Azed No 2183 ‘Eightsome Reels’ (6 Apr 2014)
reviewed by Dr Watson
for & lit. – The Azed Slip Archive
Reviews
index
| & lit. homepage | Try the puzzle
|
B |
Y his own account Azed
devised the Eightsome Reels grid format for his
puzzle number 36, his ninth competition puzzle. In the Slip he gave
some interesting observations on filling the grid (as setter), on his concern
not to have too many adjacent solutions similarly formed, and on the relatively
high proportion of checked squares. The present puzzle is, by Dr Watson’s
reckoning, only the fourth such puzzle in the competition series, following number 530, which
he decided to make much tougher than the first, and number 1030,
seemingly not quite so difficult. Regular Azed
solvers of any vintage will be familiar with the format from their more
frequent appearance in non-competition puzzles. Familiar, too, will be the
inclusion of an anagram of a given word or phrase to fix the twelve squares at
the corners of the grid. It is interesting to note that there is no mention of
this device in the three early slips, and that in the first of them, Azed’s reference to unchecked squares included those at the
corners. In the second, number 530, his first comment is of solvers’ errors in
one of the corner solutions.
Most of the clues in the present puzzle
have a simple structure involving variously elements in series, elements
included or excluded, reversals and anagrams. One (4) has two meanings, and
another (11) a simple substitution. None should be expected to defeat a novice
solver. Regulars will have found them quite easy.
Notes to the clues include indications
of direction for each solution as in this completed grid.
Notes to the clues:
ACROSS
1. Fish
company once netting fish − little left. GRAYLING
(ray, l, all in ging; A/W) There’s
little indication here that a reference is intended to the Justice Secretary ...
2. Good
newspaper includes favourable slant on news item, being avaricious. GRASPING
(spin in g, rag; C/W) ... however,
the entertainment value here is in
taking the phrase ‘being avaricious’ as describing the news item. Highly topical.
4. Occupant
like young cuckoo, fluttering? SQUATTER (2 meanings; A/W) ‘A fluttering’ is
one definition of squatter1, q.v.
6. Pass
certificate? Master put out when page is missing. TESTAMUR (anag.
less p; A/W) The anagram is of ‘Master
(p)ut’. The surface may have its most apt meaning in
a nautical setting.
7. A
metal mined in mountain for slating. BERATING (a, tin, all in berg; C/W) Azed’s definition of tin is
‘metal mined’. A simple but very subtle clue.
8. Form
of giant web or aerial flap. WINGBEAT (anag; A/W)
This solution saved Azed
from having a square foursome of words with an ‘ing’
ending in the Northwest corner of the grid. Dr Watson fancies that he might
once have regarded three as too many.
9. Type
of pear coated in salt? It may come with the menu. WINE LIST (nelis in wit; C/W) Watson’s
first clue solved. He expects to be in good company.
10. Creepers
cut short round part of fence? TRAILERS (rail in ters(e); C/W) A very sweet clue. Solvers needed to prune the
right word.
12. First
to admit poverty’s extremely dismal. BLACKEST (lack in best; C/W) It’s not so bad with with
such fine crossword fare.
13. Follower
of reforming churchman, one featured in window. LUTHERAN (a
in luthern; A/W) The reference is to Martin Luther ...
15. One
pop superstar appearing in Lesotho entertainment guide. LISTINGS (i, Sting in LS; A/W)
... and here it is to Sting. LS is listed in Chambers as the IVR
code for Lesotho.
18. Cord
intertwined or substituted. REPLACED (rep, laced; A/W) This
solution shares a ‘.ced’ word ending with ENGRACED at
no. 17...
21. Char,
one engaged by one’s brother perhaps. SAIBLING (a in
sibling; C/W) ... but an ‘.ngs’ ending shared with LISTINGS at 15 is deftly avoided
here.
24. Shrank
from treatment for E. coli, embarrassed about it? RECOILED (anag.
in red; C/W) Face up to it here.
27. Stretch
best lines out. TENSIBLE (anag; A/W) Watson had
our solution written into the grid long before accepting ‘stretch’ as an
adjective (as in ‘stretch-fabric’).
29. Greek
lines aloft in sculpted niche. HELLENIC (ell (= el1) in anag; A/C) This solution turns on
recognizing ‘lines aloft’ as referring to an elevated railway.
33. Horn
sometimes seen halved in unruly cattle. TENTACLE ((se)en
in anag; C/W) The entry for horn includes the
definition: ‘a snail’s tentacle’.
35. Close
friend of Virginia, well off. TOVARICH (to, Va, rich;
C/W) ‘Of’ is listed among the many
meanings of ‘to’. TOVARICH was the Competition word in Azed
1134.
36. Obsequious
claptrap about day roaming Italy. TOADYISH (anag, I,
all in tosh; A/W) Azed cannot be referring to BBC 2‘s The
Trip to Italy, surely?
Other solutions:
3. SPINETTE (pine in anag; A/W) 5. QUARTERS (qua, r, anag; C/W) 11. TRACKERS (t for c in crackers; A/W) 14. THEATINE
(heat in tine; C/W) 16. SANGRAIL (The Competition
word; A/W) 17. ENGRACED (CE in anag;
C/W) 19. SPATULAR (at, U, l, all in spar; A/W) 20.
TAPELINE (tap, Nile (rev.), E; A/W) 22. SANTERIA (anag; C/W) 23. DENTELLE
(den, tell, e; A/W) 25. RATE-CAPS (anag.
less on; A/W) 26. CAPELETS (e(fficacy) in caplets; C/W) 28. SIRENIAN (i in anag; C/W) 30. HELIOSIS (oil (rev.) in anag; C/W) 31.
CORVETTE (cor(d), vette(d); C/W) 32. CORSLETS (let in anag; A/W) 34.
TATARIAN (ta, ta, i in ran; A/W)