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HIS is the 24th Printer’s Devilry (PD) Azed competition puzzle and the first since RASTER (Azed 1888) in August 2008. Dr Watson’s
preamble for that puzzle gives an excellent brief introduction for solvers
new to PDs, and the second
paragraph of that for GISMO (Azed 1619) contains
useful tips on how to progress with problem clues.
For his comments below Dr Watson has
confined himself for the most part to light-heartedly drawing out some
connection between the word clued and the clue itself, which, in PD clues, are
not generally supposed to exist, or at least to matter. He would not normally
bother to solve a PD puzzle where he suspected or quickly found that no attempt
had been made to contrive this. He has never found this to be the case with Azed’s puzzles, and he hopes that readers who have solved
this puzzle may find some entertainment and the spur to reacquaint themselves
with solution meanings. Three problem clues have been treated in a different
and more extensive manner.
Each clue is listed with a forward slash
to mark where the solution is to be inserted. That part of the undevilled version is shown in parentheses extended in each
case so far as to show any changes in punctuation, etc. Unchanged ends are
indicated by dots.
1. On
my pl/ough, cut chunks of bread and cheese. ATELIER (... plate lie rough-cut ...)
An allusion to a still-life session, or is it just lunch-time?
7. It’s important to ga/me that we
quicken the pace. INTI
(It’s important, to gain time, ...)
10. Can
you afford to r/esand a second car? UNAMERCED (... run a Mercedes and ...)
One is hit in the pocket.
11. Using
old methods a doctor studies specimens - his l/uck’s
out. EECHS (... specimens his leech
sucks out)
The surface of this clue is tellingly prescient. This ‘doctor’, and possibly one or two others amongst Azed’s loyal followers, has indeed used old methods and
some new ones to check the formation of this word (EECH, s.v
ECHE) with an ‘s’, but without
result. On Chambers’ limited entry, one is led to take the word as used rarely
in Shakespeare’s plays, for example, Henry V, Act III, Prologue, line 35 -
generally given as ‘eke’ in modern editions, but as ‘eech’
in the First Folio. Chambers gives its pronunciation as ‘ēch’ as in ‘each’ or ‘teach’
(surely an error), hence the apparent problem over the formation of this word
as a verb in the third person, singular, - if ‘teaches’, why not ‘eeches’? Azed is no stranger to
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) which has four primary entries for ‘eche’, the last of which covers the variant form and its
usage under consideration here. Dr Watson suspects that he has referred to this
entry for authority on the word’s pronunciation or for quotations including ‘eechs’. If so, his luck was out on both counts.
12. Is
our local, Pa/t, to close with dwindling support for hops? LAISSÉ (... local palais
set to ...)
‘P’ marks the wrong turning, to the pub, not the palais.
The two meanings of ‘hops’ compound the misdirection.
14. I
haven’t seen the whole group but there was O/K show last night. NEONATAL (... one on a talk ...)
Yes, one really does feel young again on reading this very funny clue.
15. It’s most important which ba/ck to
play with. TIPI (... bat I pick ...)
It never made much difference for the doctor. Get back in that tent.
17. Memories
of earlier mistakes return to give the rep/ast sense
of shame. ENTERAL (... repenter
a last ...)
Some involuntary incident at the table wittily hinted at here.
18. I
often read through the sport’s pa/st
performance. PERSONATE
(... sports papers on a test ...)
Quite possibly, this clue was intended as being for PERFORATE (... sports
paper for a test ...). Either seems plausible although Dr. Watson has a
distinct preference for the former. He has in mind a situation where the reader
has watched a great innings, say, and is then keen to read what the best judges
have made of it, rather than one where he is curious to find if any
performances have been reported. However, either solution must surely be
regarded as technically correct.
21. Ale/s
getting drunk after exams but school turns a blind eye. AVERROIST (A leaver roists,
getting drunk ...)
23. Does
the pithiest poet make the most of the fe/es? WESTLIN (... fewest
lines?)
One may read about Sir Walter Scott and his poetry, if any, here.
