From
Duke@21:1/5 to
All on Fri Mar 5 10:17:27 2021
There being no objection, here are my judgments on ASCWC 259. If you're looking for the winner, you're in the wrong place: that information is revealed at the end.
From Kevin Wald:
Orator's valediction would linger (4)
Sounds like "Bye" + 'd (for "would"); def. is "linger"
The surface is excellent. I don't love " 'd " for would, but maybe that's just me (he shakes his head, muttering "coulda, 'da, shoulda").
Ask Molly to stay (4)
BID + E for Ecstacy (= Molly); def. is "stay"
Ah, Molly. What would we do without her? Another excellent surface and unimpeachable wordplay. Perhaps a touch easy, but puzzles need easy clues.
Live shows AC/DC starts to detest (4)
"Bi" (=AC/DC) plus two starting letters of DETEST; def. is "live"
All three of Kevin's clues are very good, and this is my favorite. Nothing wrong here and the surface makes total sense.
From Luciano:
Old bear's shot with rifle out east (4)
Bid ("shot") + last letter of riflE; def is "old bear" = "bear, in older usage"
Great definition, fine wordplay. A very nice clue with lots of misdirection. "Out east" almost feels as if it's instructing the solver to remove the last letter, rather than keep only the last but I know better.
Stay in bed, madly hugging yours truly (4)
Anagram ("madly") of BED hugging I
Another well-done clue. Perhaps a touch easy. But -- you heard it here first -- puzzles need easy clues.
Wait in the same place outside shed (4)
IBIDEM losing outside letters; def. is "wait"
"Ibidem" is not a word I use much, but it's fairly clued. Nice.
From David A:
Wait! upon reflection edible without the French (4)
Reversal ("upon reflection") of EDIB-LE; def. is "Wait!"
This works fine. In the surface, "the French" might be a salad dressing. "Wait! Upon reflection" is a very natural way to start a sentence. Nice, if easy to those who have met the "the French" construct. But, you know, puzzles need easy clues.
Hold on! debit curtailed? Awkward (4)
Anagram ("awkward") of DEBI-T; def. is "hold on!"
Nothing wrong here either. Sensible surface and fair wordplay.
From Rob:
Stick with 80% of 46 (4)
Take 80% of BIDEN (U.S. President #46); def. is "stick"
If you get the 46 reference, this is pretty easy, and if not, I would think not. But I like it. Short and sweet.
There were lots of good clues in this competition. Many thanks to those who entered. The winner is...Kevin, for his unhappy rock band. Close runner-up: Luciano, though why he felt the bear needed shooting is not clear.
Thanks for playing,
Duke
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