AZED CROSSWORD 827

MICKEY-TAKING

1.  N. C. Dexter: (M)urine-extraction? (2 mngs.; ref. Mickey Mouse).

2.  J. Horwood: Cartoonist’s favourite occupation (Mickey taking, & lit.; M. Mouse; military occupation).

3.  J. B. Sweeting: It’s freezing in Calgary, with Finn leading. See the take-off! (Mickey taking; ref. Winter Olympics, Matti Nykänen, ski-jumper).

VHC

B. W. Brook: In making game pie from e.g. cat, I’m kinky (anag.).

C. J. Brougham: Needling: doing as the dopers’ victims do? (2 mngs.; Mickey Finns).

L. J. Davenport: A mildly sadistic diversion in The Observer Magazine – I see clues for solution with perplexity! (‘M’ I c key taking).

R. V. Dearden: Guy of Irish extraction? (i.e. Mickey taking; M. offensive sl.).

Dr V. G. I. Deshmukh: Teasing strip hot in the kinky magic dancing (anag. less H).

M. Earle: Kinnockite may start to groan, but no escaping devilish aim of Spitting Image (anag. incl. g less no; ref. satirical TV series).

R. A. England: Here’s chaff, before the acquisition of corn (i.e. mickey (adj.) + taking).

G. Gargan: Christy O’Connor for one not putting but chipping (Mickey taking; ref. Irish golfer; chip = tease; M. offensive sl.).

S. Goldie: Aiming pull to leg may get kick in googly (anag.; leg-pulling).

F. P. N. Lake: Irish the butt of me? That painful old persiflage! (Mick (m)e yt aking; M. offensive sl.).

A. Lawrie: Chaff associated with corn needs removal (mickey + taking).

H. W. Massingham: What may induce a nap? Teasing (2 mngs.; i.e. taking a soporific).

Rev M. R. Metcalf: Paddy’s plight from long ago? (Mickey taking; P., M., offensive sl.).

J. R. C. Michie: Josh, Pat, Kit and Angus dancing without us (Mickey + anag. less us; M. offensive sl.).

C. G. Millin: Irish jokes, for example, getting Paddy and family in a flap (Mickey + kin in tag; P., M., offensive sl.).

T. J. Moorey: Pulling leg free from end of tights, one may get knicks in a twist (anag. incl. I less s).

C. J. Morse: Mike-grabbing Irishman’s attractive – and annoying (i.e. Mickey taking; ref. T. Wogan; M. offensive sl.).

H. B. Morton: Tying a ‘Kick-me’ on the bum? (anag. & lit.; bum = spree).

Mrs A. G. Phillips: Annoying dog running around stock chasing young bull, wild (mickey + kin in tag).

W. J. M. Scotland: What might irritate back of leg? Nicky-tam, i.e. with knot not left loose (anag. incl. g & k(not)).

W. K. M. Slimmings: A way of baiting bull, with terriers set at head (mickey TA king).

J. F. N. Wedge: Kinky act? I’m game, otherwise am act in burlesque (comp. anag.).

G. H. Willett: Method of baiting a mouse, characteristically, finds alluring (Mickey + taking).

HC

R. Abrey, G. Alderman, S. Armstrong, R. L. Baker, Mrs G. M. Barker, M. Barley, Mrs P. A. Bax, R. C. Bell, J. D. D. Blaikie, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, H. J. Bradbury, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, E. J. Burge, S. Butterworth, B. E. Chamberlain, C. A. Clarke, Mrs D. M. Colley, A. E. Crow, H. F. Dixon, P. Drummond, D. M. Duckworth, C. M. Edmunds, O. M. Ellis, H. F. Entwistle, E. G. Fletcher, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, J. Gill, N. C. Goddard, S. Gore, R. R. Greenfield, Mrs R. Harvey, P. Henderson, P. D. Highcliffe, A. W. Hill, T. M. Hoggart, S. Holgate, R. J. Hooper, R. H. F. Isham, W. Jackson, G. Johnstone, C. L. Jones, J. P. Lester, C. J. Lowe, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, Mrs J. Mackie, L. K. Maltby, D. F. Manley, J. F. McKee, Dr E. J. Miller, M. H. Miller, R. A. Mostyn, I. D. S. Nagle, R. F. Naish, F. E. Newlove, F. R. Palmer, R. F. & H. Pannell, J. C. Parsons, D. Price Jones, A. G. Ray, A. J. Redstone, H. L. Rhodes, D. Riley, B. Roe, T. E. Sanders, Mr & Mrs A. Shanks, D. A. Shefras, Dr N. Smith, F. B. Stubbs, H. Tillier, D. H. Tompsett, M. H. E. Watson, R. J. Whale, J. R. Widdowson, Sir David Willcocks, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
411 eniries, no mistakes. There was a high-quality selection of clues this month. I hope no one is offended by the indelicacy implicit in Mr. Dexter’s prize-winner; I paused momentarily over this but couldn’t resist its verbal ingenuity. Although Chambers doesn’t specify a part of speech for MICKEY-TAKING, experience leads one to suppose that it is used as a verbal noun (gerund) or as an attributive adjective (e. g. mickey-taking behavior). I don’t imagine it being a part of a transitive verb ‘to mickey-take’, so definitions of MICKEY-TAKING such as ‘making fun of, of which there were several, won’t really do. ‘Making fun’ on its own would be all right, but the ‘of immediately suggests that a direct object is possible, which it isn’t. In this context the ‘of in Mr. Dearden’s clue is faintly suspect, but I allowed it on the grounds that the whole clue is broadly suggestive of a play on words (and a nice one), not the precise sum of its component parts. The question mark helps here too.
 
Two near-misses also deserve mention, for ingenuity that didn’t quite succeed. ‘Pat Cash belts return of serve with forehand to gain soaring points’ (ka (rev. ) in Mickey tin + g(ain)). I feel that the obsoleteness of KA needs to be indicated in some way, and I don’t equate mickey-taking with scoring points, which surely has to do with getting the better of someone rather than teasing or annoying them. ‘To Alfred say ‘Caky-time!’ artfully?’ In the cryptic reading of the clue, ‘say’ must be read as meaning ‘perhaps’. In the literal reading it could be taken as an infinitive or imperative of ‘to say’, or again as ‘perhaps’, looking this time forward to ‘Caky-time!’ as an example of mickey-taking when addressing this particular monarch. Either way I think there is inadequate indication that what the solver is looking for is a noun. Nice idea, though. By contrast, I suggest that the following clue is totally unsolvable and demonstrates how unacceptable the indirect anagram is as a device: ‘Tantalising mixture of Irishman with one horse-carriage. ’ On second thoughts, see if you can work it out. I’ll give the explanation next time.