From: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: ACC7 list of clues (SPOILER)
Date: 3 Sep 92 18:30:58 GMT
Reply-To: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Organization: Quantime Ltd, London (software for market research)

Here's the full list of clues submitted for ACC7.
I've paraphrased the explanations for consistency,
and, at the risk of incurring their wrath (:-),
I've included the authors' names
(though I judged the clues without knowing whose they were).
(BTW, I'm a little disappointed to see that
all of the entrants appear to be male.)

If you don't want to see what the clued word was,
skip this article now.

The winning clue is:

Trick balls in Test are subject to argument (13)
    [con (trick) + overs (balls, in cricket) in trial (test);
    controversial = subject to argument]
    by Richard Chamberlain <richard@SSD.intel.com>
I liked this mainly because it reads well
(and it doesn't matter much if one *doesn't* realise
how topical it is, given an English cricket player's
recent accusations against a Pakistan team).
I think the "are" is debatable (:-), but it could refer to
the two letter sequences indicated by "trick" and "balls in test".

A close runner-up is:

Wrecked cars: evil or not; it's debatable (13)
    [anag "cars: evil or not"; controversial = debatable]
    by ?? <msm@src.dec.com>
This reads fairly well.

Argued over correlation vs. deviation (13)
    [anag "correlation vs."; controversial = argued over]
    by Roy Thearle <rt@ukc.ac.uk>
It's terse, but it doesn't say much.
(Generally, I don't like a noun (deviation) as an anagram indicator.)

Debated over cilantro's unusual flavour (13)
    [anag "over cilantro's"; controversial = debated]
    by Guy Jacobson <guy@ulysses.att.com>
An original anagram, but I'm unhappy with "unusual flavour"
(even with the British spelling :-) as an anagram indicator.

Mixed up adviser without number in management is debatable (13)
    [anag "adviser" - D (number) in control (management);
    controversial = debatable]
    by Pat Place <prp@sei.cmu.edu>
My main quibble with this is that "number"
could equally well refer to D, V, I, DV, VI, or DVI in "adviser",
so it seems a bit unfair to the potential solver.
(Surely "degree in management" would have avoided this,
*and* given the clue more surface sense;
but it depends on whether your dictionary gives
"d" as an abbreviation for "degree" (Chambers does).)

Crazy adviser in control forgot date in question (13)
    [anag "adviser" - d(ate) in control; controversial = in question]
    by Albert Young <young@mtl.mit.edu>
A better treatment of more or less the same idea.

Argued against putting treasure by broken rails (13)
    [con (against) + trove (treasure) + anag "rails";
    controversial = argued]
    by Kiran Sridhara Kedlaya <kedlaya@b130.super.org>
Ok, but I think "putting" gets in the way.

Is turn over with a check?  Is capturing this not agreeable? (13)
    [{{is rev (turn)} reversed + a} in control (check is capturing this);
    controversial = not agreeable]
    by Tom Deneau <tomd@cayman.amd.com>
This is ok, though I have reservations about
whether "rev" means "turn" or "turn (an engine) over".

In these circumstances we might learn that treasured puma is leaving
kangaroo? (13)
    [con (learn) + trove (treasure) + marsupial (kangaroo) - puma]
    by Tim Steele <tjfs@tadtec.co.uk>
There's a lot of excess wording here,
and I can't find a definition of "controversial",
except for the fact that "circumstances" might be controversial
(but then they might just as easily be surreal).
Also, "marsupial" doesn't include "puma"
(though it does have those letters, in the order "ma-up"),
so it seems a bit difficult for the puma to leave.

Oliver and his Latin army cause a fuss (13)
    [anag "Oliver + contras (latin army)"; controversial = cause a fuss?]
    by Mick Lemmerman Publisher <mlemmerm@nl.oracle.com>
I don't think there's an anagram indicator
(unless "cause" is it, but I don't think "cause" gives
enough idea of reordering the letters).
Having "his Latin army" suggest "contras", which then needs reshuffling,
is an indirect anagram, which is Frowned Upon.
Also, "cause a fuss", or "a fuss" (if "cause" is the anag. indicator),
doesn't define the adjective "controversial".
I like the anagram of "Oliver" (North? Stone?) + "contras",
but I think the wording should have been better.

His endless mastery and endless poetry were always raising more than
a few eyebrows -- but at the end Muhammed was very mixed up (13)
    [contro(l = mastery) + vers(e = poetry) + anag "Ali" (Muhammed);
    controversial = always raising more than a few eyebrows]
    by Ralph Kennedy <kennedy@asuvax.eas.asu.edu>
Another wordy clue; "his" is redundant.
Very unusual to have the definition in the middle of the clue,
and I think it *almost* works.
"Muhammed" (I don't think that's the spelling Ali uses, BTW),
leading to "Ali" which needs to be jumbled,
is another indirect anagram.

Lastly, a special mention:

First "Spycatcher" trial (about intervening over succession to Crown)
not even causing debate (13)
    [over (about) in trial containing S(pycatcher), after c(r)o(w)n;
    controversial = causing debate]
    [The author's original explanation was:
    /* First Spycatcher = S
       trial about = TRSIAL
       intervening over = TROVERSIAL
       in succession to (Crown not even = CON) = CONTROVERSIAL = causing debate
    */]
    by Jeremy Pitt <jvp@doc.ic.ac.uk>
(I'm sure Jeremy is laying a trap for me here,
waiting to see what *controversial* comments I'll make. :-)
It's a rather convoluted clue, but that doesn't disqualify it.
My quibbles are:
1. "first <foo>" to mean "the first letter *of* <foo>":
    I don't like it (but it's quite common).
2. "trial about" to mean "with 'trial' around it":
    it strikes me as borderline, though I've often seen it used
    (and I admit I've resorted to it myself).
3. "intervening over" to mean "with 'over' intervening":
    borderline, too, I think.
4. "succession to" meaning "after" or "is the follower of":
    I don't think that works at all.
5. "crown not even" for "c-o-n":
    even though I accepted "thrilled even"
    for "h-i-l-d" in a previous CWC,
    I'd still avoid that wording if possible.
I would have overlooked all of these things
if the surface reading of the clue had been brilliant.
If, as I suspect, this clue was intended as
an &lit-style *example* of a controversial clue,
I like the concept, but can't bring myself to choose it as a winner. :-)

-- 
Roger Phillips                            roger@quantime.co.uk
"*crib-biting* in horses, a vicious habit of biting the manger, etc.,
and swallowing air" -- Chambers English Dictionary (1988)