March 26 2011

Leading Squares

untitled Our latest Storm was bigger than a sumo chocoholic, where all players crafted ten clues for a 5x5 word square. To spice the formula, we also took on pseudonyms, relating to squares, and I still don’t know the identity of the real setters milling on the podium.

But before we get to the prizes, a few notes. This was bloody hard to judge. You lot are getting too silken. Too innovative. Stop it. A judge’s life has seldom been so fraught, with over 16 players in the ruckus, all of you contriving some genuine magic. To a point I’m suffering job insecurity.

Among the clues, I applaud the Decalogue approach of i – the winner if integral theme was the goal. I’m likewise wowed by such radical whims as The U Tile’s TENET (Cross-eyed 10/10 vision) or T’s TENET, namely an allusion to the SATOR Stone (almost a whole chapter in Puzzled). Other clues stood out for reasons of similar brio, but I felt the burden to choose those clues that met the demands of the published page – fair definition, fresh and lucid wordplay, and a deft surface. Which is why the winning clues read like so:

SCENT – Emitted loud sniff [DO-SI-DO finds lucre in lurgy]

CANOE – Boat returning east on current [Hip splices the two halves with Hawaiian dexterity]

ARSON – A redhead’s active?! [Quadrille accomplishes the evasive &lit recipe]

ROUSE – Got up, turn in, get up [Like no other clue, Gridlock summarises our working week. I adore this clue.]

FLEET – Turn tail and get back fast [Peg embodies cowardice with panache]

FLEET – Swift legends about Lilliputian capital? [That’s right. A tie. You may notice I added a question mark to Quadrille’s original, to warn solvers about the licence of legends – but the use of Swift in particular is inspired.]

SCARF – Stole crack off gangster? [Not the most original approach – we actually had four Scarface allusions – but Quadrille does it the best by daylight.]

CAROL – Introductory Christmas anthem rings out loud! [Box Brownie cashes in on the code formula, in what was our weakest word. Close was Pants with Brady tune, perhaps]

ENSUE – Follow up beaut singer regularly [Peg gets the posy for avoiding the ensure cliché, and creating a snug Copacabana vibe]

NOOSE – Zip in bowtie [Arguably my favourite clue, composed by King Rat himself, Richard Millhouse Nixon]

TENET – Rule of thumb initially worried teen [Elegant surface from squared circle, who latched onto idiom with pizzazz. Some fierce competition from The U Tile and Hip in this bracket.]

To get down and numerical about this week’s square-off, our winner is Quadrille (who outed himself as Boniface), with the enigmatic Peg second and Hip (for one clue, plus one notable mention) completing the podium. A superb contest. Let me pat you all squarely on the backs. And feel free to unmask your clever selves – or comment on the verdict – in the Comments.

Comments

DC — 26 March at 12:39AM

I was i, and congrats all Bon and the others.

As I said, I really wish I'd thought of his SCARF clue which (apart from being brilliant) would have fit into my own strange scheme perfectly. I would then have had to get blasphemy out of ROUSE, somehow, but y'know.

dg — 26 March at 12:48AM

It was fitting there were 16 entrants. Not that there's anything wrong with it but I don't think Boniface outed himself.

With your 'silken' remark I'm guessing I shouldn't be feeling discouraged. I did feel most of my clues were quite ... utile.

SK — 26 March at 09:43AM

Boy, did this little challenge stir the creative juices or what?

I was Box Brownie; congrats Bon and the umpteen others who tossed in some super stuff. I scraped in with CAROL which I agree was the weakest word. As for my other clues that I thought were ok, in each case they were eclipsed by something far smoother.

The gene pool looks pretty healthy DA!

Boniface — 26 March at 10:42AM

Thanks DA for putting this on.

Re the CAROL clue, I agree that it was the hard one. Trying to stay on the musical theme, I found myself trying to do a deletion of BARE from BARCAROLE... erk.

Bon

Mauve — 26 March at 10:46AM

I was Richard Millhouse Nixon (and then for a bit of fun threw in some discards as "I'm going away Don't ar...")

Well done Boniface, and well-deserved.

Maybe, to save time for those interested in seeing who offered what (it's Saturday after all), everyone should unmask themselves AND list their 10 clues in the same post on this thread

Sam — 26 March at 10:59AM

AKA squared circle

Great stuff - really liked Gridlock's ROUSE above (Mr X?)

Cheers to the winners Boniface, 'Peg' and 'Hip.'

dg — 26 March at 11:09AM

Mauve, dont you know it's poor form to use multiple aliases on a web forum? :)

I still don't understand "I'm going away Don't ar...". But I guess it will go down with the mystery of Stonehenge.

And my ten were:

SCENT – Emitted loud sniff

CANOE – Boat returning east on current

ARSON – A redhead’s active?!

ROUSE – Got up, turn in, get up

FLEET – Turn tail and get back fast

FLEET – Swift legends about Lilliputian capital?

SCARF – Stole crack off gangster?