25. As
mystics go I’d place him well up in the swa/nking! MIRA (... swami ranking!)
27. A
bil/ly found in Dutch
waters. ANDERSON (A bilander’s
only ...)
The solution refers to the Anderson shelter used during the Second World
War. Azed may have the American country singer Bill Anderson in
mind.
29. Katharina
is that feisty, la/med by Petruchio. ASSENT (... feisty lass entamed
...)
Presumably the lady assented to her
taming at some point.
30. Striving
for an audience, an orator in the middle of the fo/wls. RUMBA (... forum
bawls.)
31. The
angry captain cautioned his first ma/n dressing down. TEA TASTER (... mate at a stern ...)
Care for a cuppa, No. 1?
32. His
voice may be heard in English hom/ily. ESDA (... homes daily)
ESDA is the acronym mentioned in Azed’s
instructions. It means ‘electrostatic document analysis’.
33. The
last in the series fil/tered
group of academics at work. MEDALET (... filmed a
lettered ...)
DOWN
1. Unmoved
by al/ms, Tony faced withholding charity.
AMENTIA (...
a lament, I am stony-faced, ...)
Sadly, those who are afflicted by amentia often have no animation in their
faces whatever.
2. Could
others make a better fist of things than the se/lected? TWEE (... set we elected?)
An interesting and arguable alternative solution is TREE (... set
re-elected?), but THEE (... set he elected?) is much less plausible, implying,
as it does, an electorate of one. The same word construed as (... these, the
elected?) avoids that objection, but falls foul of the requirement that the
solution should not begin at the beginning (or end at the end) of a word in the
undevilled version. Luckily for everyone, TYEE (...
set ye elected?), yet another eminently workable alternative, is listed in
SOED, but not in Chambers (yet), as required. TWEE is our favoured solution, but advocates of TREE may have to wait on Azed’s generosity. Dr Watson notes that the surface of this
clue is brilliantly apposite to the stern test it poses.
3. In
face of angry mobs I’ve never se/t urge to wield a baton. ENCOPRESIS (... seen cop resist ...)
Angry mobs and baton-wielding cops? One anticipates the reaction.
4. Trivial
malfunctioning in a computer pa/d, maybe.
INSANER (...pains a nerd, maybe)
5. EASTER,
the competition word.
It might have been better had it been NOR’WESTER, given our travails in
that quarter with TWEE and EECHS!
6. Why
is the Bri/e ring her ensemble for the ceremony? DEALT (... bride altering ...)
Better not to ask.
7. I
love knitting, especially gloves - this pa/id for my wife’s birthday. IRID (... pair I did ...)
8. Earlier
elections gave us Labour MPs but after the la/yman
prevailed. TESTATORY (... latest, a Tory man ...)
9. A
poor recent record has meant my supporting the s/ot
less. IDEAL (... side a lot less)
13. In
India after the be/t is in plentiful supply. STRABISMAL (... best rabis
malt ...)
The Doctor is in better supply today. He has a new word to describe the
condition, the opposite of ‘abysmal’. Thanks, Azed.
16. ‘In’
lat/ex was clearly a subject far from taboo in Rome. INVERSES (In Latin verse, sex ...)
19. Might
Oscar ever have
preferred his image of b/rawn? OSIERED (... Bosie
redrawn.)
Were they really basket-cases?
20. For
an obl/iquity may reveal
his title’s origins. EMANANT (For a nobleman, antiquity ...)
One gets the gentleman’s drift.
22. You have a dog, do you? M/ating
whatever it fancies? INDITE (You have a dog - do you mind it
eating ...?)
If not, a firmer inditement is suggested.
23. You’ll
find many lionized in life no/d lower. WRATE (... now rated
...)
No fear of a writ, then.
24. It
can be unbearably painful to pul/l out. LANAI (... pull a nail ...)
26. Before a banquet host’s li/sting
wines to be served. KETA (... hosts like tasting ...)
28. If it’s there on offer, you’ll always see a h/at free of
charge. OBOE (... hobo eat ...)
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