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IGHT AND LEFT puzzles are a staple of the Azed and Ximenes ‘specials’,
appearing as competitions every couple of years. The first known example is Ximenes
No 84 in 1948, where solvers were required to clue the combination of
SHINGLE and THIRSTY. X’s brief comments at the end of the competition Slip may
indicate that this puzzle type was already established and needed little to be
said, but it’s more likely that the length of the quoted clues and post-war
paper rationing limited his opportunity to comment at length. The key to Right
and Left clues, then as now, is that the two clues should run together with no
overlap or superfluous joining words, and should attempt hide the join in the
smooth flow of the surface reading.
Which solutions fit on which side of the
grid is often unknown until the puzzle is partly solved and 1 across, which
links the two halves, can be deduced. Dr Watson’s solving method is to pencil
in the first solution on one side of the grid, and then build up the intersecting
solutions where possible. Once 1 across is solved the grid can be inked in
correctly.
A note for competitors is that, having
indicated BUST-UP and PIT-PAT as six-letter compounds, Azed
would expect them to be defined this way, i.e. ‘bust-up’ should be defined as a
noun rather than the adjectival or verb phrase ‘bust up’.
Solutions in the notes below are in the order
in which they are clued, and the join is marked in the clue.
1. Peeved
before peak, beloved? Division may find one on either side. CROSS-BENCHER (cross ben cher)
As ever the word that links the two halves of the grid
has sense of ambivalence attached to it. Dr Watson needed three or four letters
in place before it could be solved.
6. Hidden
with oven replacing bed outside stars / mouse at home in old wall. AURIGA / MURINE (buried with Aga for bed; in
in mure) Azed finds an unexpected substitution to clue
the constellation Auriga
(the Charioteer) and a more conventional container clue for MURINE. The surface
reading of the clue is rather difficult to picture. This is the most ambiguous
pair for placing in the grid as they share the same second, third and fouth letters.
7. One
composing mass received by British cheers / brought back introductory stuff
without piano at first – he looks pleased. BRAHMS / SMILER (Br + m in ahs; (p)relims,
rev.) An example how the double clue
structure can be used to create an extra problem for the solver. The join is
clearly close to ‘brought back’, but on first reading it looks like the
reversal indicator applies to ‘cheers’ in the first clue of the pair.
8. Offshoot,
child, once due inside backing / method of childbirth to do nothing about
mother. STOLON / LAMAZE (lot, rev., in son; ma in laze) This
clue pulls the same trick as 7, with a reversal indicator sitting at the join,
this time on the other side. It might have been tempting to create an & lit. clue for LAMAZE,
though the Lamaze
technique is quite the opposite of doing nothing about the mother.
18. When
surrounded by drinks, drinks one to / the lady’s taste for this reason. TOASTS
/ HEREAT (as in tots; her eat) A
fluent surface reading and a well-hidden join, taking advantage of the
definition ‘drinks one to’.
2. New
university banter, this, about ancient bastion, / odd
corporation protecting it, a meaningless burden. NURAGHIC / RUM-TI-TUM
(n U rag hic; rum + it in tum) The
key to the second clue is remembering that ‘burden’ can mean the refrain of a
song.
3. See
hunk on screen in game / I viewed cutting love part for flapper. CRAMBO /
ORIOLE (c Rambo; I in 0 role)
The first clue isn’t
too difficult in its own right, but the second requires the solver to see that
‘cutting’ indicates the insertion of the I rather than omission of an O, which
is made more difficult by uncertainty over where the clue starts.
4. Champagne
HM left out and daft / clashing cymbals greeting cardinal’s office. SILLY / HI-HAT (Sill(ER)y;
hi hat) The two pieces of knowledge
required to decipher the clues are both available in Chambers. The vineyards of Sillery
produce a classified Grand Cru champagne, and the office of a Cardinal is
referred to as a ‘hat’ after the red hat that symbolises it.
11. Coup
converts Chinese / VIP, one with blinkered view bagging power. PUTSCH / BIG POT
(puts Ch; p in bigot) Using
clues of unequal lengths is another trick to hide the join. ‘Big pot’ is listed
in Chambers under ‘pot’ rather than
‘big’ (unlike ‘big cheese’, etc.), so is more difficult to track down in the
Red Book, though electronic versions will readily find it.
Other solutions:
Across: 10.
STEELY / CHOKRA (tee in sly; r in anag.; reliable / regimental);
11. BUST-UP / PIT-PAT;
15. GROMET / THIRAM (Rome in GT; anag.; tourer,
/ this); 16. SPLORE / PYROLA (sp. lore; anag.;
discipline / or); 17. OPINES / CYESIS
(pine in OS; c(hild) yes is;
supposes / first).
Down: 1.
CASSIS / EMBLIC (c
assis(t); e + anag.; help /
energy); 5. RESEDA / BARNEY (hidden
rev.; anag. in by; up / by); 9. FRAGARIA / PLUMELET (agar in anag.;
plum E let; mixed / fruit); 12. TIMONS /
POROSE (anag. less E; (c)or(k)
in pose; earth / to); 13. TAMEST / POTASS
(a.m. in test; anag.; exam / to); 14.
MORIA / OILER (i in mora; anag.;
impounding / large).