AZED CROSSWORD 1069

(P)OSTICHE

1.  H. W. Massingham: Echt is opposite of this, note, in German (B; ti in Bosche, & lit.).

2.  R. A. England: A foreign hair-piece – it’s phoney Herr covering! (B; anag. in Boche).

3.  D. Ashcroft: Put wee fellow in britches pointlessly lengthened (H; tich in hose).

VHC

M. Barley: Going over the top is characterized by line charging enemy (F; stich in foe).

C. J. Brougham: Miss secures shrimp a macho chest-piece perhaps (L; tich in lose).

E. J. Burge: Scores with hit (square cut) – tho’ specially positioned, extra cover inevitably stranded (R; anag. less s; stranded = consisting of strands).

C. J. & M. P. Butler: Last bit of tripe: this cooked with cos provides dressing for onion (S; anag. incl. e).

Mrs M. J. Cansfield: In German it’s ‘ersatz’ – ‘echt’ is opposite in meaning (B; anag. in Boche).

C. A. Clarke: One tops chief-justice perhaps without old school tie being involved (L; anag. less o).

E. Dawid: So the pictures forged by Boschite? (B; anag.).

V. Dixon: In German it’s translated ersatz: echt is opposite (B; anag. in Bosche).

N. C. Goddard: What could be Old English switch – tie possibly (W; anag. incl. OE).

R. R. Greenfield: Beak catches small boy adding moustaches to pin-ups, perhaps (N; tich in nose).

J. Grimes: What makes Bruce’s top hilarious does itch when worn (D; anag.; ref. B. Forsyth).

A. W. Hill: Ode’s ruined with insertion of line that’s poetic sham (D; stich in anag.).

R. J. Hooper: Help the cops in charge to uncover counterfeit (S; SOS + i/c in the).

J. R. C. Michie: It tops chief justice perhaps and itches so confoundedly (S; anag.).

C. G. Millin: Prominent feature worn by little comic – his top, Eric implied (N; tich in nose; ref. Little T., Ernie Wise).

C. J. Morse: Without resource, hospital held in reserve, an unwanted extra (L; lost + H in ice).

R. J. Palmer: Disguise incomplete trichoses? Some suffering hair loss hope it can (R; anag. less s).

D. R. Robinson: ‘Beak’ rent by nasty itch – wearing this cope of hair (N; anag. in nose).

A. J. Wardrop: Echt oils reproduced: are copies thus described? (L; anag.).

M. H. E. Watson: Pity to enmesh poetic line in superfluous ornamentation (W; stich in woe).

Mrs M. P. Webber: Transformation of choicest style a man might display atop his cerebrum (C; anag.).

HC

M. J. Barker, A. G. Billington, Mrs K. Bissett, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, R. E. Boot, B. W. Brook, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, B. Burton, E. Chalkley, M. J. Clarke, M. Coates, K. W. Crawford, N. C. Dexter, L. E. Ellis, S. Errington, S. C. Ford, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, S. Goldie, G. I. L. Grafton, J. E. Green, D. W. Grice, J. F. Grimshaw, C. R. Gumbrell, N. Harris, R. W. Hawes, P. F. Henderson, A. Hodgson, E. M. Holroyd, R. F. A. Horsfield, G. Johnstone, G. Lee, J. W. Leonard, H. R. Lockhart, C. Loving, C. J. Lowe, R. K. Lumsdon, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, Mrs J. Mackie, Mrs E. L. MacNeill, W. F. Main, D. F. Manley, Ms A. McConnell, Dr E. J. Miller, T. J. Moorey, R. S. Morse, F. R. Palmer, A. J. Pinel, D. Price Jones, N. Roper, W. J. M. Scotland, A. D. Scott, P. L. Stone, J. B. Sweeting, R. C. Teuton, D. H. Tompsett, Mrs M. Vincent, Mrs J. Waldren, G. H. Willett, D. Williamson, Dr E. Young, and an unnamed entry beginning ‘Once this is fashioned…’.
 

COMMENTS
394 entries, no mistakes. A splendid competition, which most of you seemed to have enjoyed and not found too difficult once you got going. I did give quite a lot of extra help, what with fewer unchecked letters than usual and letter mixtures in clues and hairy topknots, sleek scalawags and all. A few thought I’d been over-generous though I tend on this occasion to disagree. Such diagrams are comparatively easy for the setter to construct, having as he does a whole lot of extra ‘free’ letters to play with, so it seemed only fair to make life a little easier for you.
 
(P)OSTICHE was clearly a very friendly word to clue and most took full advantage of this. The main mistake people made was in using a phrase to conceal the letter mixture in which was extraneous to the clue as a whole, merely a superfluous add-on. This was to miss the point of the exercise, i.e. to contrive a normal clue to *OSTICHE which contains both a definition and a letter-mixture of POSTICHE. Those quoted above show how economically this could be achieved, some (including Mr Massingham’s brilliant first prize-winner) even managing an ‘& lit.’ result. The rules for this clue-type make it possible to use up to all but one of the letters in the letter-mixture in an anagram of the word with its new headpiece. This struck me as a bit uninspired when I came across it in clues submitted. I certainly try to avoid resorting to this device when writing my own clues. Some overlap was nevertheless acceptable and at times unavoidable. Overall the standard of cluing was very high and I congratulate you all on giving me so much to appreciate. Having used this idea twice now (the first being a Christmas puzzle a couple of years ago called ‘Party Hats’), I may find it hard to produce a third involving heads, but some other variation may be feasible. It was clearly a popular novelty. See what you make of the Christmas special.
 
A final word of apology to Mr Grimshaw whose ingenious clue to MAGIC two months ago involved a magic square. This came out as ‘spare’ in my explanation in the slip, which may have baffled some. Sorry about that.