AZED CROSSWORD 1108

GREEN

1.  R. S. Morse: What grass is (even for a fool) (e’en for ass in grass, & lit.).

2.  P. F. Henderson: Such bottles are reduced by one in what singer sings? ((a)re in gen, & lit.; ref. ‘Ten G. Bottles’).

3.  A. Hall: This beckons drivers on (double mng.).

VHC

B. Burton: Beginners in golfing reach each easily? No! (first letters & lit.).

N. C. Dexter: Crusading re environment? I’m right in there! (hidden & lit.).

V. Dixon: Increase commons? Mightn’t putting Lincoln gaudy back over winter ever lead to it? (i.e. putting, … ever form compounds with g.).

C. M. Edmunds: Regeneration, saving energy, helping recycling, is the answer (anag. of regen(E ration), & lit.).

Ms E. Frith: Inexperienced passenger confused, having no ticket (anag. less pass).

R. Hesketh: Teenager, wanting tea, brewed fresh pot (anag. less tea; g. = marijuana).

J. Hetherington: Place for putting gardener’s odds and ends (alternate letters + ’n’).

R. J. Hooper: Like e.g. mint, there’s a hole in it (2 mngs.).

F. P. N. Lake: Supporter of woods? (double mng.; environmentalist / bowling green).

J. P. Lester: The group ‘Terra’ gets thirteen letters back concerned with care of the environment (i.e. terra becomes green 13 letters back in alphabet).

J. C. Leyland: Misplaced generosity? Not half, folk keep putting on me (anag. of gener(osity)).

J. D. Lockett: To plant trees after putting prepared ground round holes (2 mngs.).

Mrs J. Mackie: So’s developing fruit deviant gene’s right inside it? (r in anag.; ref. ‘homosexual’ gene).

D. F. Manley: Name always associated with suspicion of garrotting (Rev.)? (n e’er g (rev.), & lit.; ref. Cluedo).

P. W. Marlow: Choreographer’s finale is inspired by dancing of Gene Kelly? (r in anag.; ref. Petra Kelly, former leader of German Greens).

H. W. Massingham: Like pigeons in an area noted for its woods (2 mngs.; pigeon = dupe).

T. J. Moorey: Ignoring mad reversing, gendarme whistled – gives Paris colour! (anag. less mad (rev.); Paris g.).

R. J. Palmer: Integrate variable – you could have found him at it (comp. anag. & lit.; ref. George G., mathematician and physicist 1793-1841).

G. Perry: Where bowling is concerned endless energy is wasted in meagre English showing (anag. less y, hidden).

N. G. Shippobotham: Central to thinking re environment (hidden & lit.).

R. J. Whale: Concerned with the earth and environs (re in Ge ’n’, & lit.).

HC

C. J. Anderson, W. G. Arnott, D. Ashcroft, F. D. H. Atkinson, R. L. Baker, M. Barley, M. J. Bath, E. A. Beaulah, R. C. Bell, J. R. Beresford, H. Bickerton, Mrs K. Bissett, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, L. W. Blott, H. J. Bradbury, Mrs A. R. Bradford, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, E. J. Burge, E. Chalkley, C. A. Clarice, Mrs D. A. Colley, M. D. Cooke, B. Cozens, E. Dawid, Rev P. Deane, R. V. Dearden, H. Dingwall, J. Drori, A. J. Duncum, A. R. Esau, S. Evans, C. J. Feetenby, Dr I. S. Fletcher, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, S. Goldie, R. R. Greenfield, J. Grimes, J. F. Grimshaw, C. R. Gumbrell, D. Harris, J. Hastie, I. A. Herbert, W. Jackson, R. E. Kimmons, W. Laxton, E. Looby, G. H. Low, A. N. Macdougall, G. L. McStravick, P. J. McWeeny, J. R. C. Michie, Dr E. J. Miller, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, A. J. L. Neill, S. L. Paton, R. Phillips, D. Price Jones, D. R. Robinson, N. Roper, D. Roseveare, G. C. Rosser, A. D. Scott, W. K. M. Slimmings, D. H. Tompsett, Mrs G. M. Wagner, A. J. Wardrop, B. D. Wesson, Ms B. J. Widger, G. H. Willett.
 

COMMENTS
494 entries, no mistakes. Despite its wide range of meanings (the main reason I chose it) GREEN proved very difficult to handle effectively and originally. There is a school of thought that maintains that for many words there is a perfect clue hovering in the ether and waiting to be plucked therefrom. If this is so – and I have my doubts – then I suspect that GREEN is not one of those words. I expected and got a lot of environmental clues, recycling of energy endlessly being much the most popular theme. Many of these were perfectly sound but sadly just too numerous for special distinction. There were also plenty of clues with a golfing flavour and several of you used the surprising definition of GREEN as ‘golf-course’ in Chambers (significantly dropped in the just-published new edition). In response to kind enquiries about my own game I can report that though still erratic this is showing distinct signs of improvement thanks to my set of new clubs bought at the time of Azed No. 1,000. These were given several outings on the beautiful St Enodoc course in Trebetherick during my recent Cornish holiday. I was also introduced for the first time to the mathematician George Green, born 200 years ago, discoverer of the Green’s function which (I quote from one of the pieces on Green sent to me) gave the world a new bag of mathematical tricks, useful for exploring the consequences of theories and for predicting the existence of new phenomena that experimenters could search for’.
 
Selecting the best clues was not easy (another argument against the ‘perfect clue’ theory?). In the end the simple neatness of Mr Morse’s clue won the day for him. Interestingly, Mr Henderson’s cleverly worded second prize-winner is marginally easier to solve, though neither would probably detain the solver for long – and Mr Hall’s likewise. I make the point because it’s worth noting that complexity in clues is not a prerequisite of excellence. The simplest ideas are often, though not always, the best.
 
Finally, a renewed plea for competitors to put their name and address on their clue-sheet, whether or not they also put them on the coupon. Many still forget to do this and it can be a nuisance. Even if I recognise the handwriting of many regulars I haven’t got round to memorising all your addresses yet!