AZED CROSSWORD 92

BRAINWASH

1.  L. May: Bust down reason? (i.e. bra in wash, & lit.).

2.  Rev C. D. Westbrook: Torture in war, perhaps – without a blow (anag. in bash, & lit.).

3.  Brig R. F. E. Stoney: How to get a confession from tight supporter in copper’s charge? (bra in wash; copper boiler).

VHC

C. Allen Baker: Make people change a lot – that’ll get support in the laundry (bra in wash).

E. A. Beaulah: How to make white appear black – unmentionable at the laundry (bra in wash).

C. O. Butcher: Female underwear consisting of filmy covering – that’s torment with seduction in mind (bra in wash).

Mrs M. P. Craine: What TV adverts do, showing detergent action on lady’s underwear, perhaps (bra + in wash).

A. L. Dennis: Slow downward movement of deposits follows bank’s initial pressurization (b + rainwash).

J. H. Doran: Mental stress needs little woman’s support at home to stand the test (bra in wash).

P. S. Elliott: How to stop embarrassing views might be predicament of topless bather at Hunstanton (i.e. bra in Wash).

R. P. C. Forman: It may help you to make a clean breast (bra in wash, & lit.).

S. Goldie: Twist mealymouthed bloody war has in treatment of prisoners nowadays (anag. incl. b).

D. V. Harry: Will Arabs win and Holland’s leader yield to pressure to change sides? (anag. + H; ref. Dutch support for Israel in Yom Kippur War; will²).

D. J. Hennings: What TV ads do? E.g., ‘We’ve put this —— 65 times’ (i.e. …bra in wash…; ref. Playtex commercial).

A. Hodgson: Arab wins short hard struggle – to indoctrinate the unfaithful? (anag. incl. H).

J. R. Kirby: Heartlessly badger one in an attempt to make one come clean (b(adge)r a in wash, & lit.).

Mrs M. Kissen: Smalls to laundry to force grey matter out of gear? (bra in wash).

A. Lawrie: In war possibly, subject to pressure by degrees – horrific (anag. in BAs + H, & lit.; H, former film classification).

Lieut-Col D. Macfie: Prelude to making a clean breast? (i.e. bra in wash, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: What madam needs for whiter garment? Compound giving persuasive action against grey matter (i.e. bra in wash).

W. L. Miron: West constrained by Bahrain’s insidious pressure for change of mind (W in anag.; ref. Yom Kippur War).

C. J. Morse: Intellectual oppression – something the Women’s-Libber doesn’t mind losing (i.e. bra in wash).

F. R. Palmer: Refuse and refuse to admit the first sign of indoctrination? Not if you suffer this (i in bran wash).

T. A. J. Spencer: Brassière being laundered, whence a clean breast may emerge (bra in wash).

J. R. Stocks: Support up to date method for making someone come clean (bra in wash, & lit.).

D. J. Thorpe: How to persuade an intelligent man to accept women as horrific? (brain w as H; H, former film classification).

J. F. N. Wedge: Result of liberation gesture involving fashionable women is a changing of mind (in w in bra-ash).

HC

Col P. S. Baines, M. J. Balfour, J. W. Bates, Dr J. G. Booth, Mrs A. Boyes, Rev C. M. Broun, J. A. Bulley, E. W. Burton, E. J. Bushell, R. S. Caffyn, E. A. Clarke, P. Clement, M. Coates, Mrs D. Cross, Mrs R. Cullinane, P. L. Dauncey, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, P. Drummond, B. Franco, M. A. Furman, N. Gambier, P. R. Garlick, J. Gill, Mrs S. Hewitt, K. Hunter, R. H. F. Isham, N. D. Jennings, K. W. Johnson, N. Kemmer, R. E. Kimmons, Dr P. D. King, A. D. Legge, Rev J. G. Levack, G. R. Mason, H. W. Massingham, C. G. Millin, R. A. Mostyn, D. S. Nagle, F. E. Newlove, D. B. Oaten, Dr R. J. Palmer, M. L. Perkins, Miss I. M. Raab, C. P. Rea, L. G. D. Sanders, C. C. D. Shute, W. K. M. Slimmings, N. P. Smith, J. G. Stubbs, Mrs M. Tyrie, S. E. Woods.
 

COMMENTS
About 450 entries, only a few mistakes. Several of you had TOMEN FOR TOMAN, a sort of nonexistent plural formed like woman/women I suppose. Only one competitor pointed out my potential howler in the clue to TOMAN. By defining it as ‘lac?’ I inadvertently failed to notice that a lac or lakh is 100,000, a toman only 10,000. My get-out clause is the non-specific meaning of toman as a ‘myriad’, elsewhere defined in Chambers as ‘any immense number’, which will just about do for 100,000. But it was carelessness and I’m sorry.
 
It was an enjoyable competition to judge. Lingerie and laundries were much in evidence, of course, and if competitors not listed above feel that their clues were as good as those quoted, I can assure them that making the final selection was extremely difficult and often depended in the last resort on minor variations in wording. Only the first prizewinner really chose itself, as a model of wit, succinctness and complexity.
 
I must be brief since Christmas approaches. Many of you have asked whether I intend to celebrate my hundredth puzzle by a dinner, as Ximenes did at such appropriate milestones. I’ve regretfully decided against this in view of the energy crisis, which will make travel difficult for those far from London who might otherwise have come, and because January or February are not congenial times to be travelling long distances anyway. Azed No. 100 will be a ‘special’, of course, and a competition puzzle to boot, but we shall probably have to wait until, say, No. 250 for a celebratory get-together.
 
Finally let me thank most sincerely all of you who sent me Christmas greetings. My best wishes to you all, and if 1974 does look like being a somewhat bleak year, it comforts me to think that more people will have more time for crosswords than ever before. There will be no shortage there, I hope.