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HIS is the eighteenth Azed puzzle to feature the ‘Right & Left’ type of clue,
although seven of them have been of the ‘Up & Down’ variety, first used in Azed puzzle 744. The linking lights in those seven are
mentioned in the Slips and are, in order: Helter-skelter, Trampolinists,
Between Maid, Roller-coaster, Stock Markets, Middle Passage, and Pressure
Gauge. The linking lights in the most recent ‘Right and Left’ puzzles are known to Dr Watson, and are
Right-and-left in 1264, Here and there (1342), The Go-between (1633),
Counterparts (1792) and Double whammy in 2019. The thematic character of these
links is continued in the present puzzle with TWO-WAY MIRROR.
Solutions and parsings
are given below in the order in which
they have been clued. In all ‘R&L’ clues the divide is marked by a
forward slash.
1. What
could make tiro marry, bagging real knockout? It’s
effective from both sides. TWO-WAY
MIRROR (wow in anag.) A two-way mirror is
certainly effective from both sides, but not in ways that are equivalent or
complementary as one might expect in a linking light. Dr Watson suspected that
this might be the solution at an early stage, but chose to press on with
solving the ‘right and left’ clues without its assistance for that reason, but
failing to notice until the grid was complete that it could be taken quite
aptly as two separate headings for the two halves of the puzzle. Nonetheless it
is a splendid clue with the teasing question as to quite what the intended
bride thought of her groom in the light of the asymmetrical character of its
solution.
6. Gum
chewing man, i.e. / help (once) in embroidering fine, elegant cloaks. ANIMÉ / NEELE (anag. / hidden) The first
of several clues including a hint that a solution may be antique or obsolete.
The hidden solution is ‘cloaked’ in ‘fine, elegant’.
7. Bowl
remained, by the sound of it, / smooth for Jock stooping around start of roll.
STADE / BRENT (i.e. “stayed” / r in bent) Quickly
solved.
8. Small
area inside right and left of the spleen once / called ‘intermediary’, i.e.
lacking outer parts. LIENAL / TERMED (A in lien1, l; s.v. lien3 / hidden) Azed has worked ‘right and left’ into
this clue’s surface, baffling though it might seem to many on reading it
through.
10. Three-horse
vehicle quickly passed market and has left / City area − described
circuits as ‘become less’ no longer. RANDEM / DECREW (ran, dem(and); s.v. market / EC in drew)
The origin of RANDEM is not attempted in Chambers, curiously. The
Shorter Oxford Dictionary essays: ‘Prob. alt. of RANDOM after TANDEM’, and
gives for RANDOM (as noun) the primary definition: ‘1. Great speed, force, or
violence in riding, running, striking, etc’. Chambers
has similar meanings listed at its own entry. The indication of DECREW, the
first of three words of Edmund Spenser featured in this puzzle, turns on
understanding ‘circuits’ as a verb and ‘to describe’ as meaning ‘to draw’ as in
(say) ‘describe an arc of radius ...’.
11. Such
latex is dangerous: no pro, amateur opening in Royal / Court’s capers, trap for actors. ANTIAR / SCRUTO (anti, A, R(oyal) / anag.) The Royal Court Theatre has given Azed
a very convenient combination here, providing the ‘r’ in ANTIAR, the anagram of
SCRUTO, and bridging the divide between the two parts.
14. Formerly
savage knight yielding to gentlemen in empty / tomb: use empty inside for
frequent potter? IMMANE / CUEIST (MM for N in inane / u(s)e in cist) In this tale of chivalry, Azed
has indicated ‘mm’ not as Military Medal, as he might well have done, but with
the abbreviation for ‘gentlemen’, after that for Messieurs. This context has led conveniently to the latter part
where one of the gallant captors has taken a mind to visit his empty tomb more
often. Taking a frequent potter wittily clues a billiards or snooker player, our CUEIST.
15. Taking
time aboard yawl at sea that’s inclined to roll / I have to replace coat’s
lining, fur. WALTY / CIVET (t in anag / I’ve for oa in coat) Not
quite the easiest clue in this
puzzle, with both parts simply and transparently indicated, but a close second
to STADE/BRENT at 7 Across.
16. Dogs,
some pets in a circus performing turn, / small group such as foolhardy acrobat
uses? CANIS / NONET (hidden (rev.) / i.e. ‘no net’) Whenever
Azed uses a plural noun meaning certain animals or
plants in a place likely to be that for a clue’s definition, it is always worth
looking for a Latin word for the relevant genus, as here.
17. The
old suppose good German writer / drug-addicted? He gets zonked with OD having
injected certainly. GHESSE / HOOKED (g, Hesse / OK in
anag.) The
reference is presumed to be to Hermann Hesse,
who lived his life on a much higher plane than that achieved by most others,
with or without the aid of drugs. GHESSE is the second of the Spenser words.
1. Teachers
fascinate major power controller, bangled antic
upsetting sexy club feature. MASTER-SWITCH / TABLE-DANCING
(masters, witch / anag.) Two very fine clues in one, a crisp
charade and an hilarious anagram suggesting the
perfect tone of disdain.
2. Create
chemistry in course that includes bit of experiment / with art, one chaps
entered showing traditional caution. INTERACT / WARIMENT (e in ‘in tract’ / i, men, all in w, art) The
third of Spenser’s contributions is the delightful WARIMENT, craftily indicated
and defined, as of old.
3. Major
blow in love: not once losing heart / takes up John (at Harrow?) ONE-ER / REARS
(0, ne(v)er / 2 meanings, s.v. rear2 & 1) Here, ‘not once’ is not an indication
that an obsolete word meaning ‘not’ is needed somehow. It serves instead as a
definition of ‘never’.
4. Dame
seen staggering in short highway, unco gyte / wife hit near middle, first to finish. RED-MAD /
WINNER (anag. in Rd / w, inner) Two
Scots words are used here to define a third: RED-MAD. This was amongst the
trickiest clues to solve, particularly in view of the two listed meanings of ‘gyte’.
5. With plenty of cash, my dear, on Crazy
Spotted / Cock’s-comb − well, early tot must be drunk. READY-MONEYED / YELLOW RATTLE (anag, eyed / anag.) One assumes that Crazy Spotted Cock’s-comb
must be a rather expensive choice of tipple - strong bottled ale, perhaps. YELLOW
RATTLE is a name for Rhinanthus minor, also known as Cockscomb, but not to
be confused with various plants in the genus Celosia.
9. Cans:
flyers e.g. opening these wildly / rock barrel in steep manoeuvring. HEADSETS / PETUNTSE (ads in anag.
/ tun in anag.) Dr Watson wonders if pilots may expect to
be breathalysed! It would be difficult to ‘pull one over’ in the middle of a barrel roll. Petuntse
is our rock.
12. Cheese
fellow wrapped inside jumper / he put in part of fork as something to ingest
with a cuppa? ROMANO / THEINE (man in roo / he in
tine1) Chambers’ entry for ‘fork’
includes many and varied definitions. Watson favours the fork of a tree as
giving the best surface reading.
Other solutions:
Across:
Down: 13.
DIVES / MALIK (The
Competition pairing)