AZED CROSSWORD 568

TETHER (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  J. P. Lester: Play the second movement and an/on do allegro (andante, rondo).

2.  Ms L. Webb: Why go to Jamaica? Just tot a s/um – it’s cheaper at home.

3.  C. Allen Baker: The ra/ider takes a fence spoils – chance of clearance, perhaps?

VHC

D. Ashcroft: To win a ma/id, dance of rivals is needed.

M. J. Balfour: Has pop a r/eal appeal? To this, blunt answer’s ‘No!’

W. R. Chalmers: Wash a s/eal? Reason for that’s lice.

E. A. Clarke: Doctor, could no/ise hurt men at Waterloo?

B. Corrie: Extract from Barber squar/e cast for string band (ref. S. Barber’s Adagio for Strings).

G. H. Edwardson: She’s no Wade, but a n/ightdress, for court wear, is all she needs.

J. F. Grimshaw: A r/eal lark – or was it? Just William thought so (ref. ‘To a Skylark’).

R. N. Haygarth: Willis losing Ashes was not qui/et – urn we wanted! (Bob W., England captain).

V. G. Henderson: Local celebrity went to village and presented prizes for small fe/e.

J. P. H. Hirst: Don’t was/h in Oban, Kit.

R. E. Kimmons: In Manchester they fe/ed devils, in Lincoln it’s the imps (ref. football teams).

J. C. Leyland: When editor says ‘S/ubs out’ – cut!

L. K. Maltby: Greek mothers give thanks, toast a r/eproduction goddess (Astarte).

R. A. Mostyn: What a splendid kedgeree: pla/ice is spiced to perfection.

R. J. Palmer: To seem awas/h in oil endangers me, says thrifty son.

R. Parry-Morris: As a filmgoer said to manager, ‘Ge/e!’ (and so on) (‘E.T.’).

D. R. Robinson: Never was/h one when sorting vintage bottles of wine!

T. E. Sanders: Considering the age of my ma is one t/en ’tis exceptionally great.

W. J. M. Scotland: After satin galore t/akes in Paris ‘look’ – worn out? (lorette = courtesan).

M. C. Souster: Didn’t anyone see the alien transport plan/e? (E.T.).

F. B. Stubbs: I designed lingerie, my for/mal step in sex (cited Eskimo ladies) (step-ins).

K. Thomas: Outside a tent rac/ing enthusiasts hum with Wagnerian excitement (entr’acte).

D. V. B. Unwin: The ra/ising tide came in, left him stranded.

Mrs J. Waldren: Organist couldn’t play – mo/an! Sacked! Church looking for another one.

A. J. Wardrop: In work of a r/eal draughtsman ship is easily recognised.

A. C. Wilson: Settlers lived on thé à la mode; spi/ed Indians (the Alamo).

HC

C. J. Anderson, D. R. Appleton, T. H. Ayre, Mrs G. M. Barker, M. Barley, F. Bastian, J. M. Best, Mrs K. Bissett, M. L. Booker, Mrs A. L. Boorman, R. E. Boot, G. H. Booth, R. Brain, C. Brougham, J. M. Brown, E. J. Burge, E. Chalkley, Mrs D. M. Colley, A. G. Corrigan, P. Day, R. Dean, N. C. Dexter, O. M. Ellis, M. B. Fisher, B. Franco, O. H. Frazer, S. J. French, D. Giles, J. A. Gill, J. J. Goulstone, A. K. Gregory, P. J. Halse, D. V. Harry, Mrs R. Herbert, S. Holgate, W. Jackson, J. I. James, Miss E. H. C. Jenkins, G. Johnstone, A. H. Jones, D. T. Jones, F. P. N. Lake, A. Lawrie, M. D. Laws, J. G. Levack, G. Leversha, Dr R. MacGillivray, D. F. Manley, S. M. Mansell, B. Manvell, Dr B. N. McQuade, D. P. M. Michael, C. G. Millin, J. J. Moore, T. J. Moorey, J. G. Morris, C. J. Morse, T. W. Mortimer, H. B. Morton, J. J. Murtha, D. S. Nagle, G. C. Newman, J. Osmond, D. O’Connor, S. L. Paton, C. Perry, Mrs L. E. Pimlott, D. Riley, J. M. Robinson, Mrs N. Rowlinson, H. R. Sanders, M. D. Sanderson, R. R. Say, A. Scott, M. C. B. Spens, J. G. Stubbs, L. M. Sturges, J. B. Sweeting, C. M. Tatham, R. C. Teuton, J. Treleaven, L. C. Tudor, M. J. Venning, M. H. E. Watson, Mrs M. P. Webber, P. J. Wexler, R. J. Whale, P. B. G. Williams, M. G. Wilson, A. J. Young.
 

COMMENTS
Just over 500 entries, no mistakes. Obviously a welcome return for one of the most popular types of special, though a minority remains unconverted. Compiling a P. D. puzzle is, as you’d expect, a stiffer challenge than usual. Words in the diagram must not only interlock but be of a shape that is susceptible to this special sort of treatment and every due takes longer to construct than an average ‘straight’ one. It is difficult to avoid unnaturalness of wording in coping with the likes of VARMINT and THRUTCH (how I struggled with Lochinvar!), both in the undevilled and in the devilled versions, though no one seriously complained. NUMERIC amused many. Ms Roe and her exuberant bosom (yes, I know it wasn’t really her sternum) occurred to me when I was becoming desperate for any way of dealing with the word. Some of you criticised me on the grounds that she was really Erika. I’d thought that too actually, so I checked with The Observer and was told that roughly half the (many) reports gave her a c, the rest a k. I dare say the lady is easy!
 
TETHER was chosen to give a wide range of possibilities, with potential breaks after any of the first four letters. In the event it seems to have given more trouble than expected and in a uniformly good entry outstanding clues were hard to find. E .T. proved very popular and looks likely to give ‘and French/Roman’ a well-earned rest, for a while at least. One minor grouse: a surprising number of competitors failed to comply with my request that the full undevilled version of clues submitted be included as well as the devilled version. This is to save me time: if all I’m shown is the word where the break occurs, with or without an oblique indicating the lacuna, I may miss or take longer to spot other bits of devilry in the wording of the clue. With 500 clues to read I get a bit disgruntled with competitors who add to my task in this way.
 
I’m asked, by the way, who the author is of the example quoted in PD. preambles (MINARET). It was Mrs Jarman, whose clue won first prize in my first P .D. competition, Azed No. 57, 1 April 1973, which had an April Fool built into it as well.
 
Finally, a special mention for Dr McQuade’s remarkable TETHER clue: ‘Al, Denis, Otto, Isador; Edith, Asa, Roma.’ I leave you to work out the undevilled version. I felt unable to give it better than an H. C. since the sense and naturalness of its full form is clearly sacrificed somewhat for its devilled form, but it’s still quite an achievement (though I’m intrigued by that semi-colon!).