AZED CROSSWORD 1122

BASILIAN

1.  C. R. Gumbrell: Tuck among outlaw film’s central characters, is a round, monkish type ((f)il(m) is a (rev.) in ban; ref. Friar T.).

2.  R. J. Hooper: Left out of waltzing in a ball, is one possibly taken for a beguine? (anag. less l; beguine²).

3.  R. R. Greenfield: Religious old soul’s collar is worn back to front (ba + nail is (rev.)).

VHC

M. Barley: I believe Arianism mistaken: I’m ever this? (comp. anag. & lit.).

L. W. Blott: Jazzy street clothes trouble reactionary devotee of order (ail (rev.) in Basin; ref. B. Street, New Orleans).

B. W. Brook: Religious to the degree collar is turned back to front! (BA + nail is (rev.)).

E. J. Burge: One residing in abode, rarely seen, following saint bound by pledge? (S in bail + a in in², & lit.).

B. Burton: Brush with Paisley perhaps leaves one preferring monastic calm! (Basil (B.) + Ian (P.)).

D. B. Cross: Lord’s devotee sees bails sent flying by Botham! (anag. + Ian (B.)).

G. I. L. Grafton: One wearing an alb is not in this order (I in anag. & lit.).

J. Hetherington: Some nuns are given names of ‘Dolly’ and ‘Beefy’ (Basil + Ian; ref. nicknames of B. D’Oliviera and I. Botham).

F. P. N. Lake: One secure in retreat, following the book to God (b + as² + I + nail (rev.), & lit.).

J. F. Levey: One under orders, Caliban is caught out disorderly (anag. less c; ref. ‘The Tempest’).

J. C. Leyland: Head of brotherhood may confront one after naughty liaison (not on) (b + anag. less on + an, & lit.).

B. MacReamoinn: Jazz banal? It is without T. Monk (anag. less T; ref. Thelonious M.; jazz vb.).

D. F. Manley: Lacking suggestion of gender, a ‘sibling’ roughly encompasses a ‘brother or sister’ (a in anag. less g).

H. W. Massingham: One under oath to God has trouble backtracking in dock (ail (rev.) in basin).

I. Munro: Endlessly humble, one secure in retreat (bas(e) + I + nail (rev.), & lit.).

M. Sanderson: Nadir, one in grip of denunciation, leading the life of a recluse? (Asil I in ban; ref. fugitive financier).

W. K. M. Slimmings: One joining confirmed bachelors, secure in retreat? (BAs I + nail (rev.), & lit.).

R. C. Teuton: Bails dislodged by Botham? He’s one that’s liable to get into the habit! (anag. + Ian (B.)).

A. J. Wardrop: One adhering to orders of a church after chapter falls out (basili(c)an).

HC

W. G. Arnott, D. Ashcroft, M. J. Barker, M. J. Bath, E. A. Beaulah, J. R. Beresford, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, J. M. Brown, P. Cargill, M. Coates, R. Dean, R. V. Dearden, N. C. Dexter, R. A. England, Dr I. S. Fletcher, H. Freeman, J. F. Grimshaw, I. F. & L. M. Haines, P. Heap, P. F. Henderson, R. Hesketh, A. Logan, D. J. Mackay, Mrs J. Mackie, R. C. Mallinson, P. W. Marlow, G. L. McStravick, C. G. Millin, A. Morgan-Richards, R. S. Morse, R. A. Mostyn, F. R. Palmer, R. J. Palmer, S. L. Paton, R. Phillips, A. Pinel, H. L. Rhodes, D. R. Robinson, N. J. Roper, J. H. Russell, B. L. Smith, Ms M. Stokes, J. B. Sweeting, J. R. Tozer, R. J. Whale, J. P. Wheatcroft, I. J. Wilcock.
 

COMMENTS
409 entries, virtually no mistakes No special problems either, it seems, though there was a query about my clue to ETHANE (“Fiery” Irish lass holding a chemical’). These chemical terms may be poetry to the ears of scientists but they’re the bane of a crossword setter’s life when it comes to thinking up a new way of dealing with them. This time the reference was to the Irish girl’s name Ethne, listed in the back of Chambers. Another competitor drew attention to my clue to STOW (‘Five letters (towards the end) put away’) and asked whether I’d deliberately included the answer hidden in the clue’s wording, seeing this a case of a double cryptic indication. The answer is no, I never even noticed, and in any case there is no adequate indication of a ‘hidden type’ clue. The same correspondent also mentioned a clue of mine from a recent puzzle, to KELTIE, viz. ‘Scotsman’s bumper? Damaged it with leek that is trailed by Welshman’. Here there certainly were two cryptic indicators – deliberately so. Is this a new clue-type, or a very occasional device, I’m asked. I do use if from time to time, when it seems appropriate as a way of ‘filling out’ an otherwise rather humdrum clue, but only seldom. I’ve no idea whether I was the first to do this but I very much doubt it.
 
There was quite a good crop of clues to BASILIAN. Fewer had a go at doing something with A. Nadir than I’d expected (given that ‘nadir’ is also a normal lexical word), but perhaps the remaining letters proved too tricky to exploit effectively. Quite a lot defined BASILIAN as ‘an order’, which I couldn’t accept. There is certainly evidence of references to the Basilian order but that is not the same as treating the word BASILIAN as a noun meaning ‘the Basilian order’. One would surely never talk of being a member of the Basilian (or the Franciscan or the Benedictine for that matter). Mr Grafton’s clue above just passes muster on the grounds that ‘Basilian’ can be fairly substituted for ‘this’ as an adjective. (Whether he intended that is another matter!)
 
Another query from a regular: ‘I have always assumed, and seem to recall a slip to this effect, that we solvers may treat the clue-word as either across or down. Is this right?’ Emphatically not, and I’m sure I’ve never indicated otherwise. I prefer you to assume that the word has the same orientation as it does in the puzzle. The only exception is when this is unconventional (as, for instance, in an Eightsome Reels puzzle) or when I give you a word that isn’t in the puzzle at all but has to be deduced. In such cases you should assume a normal horizontal left-to-right disposition. A final reminder that from January 1994 the new edition of Chambers will be the recommended dictionary for AZ puzzles. As I write I have already started using it, and there are a number of changes in the organisation of the new edition (called simply The Chambers Dictionary). And though many new words have been added, not all the old ones (or all their senses) have been retained. You have been warned.
 
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to you all.