AZED CROSSWORD 123

SCATTERGOOD

1.  W. K. M. Slimmings: Namely, one never tight – therefore in the red? (sc. a TT ergo o/d, & lit.).

2.  R. S. Caffyn: Unusual so to grade Scot (anag. & lit.).

3.  C. J. Morse: Tax a Tory’s capital – then, gad! he’ll spend it (scat T ergo od!; ref. wealth tax).

VHC

Mrs E. Allen: It’s odd to grade Scot as big spender (anag.).

C. Allen Baker: Sort to cadge when broke (anag. & lit.).

F. D. H. Atkinson: Liberal party broadcast – sound (scatter good).

E. C. Bingham: One who squanders without considering tax; therefore ending in the red (scatt ergo + o/d).

G. Blunden: He is prodigally involved in great cost and ends up in the red (anag. + o/d, & lit.).

J. Coleby: Go red at cost? That’s not my usual form (anag. & lit.).

A. J. Crow: Unusual Scot? Do great extravagances please him? (anag.).

M. A. Furman: Prodigal who reformed got roasted calf’s head (anag. incl. c; ref. Luke 15:23).

N. C. Goddard: I may reach the receiver as broadcast sound (scatter, good; ref. bankruptcy).

S. Goldie: One who can fritter dough, or act lively with stodge (anag.).

G. F. K. Grant: He may become just the sort to cadge (anag. & lit.).

Dr G. B. Greer: One’s foolishly got as credo, to save nothing (anag. less 0, & lit.).

C. H. Hudson: No husband needed to get Dorcas weaving (anag.; ref. Acts 9).

R. Jacks: One who’s always paying tax has consequently overdrawn (scatt ergo o/d).

R. E. Kimmons: Waster could be sort to cadge (anag.).

J. R. Kirby: Party with bits and pieces of great cost piling up (anag.+ do (rev.), & lit.).

C. J. Lowe: A wasteful dispenser gets a doctor in trouble (anag.).

W. F. Martin: May be sort to cadge, the prodigal (anag.).

H. W. Massingham: Sort to cadge, maybe (anag. & lit.).

L. May: Sort to cadge extravagantly! (anag. & lit.).

D. P. M. Michael: Liberal party broadcast (sound) (scatter good).

Dr J. D. Ogilvie: Liberal party broadcast – not bad (scatter good).

L. W. G. Oxley: He utters excessively in a pig’s-whisper to sow of repute (scatter, good).

F. R. Palmer: What’s sort to cadge from? Me! (anag. & lit.).

Dr R. J. Palmer: Lacking an element of restraint, to regard cost must be unusual for him (anag. less r & lit.).

S. L. Paton: Sort to cadge when broke (anag. & lit.).

W. H. Pegram: Sort to cadge when broke? (anag. & lit.).

T. E. Sanders: Just the sort to cadge off (anag. & lit.).

Brig R. F. E. Stoney: I save nothing for tax, therefore overdrawn (scatt ergo o/d).

HC

E. Akenhead, T. Anderson, J. C. Barnes, Mrs P. A. Bax, B. P. Biggin, Rev C. M. Broun, M. W. Buck, E. Chalkley, M. Coates, R. Dean, E. A. Free, A. L. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, L. H. Garnett, R. R. Greenfield, A. Griffin, R. B. Harling, D. V. Harry, E. M. Hornby, E. S. Irvine, R. Isham, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, Capt G. Langham, J. H. C. Leach, H. W. Lewis, D. F. Manley, Mrs S. M. Mann, H. S. Mason, C. G. Millin, A. C. Morrison, R. A. Mostyn, D. A. Myles, D. S. Nagle, M. L. Perkins, E. Potter, Mrs G. Rajkowska, H. L. Rhodes, I. R. Scott, P. J. Simpson, J. B. Sweeting, R. H. Tillcock, J. F. N. Wedge, L. C. Wright.
 

Comments
Roughly 350 entries, less than I’d expected for a puzzle of average difficulty. Quite a number of competitors had STICKS for STOCKS, and many more drew attention to this apparent alternative. After thinking about it carefully I concluded that STICKS was unacceptable as this would have meant that the clue was not really cryptic at all, simply two definitions of the same meaning of the word (i.e. cricket stumps). A ‘two-meanings’ type of clue is only valid when the two meanings are quite distinct and both referred to separately. As usual, of course, I hadn’t noticed the ambiguity. It’s terribly easy not to when you’re beavering away at clues. Other clues which perplexed a few were those to BANISH (bane-ish?) and EXEME (former uncle) but I hope the notes with the solution were suitably enlightening. I am sometimes accused of being unnecessarily succinct in the solution notes. Some comparable setters (notably Mephisto) spell out the explanation for every clue, but whereas this admittedly leaves no room for doubt I do think it’s unnecessarily long-winded and slightly insulting to the intelligence of the average solver. So I try to use my discretion in deciding what should and should not be annotated.
 
The other reason for brevity is that I am always urged by my masters at the Observer to economise on space wherever possible. This reminds me to mention the late competitions in July and August. One whole issue of the Colour Magazine was strikebound in late June so it came out the following week instead and this had a domino effect on all the issues in the pipeline. We shall be back to normal only in September. Printing strikes also caused bad delays in the printing of the last slip. I know it’s tiresome when they take so long to come, but must crave your indulgence.
 
There were plenty of good ideas for SCATTERGOOD including many neat anagrams which were widely used. I don’t have an excessive predilection for anagrams as some of you occasionally suggest. But it is undeniable that certain words lend themselves most suitably to that kind of clue—just as others are equally unsusceptible. Ximenes limited himself to a certain number in each puzzle on the grounds that they tend to be easier than other clues and give solvers a useful start. I prefer not to be too rigid but to give each word the clue that seems most apt for it. If this produces more anagrams than average, or less, it can’t be helped.
 
Many of you used ‘o/d = overdrawn’, including the first prizewinner, though the abbreviation isn’t in Chambers. I accepted this because it is so common and well known (and appears in other dictionaries, including Webster). I don’t however want you to feel that this entitles you to use any abbreviation dug up from any source when composing clues. The intention as always must be fairness to the solver. If an abbreviation is an obscure one and not in Chambers it must be pretty clearly labelled as such (in what way is up to you) for it to be acceptable.
 
No time for more. Next month, in response to a number of requests, I’ll say a little bit about how I go about constructing a puzzle.