[Dixonary] Round 1674: Vote for MULTURE

[Daniel B. Widdis]

You have all outdone yourselves yet again, producing 21 wonderful
alternatives to the one true definition hidden in the list below.

You have just under 36 hours to cast your vote for two (2) of these
definitions. More specifically, polls close at 8pm PST Sunday, January
8, 2006. That's 11pm EST, and 04.00 Monday UTC.

New players are welcome, even if you didn't enter a definition this
round. Don't look in a dictionary. Don't feed the bears.

*** MULTURE ***

1: (Obs.) Multitude.

2: The residue from fermented malt.

3: (Scots Law) The toll for grinding grain.

4: Grasses grown specifically for animal feed.

5: A world-wide secret society of career diplomats.

6: Treatment of lumber to resist termite infestation.

7: Exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment or vitality.

8: The criminal act of exposing oneself to a blind person.

9: The collection of soil from mole-hills to prepare seed-beds, etc.

10: The residue found after wine is distilled to make brandy using an
alembic.

11: A nonce word for "multiculture." [_The Guardian_ 1993, "The
Internet multure is rapidly evolving."]

12: The intrinsic growth rate of a population, equal to the net growth
rate plus the death rate less net migration.

13: The condition existing when tissues of different genetic makeup
occur in the same organism.

14: The deformation of bone sometimes caused by the poliomyelitis virus.

15: Cargo jettisoned from ship but marked by buoys for recovery.

16: A three-dimensional painting or other piece of artwork.

17: A financial product based on consumer credit debt.

18: The plug of tobacco left in a pipe after smoking.

19: Relating to or denoting paranormal phenomena.

20: _Obs._ Mulch. [from a supposed Latin form]

21: A field that is not being farmed. [O.E.]

22: To entomb in a wall.

--
Dan

[Tim Bourne]

2 and 13, please.

As a matter of interest, does anyone have any idea how the
scoring would go if I happened to vote for a definition
which was a merge of my own definition and the correct
definition?

Tim B

[Hugo Kornelis]

Hi Daniel,

An outstanding collection indeed. Some very funny, some very believable,
some both. Kudos to the submitters!

My votes are for

2: The residue from fermented malt.

4: Grasses grown specifically for animal feed.

Best, Hugo

[jmadnick@nycap.rr.com]

<< *** MULTURE ***

<< 3: (Scots Law) The toll for grinding grain.

<< 10: The residue found after wine is distilled to make brandy using an
<< alembic.

Judy Madnick
Albany, NY

[Hugo Kornelis]

Hi Tim,

>>As a matter of interest, does anyone have any idea how the
>>scoring would go if I happened to vote for a definition
>>which was a merge of my own definition and the correct
>>definition?

If I recall the rules correctly (I'm too lazy to look it up right now),
you'd get no points at all. And you'd ruin the dealer's D0.

Best, Hugo

[Daniel B. Widdis]

Tim Bourne wrote:
> As a matter of interest, does anyone have any idea how the
> scoring would go if I happened to vote for a definition
> which was a merge of my own definition and the correct
> definition?

There are two relevant rules. 4(c)(1) on combining definitions reads:

If one (or any) of those definitions is the true definition
of The Word, any votes for the combined definition result in
a point for the fictitious definition, and two points for the
voter, except that the author of the fictitious definition
gets no points for voting for the combined definition.


The "gets no points" remark is a bit vague. It could mean that he is
disqualified from the 2 points, or it could simply mean he doesn't get
the usual "point for the voter" that is standard.

The other relevant rule, 8(b)(1) reads:

You get one point for each vote (other than your own) for
your definition, and two points if you happen to vote for
the true definition.


This seems a bit more clear in declaring that you get two points if you
vote for the true def (without making an exception for it being your
own, which is done everywhere else.)

So my interpretation of the rules is that if you voted for your own def
which was combined with the real def, you would be awarded 2 points.
You would also receive points for anyone _else_ who voted for the
real/combined def, but not your own vote.

