AZED CROSSWORD 696

ANTIMNEMONIC

1.  D. R. Robinson: ‘Un Macon intime’ drunk with no indication of good breeding could be this (anag. less U, & lit.).

2.  T. J. Moorey: Nice man Tom’s excited about Northern Ireland – reducing chances of rapid recall! (NI in anag.; ref. Tom King).

3.  D. P. M. Michael: Kind of effect Lotus had on me Mini can’t supply (anag.; supply adv.).

VHC

M. Barnes: Elephants are immune to this disorder in man; not mice (anag.).

E. A. Beaulah: I am a submariner (leader of ‘Nautilus’) engaged in bizarre action likely to end in oblivion (I’m Nemo N in antic; ref. ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’).

C. J. Brougham: Such are lotos fruits strange inaction grips seafarers stuck on them (MN em in anag.).

C. M. Edmunds: One leader of morris men experiencing volte-face over performing in grotesque pageant – I’m opposed to knotted handkerchiefs, I shan’t ring any bells! (I m + men (rev.) on, all in antic).

D. A. Ginger: Rule these —— drifts, otherwise Lethean course imminent (comp. anag. & lit.).

N. C. Goddard: Screwed up memo in tin-can – hardly an aide-memoire! (anag.).

J. F. Grimshaw: Do this for commendation in cluing, perhaps. (Too like ‘rosemary’? Oh, no!) (comp. anag.; ref. AZ comp. No. 635, rosemary ‘for remembrance’).

D. V. Harry: Minim one can’t change, contributing to fugue? (anag.).

B. Harvey: Agent inclining to forgetfulness, ‘If using scrambler can I mention M?’ (anag.; ref. James Bond).

R. J. Hooper: Male’s among men in action abroad – serving in Foreign Legion, perhaps? (m in anag.; ref. traditional reason for joining F. L.).

A. Lawrie: Could be I’m not amnesic? No, not so (anag. less so, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: Such as would undo a man omniscient? (comp. anag. & lit.).

C. J. Morse: Haydn’s last Tema in C minor, endlessly varied, leading to fugue (anag. less r).

R. S. Morse: Mention Cecil’s first main blunders – that should prevent recall (anag. incl. C; ref. Cecil Parkinson).

R. F. Naish: Like the lotus, holding married men up a dreamy inaction (m + men (rev.), all in anag.).

S. J. O’Boyle: Contort me in manic knot (except head) – it’s like the effect of the lotus (anag. less k; ref. yoga position).

R. J. Palmer: Like the Foreign Legion? Dashing men in action, the ultimate in romanticism (anag. incl. m; ref. traditional reason for joining F. L.).

H. R. Sanders: The onset of senility leaving omniscient man befuddled? (anag. less s, & lit.).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Con men fiddled over million dud coin – yet getting amnesty! (anti + anag. + m + anag.).

J. B. Sweeting: I’m not an amnesic, fuzzy as this makes one (comp. anag. & lit.).

Mrs M. P. Webber: This can change man into amnesiac (AA’s not needed) (anag. less AA’s, & lit.).

HC

D. W. Arthur, D. Ashcroft, Mrs G. M. Barker, Mrs K. Bissett, J. D. D. Blaikie, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, Mrs D. Bugge, E. J. Burge, C. J. & M. P. Butler, J. H. Chinner, P. R. Clemow, M. Coates, G. P. Conway, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. E. Crow, E. Dawid, R. Dean, R. V. Dearden, N. C. Dexter, P. Drummond, P. S. Elliott, Rev S. W. Floyd, F. D. Gardiner, D. Godden, P. J. Heap, E. M. Hornby, J. I. James, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, M. S. Taylor & N. C. Johns, G. Johnstone, F. P. N. Lake, P. W. W. Leach, D. Lester, R. K. Lumsdon, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, L. K. Maltby, H. W. Massingham, M. H. Miller, C. G. Millin, J. J. Moore, H. B. Morton, D. S. Nagle, S. L. Paton, Mrs L. E. Pimlott, L. Rogers, L. G. D. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, W. J. M. Scotland, F. B. Stubbs, R. E. Stumbles, J. Webster, J. F. N. Wedge, R. J. Whale, M. Woolf, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
307 entries, very few mistakes (and those mainly resulting from failure to understand the clue to BURST: What’ll set off shell in Lancaster?’ with its allusion to the film-star Burt Lancaster, a familiar enough name I’d have thought). One or two of you commented, correctly I admit, on the loose wording in my clue to THIRDING, in particular the phrase ‘hit for six’ by which I meant to indicate an anagram of HIT. Without stopping long enough to think carefully I persuaded myself that ‘for six’ implied ‘hit for six’(unconsciously thinking also of ‘at sixes and sevens’ perhaps), but it clearly can’t and I should have reworded the clue. There was after all no need for a cricketing metaphor and almost any other appropriate anagram indicator meaning ‘in confusion’ would have done adequately. I’m anxious not to give anyone the idea that I regard such elliptical devices (‘hit for six’= ‘hit hit for six’) as acceptable. The purist might even argue that ‘hit for six’ is questionable anyway as an anagram indicator in that it doesn’t explicitly suggest throwing into confusion, merely giving something an enormous clout. Its metaphorical sense is however probably sufficient to tip the balance in its favour. I make the point at such length to impress upon all competitors the need to look closely at their clues in order to determine whether they really say what they mean.
 
This was a nice varied entry for a reasonably friendly word – the more so as it can be a noun or an adjective. Less experienced competitors should note the way in which prizewinners and those very highly commended quoted above have managed to disguise the literal meaning of the clue-word in their definitions, a crucial aspect of good clue-writing. Mr Robinson’s lovely anagram almost (but not quite, for me) goes too far in this. The idea of his Philistine bibber drinking himself into oblivion regardless of the quality of the wine used for the purpose was an irresistible image.
 
A few of you asked about a get-together to mark Azed No. 700 (which you’ll have solved by the time you read this). Following precedent I think No. 750 is a more appropriate milestone and although nothing is yet arranged I hope something may eventuate roughly this time next year. We’ll keep you posted.
 
Another query concerns the varying wording in which I recommend Chambers as the dictionary solvers of the Azed series should consult. The normal form in which the rubric appears is meant to indicate that Chambers is my basic work of reference but that some proper names used may not be found therein. If I’m forced into using words or obscure proper names not in Chambers I usually indicate this and give the reference work(s) in which they may be found. For some ‘special’ competitions I go further by saying that all answers may be found in Chambers, with exceptions specified as appropriate. It every case the wording of the rubric is determined by what I regard as a fair degree of help.
 
I am saddened to learn of the untimely death of Robert Caffyn (ffancy of the Listener), a regular and frequently successful competitor in Azed and Ximenes competitions and a contributor to The Azed Book of Crosswords. Though we never met our correspondence over the years revealed him as a man of unfailing courtesy if also of extreme shyness.