AZED CROSSWORD 1130

AGRESTAL

1.  C. J. Morse: Ace filly laps remainder of the field (a + rest in gal).

2.  H. W. Massingham: Alas, Gert’s gone – like Daisy (anag.; ref. former comedy duo).

3.  C. A. Clarke: As garden not half let run to seed? (anag. incl. gar(den), & lit.).

VHC

D. Appleton: So is maiden pink before onset of giant spider typically leads to abandoned lunch? (a (ante) + g + rest + a, l; ref. wildflower, Miss Muffett, snooker).

B. W. Brook: Growing wild despite cultured environment, ploughed Greats et al. (anag. + al).

E. Cross: Ploughing Greats, one student’s rusticated (anag. + a L).

R. A. England: As lea-rig badly maintained, one succumbing to first sign of tares? (anag. with t for I, & lit.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Set about in stalag running of escape? (re in anag.; escape = garden plant growing wild).

H. Freeman: Country, one that’s abandoned EEC, featuring in new edition of atlas (Gr(eec)e in anag.; country adj).

N. C. Goddard: A tare or groundsels might be this round rose, perhaps (comp. anag. & lit.).

P. F. Henderson: Garden least dug over comes to this end? (comp. anag. & lit.).

R. J. Hooper: A great lover’s not finished performing – naturally wild in bed (anag. less over).

Mrs J. Mackie: Idle, flaunting gala clothing – like Lily of the verses (rest in anag.; ref. Matt. 6:28-29).

D. F. Manley: Such as could be least needed by acreage with grain? (a + gr + anag., & lit.).

K. McDermid: Uncultivated amateur getting stage right and left confused (a + anag. incl. r, l).

T. J. Moorey: Clary may be thus described: excess in a girl’s clothing! (rest in a g(ir)l; ref. Julian C., wildflower).

C. J. Napier: ‘Growing wild, this groundsel ruins garden,’ so Tull rages (comp. anag.; ref. Jethro T., agriculturalist).

F. R. Palmer: Lilting line, a great prime feature of Swinburne, as found in ‘A Forsaken Garden’ (anag. of l a great S).

P. L. Stone: Uncontrolled gales at end of ‘leg-over’ broadcast (anag. incl. r; ref. Brian Johnstone’s commentary gaffe).

Mrs J. E. Townsend: A good king least arrayed like the lilies (a g R + anag.; ref. Matt. 6:28-29).

J. R. Tozer: A second Galtieri wanting the Is could emerge, occupying land we don’t look after (anag. incl. s less i, i; ref. Falkland Is).

HC

I. Munro. , F. D. H. Atkinson, M. J. Balfour, M. Barley, E. A. Beaulah, J. R. Beresford, C. I. G. Bickmore, Mrs K. Bissett, R. E. Boot, Mrs A. Boyes, H. J. Bradbury, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, B. Burton, D. A. Campbell, A. G. Chamberlain, F. H. Cripps, D. B. Cross, A. L. Dennis, N. C. Dexter, V. Dixon, M. Earle, C. M. Edmunds, M. G. Elliott, Mrs R. M. Farrer, C. J. Feetenby, P. D. Gaffey, N. Gambier, Mrs K. R. Gardiner, C. R. Gumbrell, P. J. Heap, R. Hesketh, J. Hetherington, T. M. Hoggart, R. F. A. Horsfield, J. G. Hull, W. Jackson, R. E. Kimmons, M. Kissen, F. P. N. Lake, J. H. C. Leach, J. D. Lockett, C. J. Lowe, Prof S. G. G. MacDonald, L. K. Maltby, P. W. Marlow, G. McStravick, Dr E. J. Miller, C. G. Millin, R. S. Morse, J. J. Murtha, A. Nash, R. O’Donoghue, R. Parry-Morris, S. L. Paton, Mrs E. M. Phair, H. L. Rhodes, M. E. J. Richardson, Dr D. R. Robinson, N. J. Roper, H. R. Sanders, W. J. M. Scotland, N. E. Sharp, R. Stagles, J. G. Stubbs, R. C. Teuton, D. H. Tompsett, Dr I. Torbe, A. J. Wardrop, M. H. E. Watson, Ms B. J. Widger, G. H. Willett, A. J. Willis, M. J. Willis, W. Wynne Willson, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
435 entries, very few mistakes. I don’t think the puzzle posed any special problems, except perhaps for those who haven’t acquired the new edition of Chambers. I can hardly not use this now that it’s there so new words (and abbreviations etc) not in previous editions are bound to occur regularly in my puzzles. I’m still getting used to the new edition myself – in particular the incorporation of the abbreviations into the main body of the text, a publishing decision which many of you seem to regret. The main impression I get from the new Chambers is that the publishers have allowed the dictionary’s reputation as the ‘word puzzler’s favourite’ to determine editorial policy on what to include. In other words, they’ve gone out of their way to include as much weird and wonderful vocabulary as possible, which is good news from our point of view, however one regards it from a purely lexicological standpoint. The blurb on the cover describing it as ‘the richest range of English words in one volume’ strikes me as a cleverly chosen phrase. I’d be interested to hear from solvers what they think of it.
 
Having no general comments to make about this month’s competition, beyond noting that it was the first adjective I’ve given you for some time and that for some reason adjectives habitually seem to create extra difficulties where indicating part of speech is concerned, I thought it worth drawing attention to a very common fault in clues submitted (not just this month), with two examples: ‘Thriving in the Open perhaps, Sandy Lyle starts with a great shot’ and ‘Laager with traditional Springbok leaders confused and wild?’ I cannot accept that ‘starts’ and ‘leaders’ in these two clues can fairly or logically be interpreted as meaning the initial letters of the preceding phrase, any more than that ‘fathead’ can indicate the letter ‘F’. It has been argued that ‘car crash’ can indicate an anagram of the letters of ‘car’ since in the real world that is what the phrase suggests (the crash of (a) car), but even that worries me and I prefer to steer clear of it. Would ‘an oil slick’ be acceptable as an anagram (‘a spreading’) of OIL. I think not. Not in my book anyway. So a clue like ‘Weedy? Work needed to get back into Altas mould’, the last two words indicating an anagram of ‘Atlas’, is equally unacceptable to me.