Reviews
index
| & lit. homepage | Try the
puzzle
|
D |
1. Falsifies
triplet with note for one such. FIDDLE-STRING (fiddles + trin
+ G; s.v. trine) That
‘note’ just had to be G, the pitch of the lowest open string on a violin.
10. Naiad
upset about ‘second’ for Hera, re judgement of Paris? IDAEAN
(e in anag.) Idaean is defined
in Chambers as ‘of Mount Ida in Crete, or that near Troy’, the latter being the
site where Paris
had the thankless task of judging the beauty of three goddesses. One of them,
Hera, was particularly miffed at being overlooked. However, she was certainly
no mere naiad but the wife and sister
of Zeus himself. Doubtless she had one or two naiads amongst her fans, Idaea
possibly being one of them.
13. Running
race is ideal? So open to non-professionals, dear.
LAICISE (comp. anag., s.v. lay3) The first of three composite anagrams in this
puzzle in which ‘race is ideal’ is found to be an anagram of LAICISE plus
‘dear’, with the definition given as ‘open to non-professionals’. Each anagram
is indicated separately, the first by ‘running’, and the second by reference
back, using ‘so’.
17. Label
bed to be brought back for old foot soldier. PIKEMAN (name +
kip, all rev.) The surface
evokes the days when articles were packaged for the long sea voyage home from
empire postings.
24. Blowing
kiss king’s mistress turned in after a change of sheets? REMADE (dame (rev.) in
re(x)) The phrase: ‘king’s mistress
turned in’ is understood as meaning ‘king has mistress turned in’ in the
indication.
28. Roller
dispersing fellow’s waste on board whaler? GURRY (RR in guy) Chambers
has an entry for Rolls-Royce which includes the informal ‘Rolls’ and ‘Roller’,
but does not mention the famous logo at its entry for RR.
29. Pilgrim,
one following god (not his) from the east. HAJI (Jah
(rev.) + 1; s.v. hadj) Dr
Watson is not sure that the phrase ‘not his’ makes a great deal of sense in the
surface reading. Surely any pilgrim will be mindful of his own god, and not that of another faith. In the cryptic reading
‘god’ (not Allah) is Jehovah, that of the Hebrews.
30. Okra
merging with what it’s fried in? It’s painful in the mouth. GUMBOIL (gumbo, oil
(‘merged’)) The given indication may be
understood well enough once the solution is known, but seems imprecise. Don’t
try this at home.
33. Long
par with this pitch mark could make a
lump on green. NEUME (comp. anag.) We find here that ‘long par’ plus NEUME
(‘this pitch mark’) is an anagram of ‘a lump on green’. In this case, Azed has departed from his stricture (to competitors) that
both parts of a composite anagram should be indicated separately. Instead, and
perhaps to provide solvers with something of a change, he has chosen to
indicate that the letters of the first could
be rearranged as those of the second. As in the clue for LAICISE at 13 Across, the solution is defined internally and not by the wh ole clue.
35. No
support for this quiche? Nasty party asides about recipe.
RAISED PASTRY (r in anag.) A brilliantly witty clue about a quiche made
without benefit of a sided dish. Dr Watson’s
favourite in this puzzle.
1. Theatre critic often, one struggling to
take in half of Strindberg’s concoction. FIRST-NIGHTER (anag.
of Strin(dberg) in fighter) Azed is careful to distinguish the
professional critic from other first-nighters by use
of ‘often’ and by this means to give a definition by example.
3. Old shilling, not nearly new, fetching
high price. DEAR (deaner less ne(w))
Quite a few regular
solvers will have been reminded of the clue for DEARN in the very last Azed, no 2095
at 28 Down. Quickly solved by Watson.
4. One game in Scotland in which there’s
very little between the two sides? LAMITER (i.e. ‘a mite’ in l(eft), r(ight); s.v. lameter) Game2 is cleverly disguised in a
surface all about sport.
7. I
produce something like cork and relock bottled end of jeroboam. ROCK ELM (anag. + m) Solvers may read about the
Rock Elm here.
8. Cubic mineral not brought in by the tide?
On the contrary. NOSEAN (sea in non, i.e. not non in sea) Clues
in this form are frequently included in Azed puzzles.
The present example begs the question whether some cubic minerals may be borne
in or by a running sea (sailor talk for the tide). There’s plenty of reading
about crystals at this
link.
9. One’s surely lying badly about tip of
blue in this scarlet flower. GUERNSEY LILY (e in anag.) Regular solvers will be familiar with Azed’s use of ‘One’s’ to disguise a definition in the
surface reading. Here he has used the device to disguise the anagram of ‘surely
lying’ in this witty clue.
11. Best − may be involved in turning breads out.
DOURA (comp. anag., &lit; s.v. durra) The third of this
puzzle’s composite anagrams features the device of indicating by means of a
dash where the solution might be placed so that the whole clue reads as a
definition. ‘Best doura’ is then found to be an
anagram of ‘breads out’.
21. For Jews it’s symbolic, sticking flower in
cap. HAROSET (rose in hat) Dr Watson has not managed to find any
Jewish custom, either cultural or religious, of setting flowers in hats.
23. Anzac
swapping units (front and rear) given equipment. RIGGED (digger, ‘d’, ‘r’ swapped) Finally
the return of a perennial pair of synonyms for an Australian or New Zealand
soldier.
Other solutions:
Across:
12. PROSO (pro + so)
14. SUCRIER (anag.)
15. KIER (e in kir) 16. TRIST ((me)trist; s.v. metre2)
18. NAEVES (a in seven (rev.)) 26. GRIGRIS (rig in gris; s.v.
grisgris & gris1) .32. TENTIGO (tent + I + go) 34. UNREEL (anag.
+ eel)
Down:
2. DARCIES (anag., s.v. darcy)
5. SPARID (sp + arid) 6.
TRICK (the competition word) 19. VAGITUS (anag.
in vas) 20. TEGMINA (get (rev.) + I in anag.)
22. FRAENA (a + near + f, all rev.) 25. DRICE (anag.)
27. RHIME (him in R.E.) 31. BARS (2 meanings)