CAROL – Introductory Christmas anthem rings out loud!

ENSUE – Follow up beaut singer regularly

NOOSE – Zip in bowtie

TENET – Rule of thumb initially worried teen

SK — 26 March at 11:11AM

Agree re ROUSE. I thought I was on a winning idea about getting covered in egg at a rally, but when I saw that I thought "damn, that's good".

And Mauve, that NOOSE was a killer.

Mauve — 26 March at 11:17AM

wow, dg, submitted as 8 different aliases? j/k

or were they your ten faves as well?

And "I'm going away Don't ar"s surname was revealed on the other thread. If only Stonehenge were so simple.

Nib — 26 March at 11:18AM

*DePantsed*

Tight sets there, folks.

SK — 26 March at 11:24AM

dg- "I'm going away but don't ask where"

My 10 (weeding out some multiples)

SCENT- Trail begins steeply, challenging even nimble trekkers

CANOE- Dug out re-draft of a gun code!?

ARSON- It's a crime war, so neutrals hide indoors (not sure my tweak to that clue made it through the filter? Didn't matter, because Quadrile's &lit was smokin')

ROUSE- We were covered in egg at rally

FLEET- Oddly felt erect, and full of seamen (yeah, yeah, I know...it was never gonna pass DA's breakfast table test. But I couldn't resist it)

SCARF- Screws, flanges, leads secured car muffler

CAROL- Introductory Christmas anthem rang out loud!

ENSUE- Update us...never hold back result

NOOSE- Trap mongoose and put the cat out (I liked this one, but Mauve strangled me in the end...)

TENET- Dogma evident in two movies

dg — 26 March at 11:33AM

Actually, mauve, I'm you. I'm actually everyone on here. (Yep, DA, all your angst in judging and it's always been just me in a paranoid conspiracy, Total Recall-type sci-fi nightmare. :)

Root — 26 March at 11:48AM

We're out!

The standard was indeed phenomenal - congrats to all. I think tackling all 10 might have spread my limited skills a bit thin:

CENT: The smell and sound of money
CANOE: First craft to break the sound barrier?
ARSON: Pinching the priest's nose is a crime
ROUSE: Wake up hearing arguments
FLEET: Ships left at sea without bearing

SCARF: Devour second baby seal for the audience
CAROL: Zeiss wraps lens at Christmas
ENSUE: Make certain there's no right to follow
NOOSE: Queensland tourist trap not a drug trap
NOOSE: Soon swapped partners to finish the tie
TENET: Send note back and forth about new belief
TENET: Backtracking on this belief won't change it

SK — 26 March at 12:43PM

We may be out, but you are still rooted in anonymity. C'mon, don't be shy...

Mauve — 26 March at 12:53PM

Yes, WE'RE all out, ROOT, but you're still in. JT, maybe?

And thanks, SK - Ned Kelly shares your sentiments.

Here are my ten. Might've known that out of 9 Ximenean and 1 Araucarian clues, DA would pick the Araucarian one. In fact, if ANAX was judging I wouldn't have submitted my NOOSE.

SCENT - Shift stance without a stink
CANOE - Able to overtake empty vessel
ARSON - Illegally-fired vicar retires quietly
ROUSE - Ignite incense
FLEET - Famous street squad

SCARF - Nearly frighten French babushka
CAROL - Florence Henderson sang in December
ENSUE - Follow Sudanese riot (without ads)
NOOSE - Zip in bowtie
TENET - View the insect regularly

I kind of liked my ROUSE but it was no competition for Gridlock's gem.

Huge effort in judging them all, DA. Thanks.

RK — 26 March at 01:25PM

I'm Jake the...

It's a pleasure to meet you all.

This is my first foray into the art of clue crafting (with the exception of theremin the other day) and I feel my offerings were very conservative compared with the inspired creativity of the rest of you. It was great fun though and I'm looking forward to more exciting challenges.

Thanks DA for a fabulous site. Dangerously addictive is right.

These were my 10:

SCENT - Coins "The last shall be first" for eternity
CANOE - Use a paddle to punish outside Head Office
ARSON - Battlefront lost numbers returning offensive fire
ROUSE - Awaken English flower
FLEET - Turn tail and get back fast
SCARF - Baker who had one mode of transport in science fiction
CAROL - Carlton thrashed without new tactics - starts Magpies' song
ENSUE - Follow up beaut singer regularly
NOOSE - Fix one welcoming, very large gin
TENET - Bar English and French rule

DC — 26 March at 01:56PM

Here's my lot again. If anyone was confused by the title, it's because each clue was based on one of the Ten Commandments, which was the TENET (there are only nine commandments, sort of, albeit divided up into ten in different ways by different branches of Christianity).

