AZED CROSSWORD 895

TONE DEAF

1.  H. L. Rhodes: N. Faldo, tee shot left short, having far from perfect pitch (anag. less l; ref. Nick F.).

2.  R. A. England: Not at all like the siren that spells end of tea break (anag.; bewitching singer).

3.  T. W. Mortimer: Is conductor this? It could make a concert tune odd if so! (comp. anag. & lit.).

VHC

E. J. Burge: Unable to judge the pitch and with feet out of line bags a duck (0 in anag.).

B. Burton: Offended at D and F being misplaced, discordantly? Not at all! (anag. less D F).

C. A. Clarke: Confusing do, fa and nete? (anag. & lit.).

N. C. Dexter: Often getting a D and E confused (anag. & lit.).

C. M. Edmunds: Thus fated, one pitches all over the place (anag. & lit.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: End of diet – one in need of changes at odds with scales? (t + a in anag.).

H. Freeman: Unable to read the pitch, and with feet out of position, bagged duck (0 in anag.).

S. Goldie: I’m ten under par – with Faldo disheartened; clinching end of game with perfect pitch? Contrariwise! (e in anag. of ten Fa(l)do; ref. Nick F.).

R. R. Greenfield: Government economists have often messed around, heedless of discord; no defeat changes this (DEA in anag., anag.).

R. J. Hooper: ‘Not knowing one’s brass from one’s oboe’? One must enter quality definition (a in tone def.).

Miss U. C. Joyce: Fed no tea? Silly. You’ll recruit no choirboys like that! (anag.).

C. W. Laxton: Such players can’t cope with pitch, and leg breaks precipitate defeat (on in anag.; precipitate adj.).

C. G. Millin: Backing maintain volume to drown artiste’s finale – if she’s this (e in fade not (rev.)).

F. R. Palmer: Oft a ground’s setting for bowling paradise – having perfect pitch? Quite the opposite! (Eden (rev.) in anag.).

R. J. Palmer: Such as may confuse nete with do and fa? (anag. & lit.).

S. L. Paton: Eddy current is in swell almost insensible amid waves (Ned ea in tof(f)).

D. A. Robinson: Could a —— tenor be not feared at E. N. O.? Surprisingly, yes (comp. anag.; English National Opera).

W. J. M. Scotland: Appreciative of Stones’ records? I.e. ‘Not Fade Away’? Not I! (anag. less I).

R. Sharkey: Classified ad:– ‘No feet with two left ears’ (anag.).

D. M. Stanford: Not getting to grips with pitch often leads to an eleven doing badly (anag. incl. a e d).

R. J. Whale: Unable to read pitch, tourists near defeat after taking first two in series (initial pairs of letters).

HC

C. J. Anderson, D. W. Arthur, F. D. H. Atkinson, P. Baker, M. Barley, E. A. Beaulah, H. J. Bradbury, C. J. Brougham, B. Cheesman, G. H. Clarke, Mrs D. M. Colley, Mrs J. M. Critchley, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, P. W. Davenport, E. Dawid, R. Dean, R. V. Dearden, A. L. Dennis, P. Diamond, L. L. Dixon, D. G. Durnian, C. E. Faulkner-King, B. Franco, N. C. Goddard, J. Grimes, J. F. Grimshaw, W. Gundrey, D. V. Harry, P. Heap, P. F. Henderson, V. G. Henderson, J. G. Hull, R. H. F. Isham, G. Johnstone, A. H. Jones, P. Jordan, F. P. N. Lake, A. Lawrie, J. C. Leyland, C. J. Lowe, D. F. Manley, P. W. Marlow, H. W. Massingham, A. G. R. McKay, Dr E. J. Miller, T. J. Moorey, I. Morgan, C. J. Morse, K. Moult, J. J. Murtha, R. F. Naish, S. J. O’Boyle, Mrs E. M. Phair, R. Phillips, Mrs D. M. C. Prichard, K. Rae, A. G. Ray, C. P. Rea, J. H. Russell, L. G. D. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, Dr W. I. D. Scott, A. J. Shields, W. K. M. Slimmings, M. C. Souster, P. D. Stonier, R. C. Teuton, C. W. Thomas, R. W. Thompson, G. A. Tomlinson, D. H. Tompsett, Mrs M. Vincent, J. F. N. Wedge, Mrs J. R. Widdowson, M. G. Wilson, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
415 entries, very few mistakes (ELYTRON / VIRTUOSO for ELYTRAL / VIRTUOSA mostly – interestingly one competitor noticed that POSTURER also just about fits the VIRTUOSA clue: ‘She thrills audiences by taking in playing tours’). For the most part you seem to have found this one of the easiest competitions for some time. It didn’t, I have to say, produce much variety in the clues submitted, perhaps because the word allowed only limited treatment. I know I’m partial to clues with a cricketing flavour, but the sheer volume of those using an anagram of DEFEAT and ON and (understandably) the double sense of ‘pitch’ in the definition part forced me to exclude many perfectly respectable clues from the VHCs. Anagrams of ‘one fated’ were also very numerous. More easily marked down were the fair number which failed to indicate an adjective – a persistent error, it seems, on the infrequent occasions I give you one to clue.
 
A number of you commented appreciatively on the fact that the type-size for printed clues has been slightly increased again, the result of protests at its reduction to an unacceptable size. I don’t suppose it’s the last design change we’ll see but I’m assured that no further modifications are planned for some considerable time! In the shorter term I can tell worried PD-lovers that a ‘Printer’s Devilry’ competition puzzle is in the pipeline – I won’t tell you its exact date of appearance.
 
On a much sadder note, Will Scotland writes to tell me that John (J.D.D.) Blaikie died recently. Unknown to me, he had been disabled by spinal tumours for 14 years and confined to bed for the last three. ‘His wit, charm and voluminous letters never betrayed the terrible pain he suffered. It pleased him enormously that he had some success in the Azed comp.’ I shall miss him as a very regular competitor of long standing whose entries invariably included a friendly personal note.
 
I discover that there are further corrections (i.e. additions) to he made to the Annual Honours list which appeared in the slip for No. 887. I think the best thing is for me to give the complete (corrected) list again next month.