--
Dan

[Daniel B. Widdis]

Tim Bourne wrote:
>
> As a matter of interest, does anyone have any idea how the
> scoring would go

And I've now checked Paul's "real rules" which appear to contradict my
earlier conclusion. Apparently a vote for your own def is tossed out,
as if it never existed. Personally, I think the rules are vague here.

--
Dan

[Paul Keating]

I agree that the rules could be better organized: the rare exeption
(combined defs) is handled in rule 4, but the normal case (uncombined defs)
has to wait until rule 8. A hasty revision, it looks like.

The "real" rules are intended to be procedurally identical to the 1990
rules, and if they aren't then they need to be fixed. I still think they
are, though.

This bit seems quite clear to me: 4(c)(1) "the author of the fictitious
definition [sc. that is combined with the real definition] gets no points
for voting for the combined definition."

--
Paul Keating
The Hague

----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel B. Widdis" <widdis (AT) gmail (DOT) com>
Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 7:49 PM


> And I've now checked Paul's "real rules" which appear to contradict my
> earlier conclusion. Apparently a vote for your own def is tossed out,
> as if it never existed. Personally, I think the rules are vague here.



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[Toni Savage]

13 and 20 pls


-- Toni Savage

[mshefler]

# 8 made me laugh so it gets a vote, though obviously wrong. ANd I'll pick #22 in honor of E.A. Poe.

[Tim Bourne]

> If I recall the rules correctly (I'm too lazy to look it
> up right now),
> you'd get no points at all. And you'd ruin the dealer's
> D0.
>
That sounds like a good reason for never combining with the
dictionary definition; it could do someone out of 2 points
they should have had.

Tim B

[Tim Bourne]

> So my interpretation of the rules is that if you voted
> for your own def which was combined with the real def,
> you would be awarded 2 points. You would also receive
> points for anyone _else_ who voted for the
> real/combined def, but not your own vote.
>
Yes, that's my preferred interpretation too. Of course, it
may never arise.

Tim B

[Daniel B. Widdis]

Paul Keating wrote:
> This bit seems quite clear to me: 4(c)(1) "the author of the fictitious
> definition [sc. that is combined with the real definition] gets no points
> for voting for the combined definition."

Taken by itself with no context, it is indeed clear. It is not quite so
obvious in context:

"... any votes for the combined definition result in a point for the
fictitious definition, and two points for the voter, except that the
author of the fictitious definition gets no points for voting for the
combined definition."

Here, the words "fictitious definition" appear twice. The first time is
where "votes for the combined definition result in a point for the
fictitous definition". When the words appear a second time, accompanied
by their author, the exception could be read to apply only to the first
instance of "a point for the fictitious definition." Contributing to
this (incorrect) interpretation is that in the scoring section 8(b)(1),
the first exception (no points from your own vote) is explicitly listed,
while there are no exceptions listed for the 2-point award.

Although, expanding the context further, it is clear what the intention
is. Rule 4(c)(2) handles the case of combining multiple fictional
definitions and "...any vote for the definition (other than by the
authors) gives each author a point." This means that if I combine Alice
and Bob's fake definitions, and Alice votes for it, Bob does not score
any points from that vote. The vote is, essentially, non-existent for
scoring purposes. This would confirm that the voter would not receive
the two points.

It is unfortunate that in the scoring section, 8(b)(1), the rules do not
include either of the exceptions in 4(c)(1) and (2). It is fortunate
that Froma's Autodealer code has handled this case (ignoring the vote in
its entirety when you select "Dixonary scoring") for years, so it is
clear what the precedent is.

--
Dan

[Guerri Stevens]

I vote for 6 and 10.

Guerri

[Wayne Scott]

Today I got a check from the gin for my tenant's cotton crop, so I'll be a farmer and vote for:

20 and 21, Please.

Rural in Ruritania :p :p

[Paul Keating]

1 & 12 for me.

--
Paul Keating
The Hague



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[Christopher Carson]

I'll go with 3 and 14.

Chris


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Tony Abell]

As is typical, I haven't a clue. I'll fall for the nonce word and the
artwork: 11 and 16.

[Russ Heimerson]

I'll go for # 3 and # 7, please.

Russ