AZED CROSSWORD 1216

CHAPERON

1.  C. J. Morse: To accompany small children, adult individual, leader of school outing (ch. + A per(s)on, & lit.).

2.  H. J. Bradbury: Phone RAC: broken down Escort holding up traffic between Maidenhead and Bucks (anag.).

3.  B. Burton: A trout, perhaps, if you’re after a catch? No, a perch, sadly! (anag.).

VHC

M. Barley: Escort – see busy rep inside talking endlessly on mobile carphone? (anag. in cha(t) on, anag.).

N. C. Dexter: Her pa worried, little Constance goes round with me? (anag. in Con, & lit.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: See her assigned to protecting one with flapper’s heart? (a + p in C her on, & lit.).

S. Goldie: A crocodile’s custodian – such a person shows no little suspicion (such a person less sus).

G. I. L. Grafton: Minder making crack about ‘’er indoors’ (’er in chap + on; ref. TV series).

R. R. Greenfield: Satellite shielding vacuous protégée? (p, e in Charon, & lit.).

B. Hagan: Old hood Capone tangled with characters surrounding Hoover (anag. incl. H, r; ref. J. Edgar H.).

A. Hall: From the beginnings of his racketeering, Capone played the vintage hood (anag. incl. h, r).

P. F. Henderson: I may provide check acting on individual unacquainted with Society (ch a per(S)on, & lit.).

R. Hesketh: I watch over any person surrendering to swain very freely (comp. anag. & lit.).

E. M. Holroyd: Crone, possibly, restricting contingence once? (hap in anag. & lit.; contingence = contact).

R. J. Hooper: Ferry operator restricts use of bars etc? My charges on trip should be small (PE in Charon).

C. G. Millin: Fellow will get one in trouble without her, if he’s abandoned (chap + (he)r in anag., & lit.).

M. Owen: A person assigned to accompanying child (ch. + a per. on, & lit.).

F. R. Palmer: Hanky-panky in progress? See her butt in without a sign of hesitation (h(er) in caper on, & lit.).

R. J. Palmer: Companion an individual has to inhibit the onset of sex (CH + a per(s)on, &lit.).

Mrs A. Price: A person accompanying child, suppressing first hint of sex (ch. + a per(s)on, &lit.).

H. L. Rhodes: Check on a character wanting a bit of seduction (ch + a per(s)on, &lit.).

Miss D. W. Taylor: Gooseberry fool with peach or a dash of nutmeg (anag. incl. n; gooseberry = unwanted third person).

J. R. Tozer: Wanton man-poacher can do without mother in this capacity (anag. less ma, & lit.).

Mrs M. P. Webber: Gooseberry perhaps or peach stewed with a pinch of nutmeg (anag. incl. n; gooseberry = unwanted third person).

HC

D. Ashcroft, F. D. H. Atkinson, M. J. Balfour, R. C. Bell, J. R. Beresford, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, Ms R. Box, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, E. Cross, Ms M. Cruickshank, G. Cumming, Ms H. Dalton, E. Dawid, A. L. Dennis, V. Dixon, J. Dromey, C. M. Edmunds, R. A. England, E. G. Fletcher, H. Freeman, P. D. Gaffey, N. C. Goddard, E. Gomersall, B. Greer, C. R. Gumbrell, R. Haddock, J. Hastie, Mrs B. E. Henderson, A. Hodgson, C. Hopkins, R. Jacks, W. Jackson, G. Johnstone, R. E. Kimmons, F. P. N. Lake, J. D. Lockett, A. Logan, Mrs J. Mackie, D. F. Manley, P. W. Marlow, G. McStravick, T. J. Moorey, A. Morgan-Richards, C. J. Napier, A. J. L. Neill, T. D. Nicholl, K. O’Keeffe, D. Pendrey, D. R. Robinson, G. Rowlands, H. R. Sanders, M. Sanderson, W. J. Scotland, D. J. Short, B. L. Smith, D. A. Smith, R. Stocks, P. L. Stone, R. C. Teuton, D. H. Tompsett, A. P. Vincent, Mrs W. Ward, A. J. Wardrop, M. J. E. Wareham, R. J. Whale, Sir David Willcocks, D. Williamson.
 

Comments
332 entries, very few mistakes. Several of you expressed bewilderment over my clue to SARNIE (‘What’s bit of spam in middle of bread, possibly ?‘), though I don’t think anyone got it wrong. The note with the solution should have explained it satisfactorily, but in case anyone is still puzzled, it’s s(pam) + an anagram of in (b)rea(d), an ‘& lit.’ I was quite pleased with. The current hoo-ha over the new Muppet monster Spa’am which provoked a hostile reaction from the manufacturers of Spam made it an unexpectedly topical clue. I had no idea it was still being made. We used to be given spam fritters at my prep school in the early fifties and they were tremendously popular (if hardly haute cuisine!). My clue to MACE also gave some trouble. The subsidiary part (‘defence in attack’) was a reference to the chemical Mace which is widely used in aerosol tins carried around, especially in America, as a defence against muggers. Chambers doesn’t explicitly mention this use, it’s true, but I thought it would be well enough known. The bridge flavour of the clue as a whole was merely to put you off the scent for a bit.
 
These clues apart, you seem to have found the puzzle a little harder than average. Some of you commented with gentle disapproval on the two five-letter words with two unches (unchecked letters) apiece. Quite right, too. It was pure inadvertence on my part and not something I’d do deliberately unless forced by circumstances, which wasn’t the case here. Sorry.
 
There were lots of good clues to CHAPERON to relish. It was (for once) a universally popular clue-word, replete with possibilities, and I had a real job sorting out the ones for special mention. As usual it tended to be those who spotted a good idea and then embellished it with that extra dash of wit and/or elegance of wording. CAR-PHONE (often linked with Escort) and CAPE HORN were understandably popular anagrams, but because of their popularity required extra-special treatment to stand out from the rest.
 
I hope you like the new layout. Having the clues alongside the diagram must be an improvement, I feel. Just why the other features of the old ‘Games’ page have been moved to the newspaper and not us I’ve no idea. I’m never consulted or given prior notice about such changes.
 
May I end with a plea — one I’ve made before ? Please attach your entry diagram to the clue sheet that accompanies it, and please write your name and address on both the clue sheet and the coupon printed with the diagram. The two part company during the judging process and there is a consequent risk that I’ll lose names if this is not