For the benefit of solvers new to the rigours of the Advanced Cryptic, Dr Watson provides a monthly review of the Observer’s Azed competition puzzle. Dr Watson is a regular Azed competitor. Please post any comments on this review to the Crossword Centre’s message board.
Azed last gave us a puzzle with a nautical theme for four years ago with ‘Ship of Fools’ (number 1500 and the first puzzle Dr Watson reviewed for the Crossword Centre). In this month’s puzzle the theme was hidden, but probably not for very long from solvers with an eye for major anniversaries. The references in the preamble to a famous message, its sender and its source will have alerted many to a Trafalgar connection. The questions to be answered, then, would be: which ‘version’ of the message; which ‘phrase’ gives its source; and how to style its sender, since 28 across, at least gives the potential choice between ADMIRAL and HORATIO. Even with the thematic fundamentals in place the puzzle still has a lot to offer the solver with some fine clues, and the nagging question of the encoded phrase at 1 across. Dr Watson feels Azed should be applauded for marking the bicentenary of Trafalgar with a puzzle that contains so many thematic elements and still manages to be accessible and enjoyable from start to finish. Well worthy of his canon, you might say.
Solvers will no doubt have done their own research into ‘England expects…’, but here is Dr Watson’s understanding of its several reported versions:
‘England confides that every man will do his duty,’ is the message originally dictated by Nelson
‘England expects that every man will do his duty,’ is the one actually flown (in a flag code) from the Victory, and quoted in ODQ.
‘England expects every officer and man to do his duty this day,’ was subsequently quoted in the first newspaper reports of the battle (but would be a bit of a mastful for the Victory).
‘England expects every man to do his duty,’ is a popular version of the signal that appears on the first Nelson memorial, erected in Liverpool, and of course is the version chosen by Azed to fit his quota of clues.
Notes to the clues:
1a: Unclued. OYBADGQGOEFC. The encoded version of TRAFALGAR DAY, once you’ve pinned down the code-phrase as HMS VICTORY (a very satisfying ten letters).
14a: Jock’s learning what makes big star move westward. LE[G]IR (Rigel, rev.). The popularity of East/West indicators in across clues seems to be increasing.
29a: Chaos always surrounding historical lot? ATAXY (tax in ay). Azed is less punctilious these days about indicating the obsolescence of words, and avoids it in the definition. In Watson’s view a lot is more of an historical tax than vice versa (though one could argue the clue indicates ‘lot’ historically meant a tax).
30a: One such as Sappho in writing appears thus? MANLESS (an les in Ms, & lit.). Sappho (rather than a more contemporary example) keeps the clue on the right side of the PC fence..
31a: One the sea tides tossed under? ANAESTHETISED (an + anag.). Thirteen letters very concisely clued, with an excellent choice of definition.
8d: Does it mask head of hierarch in holy place. CURCH (c(h)urch, & lit.). Sometimes a subtraction indicator can be made to look like a container and contents, as in this neat ‘& lit.’ clue..
15d: 40 winks, 60 unusually (a type of vocal development). ANAPTYXIS (a nap + anag. of sixty). This doesn’t quite count as an indirect anagram.
28d: Yogi, Indian style? Some careful about standing on head. BALU (hidden rev.). The surface is so attractive that the solver is distracted from the misleading definition.
Other solutions:
1a: GATECRASH (anag.); 8a: CAR (car(boy)); 11a: BLAG (B lag); 13a: RABBINS (snib bar, all rev.); 14a: SPIRT (r in spit); 17a: GENNEL (anag. + el(l)); 18a: MACHER (ma cher); 19a: FALSE SHAME (anag. in fame); 23a: SULTAN ((in)sult an); 26a: SESTON (hidden); 29a: ATAXY (tax in ay); 31d: RIDICULE (lucid, rev. in anag.); 32d: EMES (seme, rev.); 33a: KEY ((don)key); 34a: SUSURRATE (susu r rate); 2d: A LATERE (later in a, e); 3d: TABUN (tab un); 4d: CRIBELLAR (rib in cellar); 5d: RONG ((w)rong); 6d: AWSOME (a + s in anag); 7d: HOPE CHEST (anag. + hest); 9d: ASIDE (s moved in aides); 10d: RETIREDNESS (ret I redness); 11d: BRIGHT SPARK (rights p in bark); 16d: EASTERNER (astern in e’er); 20d: MOONSET (MO onset); 22d: ANIMUS; 24d: UPTIE (anag. + i.e.); 25d: LEADY (E in lady); 27d: THEMA (M in the, a).