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4. Type
of self-discipline introduced by X, then me, in fine paper. CHIYOGAMI (chi + yoga + mi (tonic sol-fa)) Azed kicks off a
new season with a witty puff for the standards set by his predecessor, Ximenes, which he continues to maintain in these
puzzles for The Observer newspaper. Dr Watson expects that all Azed’s loyal solvers will join him gladly in submitting
once again to the rigours and pleasures of this and many other puzzles yet to
come.
12. Cheap
liquor I concealed in roulade. RUIN (I
in run) Perhaps Azed
has relied on a default reading of ‘roulade’ in its culinary sense to disguise
the indication in this simple clue. Some solvers are fonder of their ears than
their palates, and may have thought of the musical sense first, perhaps of
enjoying a song in good company whilst downing drink as cheaply as common
decency will allow.
14. Drunkard
embracing prince (his?) in tear-jerker, possibly. SHALOT (Hal in sot) The inclusion of ‘(his?)’ in this clue,
seemingly redundant, may be a reference to some specific exchange or (possibly tearful) reconciliation, amongst
several between Falstaff
and Prince Henry (his ‘Hal’, afterwards King Henry V) in Shakespeare’s two Henry IV plays.
19. Energy
very good – sound as a bell inside. STINGO (ting in so) The
indication of ‘ting’ by ‘sound as a bell’ is a most pleasing feature here.
31. Niggardly
Scots appearing as fool around Ireland. NIRLIT
(IRL in nit) IRL is the International
Vehicle Registration (IVR)
code for The Republic of Ireland.
32. Being
self-derived, is yet a hybrid. ASEITY (anag.) An intriguing clue in which the indicator of
the anagram: ‘hybrid’ is disguised in the surface reading as a noun. One
definition of ‘hybrid’ is given as ‘a word formed of elements from different
languages’. The term ‘self-derived’ is formed from two words, the first
Germanic, the second French in origin.
34. King
leaves showing off e.g. trumpeter. SWAN
(swan(king)) A
simple clue leaving one wondering what the surface actually means, if anything.
The definition alludes of course to the trumpeter
swan.
35. Writer
penning half a cracker. PETERMAN (term
in pen; s.v. peter3) Solvers
had more than their money’s-worth in this clue with its witty parsing – ‘term
in pen’ – i.e. a stretch in a penitentiary. A cracker and a
half.
DOWN
2. I
make short chunk of text up in Panama swimming aids. PARAPODIA (i do para (all rev.) in PA) The
second clue in succession to feature ‘PA’ in its indication, this time being
the IVR code for Panama. One imagines Azed knocking
these puzzles out by the poolside with all its attendant distractions.
5. Left
in lift, one must believe in complete
systems. HOLIST (l in hoist) Watson’s favourite clue in
this puzzle, simple but so true.
6. One
doing time, not available set apart inside? INMATE (n & a, (from
N/A) in anag. & lit.) Dr Watson feels that the whole clue would
read better as a definition if it had a comma after ‘available’. However, the
need to preserve the sense of the subsidiary indication, especially the
instruction to split the two letters of N/A, precludes it. In that context, the
question mark becomes an important element in rounding off a very finely
crafted clue.
8. Altar
decoration; density in deep dye Roman cardinal pursues. GRADINI (d in grain1 + I)
Here Azed has used ‘Roman
cardinal’ to indicate the Roman number one, and in so doing has transformed the
surface mood to one of passionate acquisitiveness – no suggestion of avarice
intended.
10. Vortigern worried about money, becoming
self-obsessed? INTROVERTING
(tin in anag.)
Vortigern’s
fame rests mainly on his role in inviting the first Saxon settlers to Britain.
If there is a connection between him and the surface meaning of the clue, Dr
Watson has not found it.
15. Scots
promise, now forgotten, agitated English. HETE (het2 + E) Solvers
needed to read the entry for ‘hight’ very carefully.
Its many variants include HOTE (hot + E) which is listed as peculiar to Edmund
Spenser and may have been the careless choice of a few competitors.
17. Lizards
a guide unusually spotted catching tropical bird IGUANIDAE (ani
in anag.)
A clue with an apt surface as the link for the anis shows. They are
sometimes known to eat small lizards
27. Old rumour not dismissed for sure. NOYES ((no)yes or alternatively n.o. + yes) In the first reading above the ‘not’ (‘no’) is removed from the solution to reveal a synonym of another part of the indication (‘sure’), and not the other way around as is normally the case. Dr Watson’s readiness to accept that explanation has blinded him, however, to a simpler reading involving ‘not out’ as in cricket scores and the expression ‘for sure’.
29. Treble’s
first line in Handel (a Miserere). E-LA-MI
(hidden) ‘Treble’s first line’ refers
not to an opening line of text or music, but to the line in a musical stave as
explained in our solution’s entry in Chambers.
30. The
Adelphi? It held this Shakespearean company’s production. HEAP (composite anagram)
The entry in Chambers for HEAP
includes a Shakespearean definition meaning ‘a company’. The clue as a whole
reads as an indication that ‘The Adelphi’ may be taken as an anagram of ‘It
held’ + ‘heap’. Azed has often stated that each part
of a composite anagram must be so indicated separately.
Dr Watson therefore takes these to be the question mark, and ‘production’.
Clues formed in this way always lead to the question whether the whole clue is intended to serve as a definition of the solution. Watson knows The Adelphi Theatre, but cannot vouch for a production company called Heap.
Other solutions:
Across:
11. SARCONET (anag.)
13. TROW (t(hat) + row) 16. RAZZIA (anag. in RA) 18. PERST (hidden, s.v. perse (Spenser)) 20.
COMPTE RENDU (anag.) 22. DERMESTIDAE (The competition
word) 26. MINOAN (mino + an) 28. EATEN (“Eton”)
33. WADI (wad2 + I) 36. SUPERSEDE
(perse1 in anag.)
Down:
1. ASTROCOMPASS (PA in anag.) 3. CROZE (“crows”)
7. YESES (anag. in y,s) 9. AULA (hidden (rev.)) 21.
PROLINE (pro + line) 23. MATT (Matt.
– abbr. Gospel of St. Matthew) 24. SENATE (e(ducatio)n in sate) 25. TAILED
(Tai + led)