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.
Nothing so
difficult or controversial as last month's puzzle. In fact this Azed offered very smooth sailing, with several examples of
the master clue writer's seemingly effortless style. A natural wording can be
hard to achieve under Ximenean clueing constraints,
and is so often what separates winning competition clues from the rest.
Notes to the clues:
1ac: College sounded call to
dinner? It's about time for chicken à l'Indienne. CHITTAGONG (C + t in hit
a gong). Many clue writers might have spotted the culinary opportunities
in this word, but Watson suspects few would have turned it out quite so tastily.
15ac: Downpour at the Gabba, we hear, sun in? Not a thorough drenching. RINSE (S
in 'rine'). The Gabba, in
case anyone slightly unfamiliar with both cricket and Australia was wondering,
is a Brisbane sporting venue. One could reasonably ask whether Queenslanders do
say 'rine' for rain; and indeed whether we hear 'rine' at all, and not 'rin'
before the S is inserted. The question mark in the clue is well merited.
18ac: Thin slip, my trimmed
smock? SHIM (shim(my)). This feels a little
over-condensed, and the cryptic reading ungainly in comparison with the other
clues on offer here. The solver might be tempted to think the explanation is shi(rt) or shi(ft) + m', which
doesn't quite add up.
23ac: Oozed pounds, having
retired, we may assume? BLED (L in bed). Azed allows himself a slightly indirect cryptic indicator,
but signals it strongly. The reversed lb. in the solution might lead solvers up
the wrong cryptic path.
25ac: Dire bit of 'flotsam', it
unusually brought about Titanic's
end. DRIFT-ICE (c in anag of dire f
it, & lit). A good idea, brilliantly executed. This clue looks like
it's been through several iterations since the original idea, in order to get
the wording just so.
28ac: Not worthy of fan, about
last in league. BELOW (e in blow). Another well
constructed clue, seamlessly joining the definition to the cryptic part.
1dn: Gull formerly a feature in
Lyme Regis. COBB (2 meanings). The Cobb is a groyne or breakwater, a famous feature of the Dorset
resort, familiar in literature as the site of Louisa Musgrove's fall in Persuasion, and Sarah Woodruff's pining
in The French Lieutenant's Woman. The
Cobb is still very much there - it's the bird that's linguistically defunct.
4dn: Ancient historian leaving
us speechless. TACIT (Tacit(us)). Both a fine clue and
one you feel rather pleased with yourself for solving without recourse to a
reference book.
7dn: What current batsmen are,
facing certain defeat. NO-WIN (now
in).
20dn: Deliver maiden, then awful
wide? About four. MIDWIVE (m + IV in
anagram). You must have got the
message by now - a little knowledge of cricket will put a lot of Azed within your grasp. Either clue could be a reference to
England’s woeful opposition to the Australians.
Other solutions
10ac: SLIVOVIC ('s + O v in civil rev.); 12ac: BROCKEN (rock in ben); 13ac: WEAR (w + ear); 14ac: BONIE (anag.); 16ac: WESTWARD (we + st(e)ward); 22ac: EUCLID (anag.); 29ac: REDID (I in redd); 31ac: ARAR (a r(o)ar); 32ac: TUNNAGE (un in anag.); 33ac: SAMADEVA (a Deva mas., all rev.); 34ac: CLERESTORY (anag.); 2dn: HEROE (he roe); 3dn: IRONSICK (anag. in irk); 5dn: ALEXANDRITE (a lex and rite); 6dn: OVERDUE (O + verdu(r)e); 8dn: PIASTRE (anag.); 9dn: SCREWED (w in screed); 11dn: INGRATITUDE; 17dn: SOLIDAGO (olid in sago); 18dn: SEA BASS (E AB in sass); 19dn: HUMERAL (hum + anag.); 24dn: GORAL (hidden); 26dn: TENET (comp anag.); 27dn: CIGAR (C + ragi rev.); 30dn: DEWY (first letters)