AZED CROSSWORD 744

SKIRL-IN-THE-PAN / COFFEE-DISEASE

1.  C. G. Millin: Sizzling hot skin tan peril – ghastly shade of brown – peculiar seaside affliction of the madder type (anag. incl. h; coffee + anag.).

2.  C. J. Morse: Fried dish, Spooner’s gem in the examination, transposing initials of ‘dried fish’, see – i.e. case of the blight drinkers dread (i.e. pearl in the scan; anag. incl. d f; ref. also drinkers’ mumbling).

3.  J. I. & B. C. James: Sizzling model in her silk pants – Sun wanting to leave off clothing of female I’d see excitedly is a blight (anag. less S; of f + anag., all in cease).

VHC

D. W. Arthur: This could devastate Brazil – out of condition English team, making comeback in end, thwart their plan and slip away at wings – sizzling! (off E + side (rev.) in cease; anag. in skin).

M. Barley: Oatmeal over a fire? Could it be a thin sprinkle of meal is effective in stopping blight? (anag.; of feed is in cease).

H. J. Bradbury: Sizzling links in heat – par for this course? A supply of nutrient’s in to stop blight (comp. anag. & lit.; of feed is in cease; supply v.).

E. J. Burge: Curling rink plan hits English – produces audible accompaniment of ‘What’s cooking?’, ‘a growing curse,’ ‘cease!’, ‘off!’ … (English ‘side’ must be upset!) (anag. incl. E; anag. incl.E).

C. J. & M. P. Butler: Fungoid infection ravaged side of face – see cracking results if you treat rent skin with phial (anag.; anag.).

E. Dawid: Lank tripe and shin fried? I.e. café feed’s so foul large scale malady results (anag.; anag.; scale = leaf).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Edinburgh’s sizzling plan – rethink is involved in event where foe defies changes that’ll affect blacks and whites alike? (anag.; anag. in case; ref. Commonwealth Games, S. Africa).

J. F. Grimshaw: Scottish range noise silent? Hark! Pin breaking quiet after company’s loud and regular delivery is a sign of blasting to come (anag.; co f feed is ease).

P. F. Henderson: Rejected Foreign Office stooge is sent in to stop threat to SA’s export trade? Sounds likely to fizzle – this ado could produce no apartheid links (FO (rev.) + feed is, all in cease; comp. anag.; S. Africa / America).

V. G. Henderson: See brand of beans cooked by side of cafe, see mushy peas and thin links (run for seconds) sizzling (anag.; anag. with r for s).

G. Johnstone: Cooking hint: Sprinkle a sizzling feed of fricassee (French poached) with ginger! It could produce malaise in Café Guadeloupe (anag. ; anag. less Fr).

S. M. Mansell: Crackling strangely in sink, her plant, with seed-case off, dies in the middle, wilting from leaf-blight (anag. ; anag. incl. (d)ie(s)).

T. J. Moorey: If Defoe ceases to stir, I’ll check output of Brazil, Fry, then Spark, even bits of O’Neill I fancy (anag.; anag. incl. alternate letters; ref. Angela B, Christopher F., Muriel S., Eugene O’N.).

R. A. Mostyn: See side of café crumbling (the result of rust) – a thin sprinkle disperses in fry-up (anag.; anag.).

C. Oliver: English café by polluted seaside provides unwholesome sort of mushroom fry-up and a thin sprinkle with capers (anag. incl. E; anag.).

R. J. Palmer: Noise made by bangers perhaps – risk thin panel repaired by stuff one’s put in to stop rust (anag.; of feed I’s in cease).

W. H. Pegram: Sizzling heat? Sprinklin’ freely, a ton of fodder is free from leaf blight? (anag.; C of feed is ease).

W. J. M. Scotland: ‘Sizzling runner’? Take hint, with panel beaten finish: aged stuff is hiding rust (ski r + anag.; of feed is in cease).

D. M. Stanford: Their plan getting skin oiled, sizzling tan colour by seaside abroad. Madder types can’t resist it (anag.; coffee + anag.).

Mrs M. P. Webber: Plain thinkers cooked fatty meal, see, so I fed face with abandon – a cause of wilting (anag.; anag.).

HC

R. Abrey, C. Allen Baker, J. D. D. Blaikie, A. E. Brafield, C. J. Brougham, E. Chalkley, E. A. Clarke, G. Cuthbert, R. V. Dearden, C. M. Draper, S. Goldie, G. S. Halse, D. V. Harry, J. G. Hull, Mrs N. Jarman, A. H. Jones, N. Kemmer, R. E. Kimmons, F. P. N. Lake, C. W. Laxton, J. F. P. Levey, C. J. Lowe, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, Dr R. A. Main, L. K. Maltby, D. F. Manley, H. S. Mason, H. W. Massingham, L. May, Rev M. R. Metcalf, T. W. Mortimer, F. E. Newlove, B. A. Pike, T. E. Sanders, Dr W. I. D. Scott, G. L. Scullard, W. K. M. Slimmings, Ms G. Talbot, Dr I. Torbe, Mrs J. E. Townsend, J. R. Tozer, Mrs J. Waldren, M. R. Whiteoak, M. A. L. Willey, M. G. Wilson, S. Woods, N. Woolliscroft, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
334 entries, no mistakes. It was a bit naughty of me to ask you to clue a total of 26 letters, I know, but the opportunity doesn’t often arise and I didn’t see why I shouldn’t, just for once, make things a bit tougher for you and save myself the problem of concocting such a monster. Mind you the business of judging was inordinately long since in effect I had to read and assess 668 clues and this was made even harder by those (mercifully few) unpopular competitors who added no explanatory notes to their offerings. The up-and-down division of the diagram clearly made a welcome change to the old ‘Right and Left’, and perhaps also made it easier to decide where each part-answer was more likely to go, there being a different pattern of unchecked letters for each half of every pair. (Did anyone spot the two paired 6-letter words with no unches at all? I did, but too late to be able to adjust the bars.) Oh yes, and I know HELTER-SKELTER doesn’t really mean ‘up and down,’ not in its literal fairground sense anyway, but in its general sense of ‘here and there,’ ‘all over the place’ it was good enough for me as a definition.
 
A few hints on composing double clues may be in order. (1) Try to keep them within reasonable length, not longer than two normal clues side by side and preferably shorter. Not easy with two 13-letter words to deal with, I know, but worth aiming for nevertheless. (2) Avoid simply cluing the two separate words separately side by side with a full-stop between them. Especially when the two clues have no linking theme this is rather unimaginative and can result in a clue that is either boring or nonsensical; so (3) disguise the ‘join’ if you can by either positioning it in the middle of a sentence (unsignalled by punctuation), or by continuing the whole double clue as a single running statement, or both. (4) Avoid any superfluous linking words, even apparently innocuous conjunctions, but (5) remember that each ‘half’ must be complete in itself so anaphoric reference (e.g. referring by means of’ it’ from the second clue back to a word in the first when the solver is supposed to assume the full word in the reading of the second clue) won’t do. (6) Both halves should be full cryptic clues, with definitions and subsidiary indications. A number of quite experienced solvers spoiled their chances by giving a definition only for one or other ‘half’. And finally (7) don’t be too complex. I’m only human and so I do tend to take against a long convoluted double clue which, even with notes to guide me, I need to read carefully three or four times to understand.
 
Having said all that I should add that most of you coped admirably with a pretty awkward pair and a fine range of ideas emerged (anagrams not surprisingly to the fore). I am writing this in a gîte in Southern Brittany having temporarily joined Mr Millin’s madder crowd, so his clue struck an extra topical chord that specially appealed. A bientôt!