All a bit arbitrary, perhaps, but I was pleased that some of them seemed to make reasonable clues anyway. CANOE, ARSON and ENSUE would be my picks, assuming their trickery is in fact legal. At least I was the winner in my category of one :-)

Decalogue

Scent: She covets each neighbour's trappings (originally it made sense)
Canoe: Murderer #1 lost in craft
Arson: Burn out airhorn regularly on Sunday
Rouse: Get up and complain! Premier is stolen
Fleet: Dashing founding father's honour (in geek speak)

Scarf: Bloody Mark (the original follower) will swallow everything
Carol: False idols care not; side against Scrooge
Ensue: Succeed ultimately: lie in court
Noose: Necktie and red bouquet; adulterate with love
Tenet: This puzzle's theme, each way?

JD — 26 March at 01:56PM

ROOT's use of 1st person plural is a big hint to their identities. Click on the link...
I (225) had a mixed bag of groaners and silliness. Having seen the winners, I can appreciate why they were chosen. Once again thanks for what truly is cheap entertainment!

SCENT: Aroma of a odd(sic) neonate.
CANOE: In reverse, on a craft.
ARSON: "Here's Johnny", decapitated by serious crime.
ROUSE: Excite trouser dweller.
FLEET: Fast tailender in Imperial measures.

SCARF: Joint to frighten away a stroke.
CAROL: Berry does Barnett.
ENSUE: Follow each usual suspect noiselessly. Eventually back to their origin.
NOOSE: Halterneck top worn by loose lout.
TENET: Small lady can eat without a principle.

RV — 26 March at 02:11PM

Hi all. I'm a recent arrival at this blog. I was Gridlock. Thanks for your kind words for my ROUSE. Like everyone, I loved Quadrille's SCARF. Brilliant. and well done to everyone. i know many clues that haven't been mentioned made me smile and we all know how long it takes to make each clue.

Root — 26 March at 02:59PM

well spotted, JD

dg — 26 March at 03:31PM

TENET - Cross-eyed 10/10 vision?
ARSON - South Africans introducing issue of fire damage?
NOOSE - It's a tiny margin with nothing in it. Tightrope by a neck!
CANOE - It has helped move people about over time
ENSUE - Some see us needing reflexes to succeed

CAROL - Merry-go-round is useless by candlelight?
SCENT - Hit for 6¢ fragrance.
ROUSE - Scraps call for wake-up
FLEET - Winged vessels
SCARF - Futuristic garage band?
(SF with car within)

Simon L — 27 March at 03:19PM

I was Hip, as always a very enjoyable exercise seeing the vast number of different ways people can find to obfuscate fairly simple words - well done all...

SCENT - Trail abridged scene with final stunt.
CANOE - Boat returning east on current.
ARSON - Comedian after initial set on fire.
ROUSE - Stir grouse nog.
FLEET - Armada retreat before initial thrust.
SCARF - Fashion accessory brand on fleece top.
CAROL - Listeners bow after stirring orca song.
ENSUE - Follow three-point turn direction.
NOOSE - Noosphere surrounds a closed loop?
TENET - Vietnam offensive about direction of dogma.

Rupert — 28 March at 07:39AM

I was T. I was fairly sure DA would recogise the allusion in my TENET, particularly in the context of a magic square. It would have looked utterly incomprehensible to anyone who'd never seen

SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS

Anyway, my 10 were:

SCENT - Broadcast issued, followed by hounds.
CANOE - Craft tippy under President Harrison.
[this was a bit rough. I was trying to work in Tippycanoe (or Tippecanoe), the massacre from which William Henry Harrison got his nickname]
ARSON - Setters' boy reported fire starting.
ROUSE - Insect changes sides to get out of bed.
[I felt sure L -> R was sufficiently DA-like to be chosen. I was wrong ;)]
FLEET - Last pit supports? Run away, fast.

SCARF - Goes around neck to mark defender.
[def-ender = F. Another failed attempt to curry favour]
CAROL - Part of Tosca rolls 'em in the aisles when sung in December.
ENSUE - Follow loser guarantee.
[Lose R - from our subtraction alphabet the other week]
NOOSE - Knot adds nothing to feature.
TENET - Arepo's job (when not sowing) was to do this to wheels.

Rupert — 28 March at 07:43AM

I should add that this was a lot of fun, so thanks very much to DA for organising it.

DA — 28 March at 08:21AM

Pleasure Rupert, and well played. You've joined a sly field of fellow cluers, so scoring the bling in a Storm like this was always going to be an ask.

For your ROUSE clue, maybe not insect but Low-life or something more humanoid? The L/R device was smart, as was the 'loser guarantee' idea, though ENSUE/ENSURE was a trampled path. Welcome aboard.

JT — 28 March at 09:54AM

I was Do-Si-Do. Well done all, great fun.

j
___

SCENT: Emitted loud sniff
CANOE: Can love drug float on water?
ARSON: Sonar ping - a criminal act?
ROUSE: Awake, hearing arguments
FLEET: Run! Model is swift!
SCARF: Stole vehicle in San Francisco
CAROL: Sing, girl!
ENSUE: End up hollow, eaten by Peggy
NOOSE: Returning soon? Then take back Saddam's necktie
TENET: Truth drug found in teepee