pensive? Also why does
Dairy state mean WI ST? 

Surface reading is OK but not great.  Charade is a little stretched.

I'm not sure you can get WIST from "Dairy state"; you can certainly 
get WI or WIS, but it seems hard to get state to do double duty.  
One fourth empty is awfully tricky.  Finally, can a State be pensive?

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

 4) Pensive, first wondering, is german wind back? (7)

Clue is fair, but "Luft" is German for "air"; the German word for
"wind" is simply "Wind".

Are foreign words okay? and what's a german wind anyway?

Surface reading is a little stretched.  Charade is good if one allows
German words, however it would be better without.

The reading isn't strong, and, while luft isn't terribly advanced 
German, it may be a bit much for a cryptic clue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 5) Yearning for swift reorganization with testing group (7)

Kind of boring and vague in meaning, but no real problems.

This is good, but getting UL from testing group is somewhat tough.

A solid clue although I am not fond of using abbreviations.

OK, but it doesn't mean much.  Also, I'd prefer "short testing group?"

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

 6) Disoriented wife is consumed with lust and longing (7)

Reads quite well, but "Disoriented" as an indication of a missing E
plus a subsequent anagramming makes this clue a bit too indirect.

I liked this the best, clever use of disoriented.  Although 'and'
is extraneous. Could have been: 
     Disoriented wife is consumed with lust, longing.

While the surface reading is good, I find the charade/anagram
a little stretched.  I might be able to swallow ``disoriented''
if it didn't also have ``is consumed with'' to mean anagram
the combination (it sounds like one should be contained in the
other).

Good reading, and "disoriented" for "remove E" is great.

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

 7) "Weeping wistaria" without Battle Song: silly fluff 
     lacking really strong music (7)
 
Quite a complex clue; I don't like the use of the variant spelling
"wistaria", but I do like the integration of the definition into a
phrase.  Is an aria really a battle song?

This makes no sense to me, why is aria a battle song?  I thought
it was an operatic solo? And what does "song" without song mean?
I do like the silly fluff part, though.

[moderator's comment:  I think the cluer is referring to Kathleen (?)
 Battle, opera singer; hence, the use of "aria"]

Weeping is also not a great definition for wistful.  The first
half of the surface reading is not great, but the second half
``silly fluff...''  I like. 

Although the botanist is Wistar, the plant is Wisteria.  Acceptable 
(but not great) clue otherwise. 

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

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian C. Spollen                        Internet:bcs@sc.harris.com
Harris Corporation EDA Division            PHONE:   716/924-9303 x210
Fishers, New York 14453                 "Taste makes Waist"