AZED CROSSWORD 1178

BOOTLEG

1.  M. Barley: A bottle of gin would not normally be this, if an item from Threshers (comp. anag. incl. T, & lit.; ref. off-licence chain).

2.  C. R. Gumbrell: Cooper perhaps equal to Clay with good boxing until up-ended (to (rev.) in bole g; cooper²).

3.  G. H. Willett: Descriptive of what’s black and bucks up smuggling rings? (OO in b + gelt (rev.), & lit.).

VHC

M. J. Balfour: Run in the sack-race (boot leg).

Mrs F. A. Blanchard: Is casing for calf in luggage compartment legal? (Legal? Far from it!) (boot + leg.).

E. J. Burge: Flog Dogbolter after case is carried for prohibition? (anag. less D, r, & lit.; D., real ale).

C. A. Clarke: Forged logo? – bet it’s —— (anag. & lit.).

D. C. Clenshaw: Smuggle barrels for example, hiding a variety of loot (anag. in b e.g.).

N. C. Dexter: Illicit goblet o’ rum? (anag.).

V. Dixon: Supply loot, in barrels say (anag. in b e.g., & lit.).

M. Earle: Black gold to be diverted, avoiding the centre of Windsor (anag. less d; ref. drilling for oil near Windsor Castle).

S. Goldie: Kick on – this must be straight to goosestep … bent to pussyfoot (boot leg, 2 defs.).

R. Haddock: Pirate? Heartless Bluto goes endlessly on the rampage (anag. less u, s; ref. Popeye’s adversary).

P. F. Henderson: Number taken from broadcast of Elton John’s going round – in such a form? (anag. less n in bog, & lit.).

J. C. Leyland: Get blotto? Not in dry state, brewing illegal (anag. less TT).

C. J. Lowe: Run incontinent to bog? Leak? – not half! (anag. incl. le(ak)).

D. F. Manley: Moonshine hidden in grot that port overlooks? (Bootle + g(rot), & lit.).

T. J. Moorey: —— wallop got bloke with King’s Head nicked? (anag. less K).

C. J. Morse: What traffickers do is profit by limited legal protection for calves (boot leg.; ref. concern over transport of live animals).

R. J. Palmer: What Capone did making profit within the law? Not him (boot + leg(Al)).

Dr T. G. Powell: Supply bottle with nowt for t’ Government! (0 for t in bottle + G, & lit.).

D. R. Robinson: Moonshine lit globe tonight, there being no obscurity (anag. less night).

Dr G. A. Styles: Run in sack race? (boot leg).

HC

D. Appleton, F. D. H. Atkinson, M. J. Bath, R. C. Bell, Dr P. M. J. Bennett, J. R. Beresford, M. M. Bishop, H. J. Bradbury, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, Dr J. Burscough, B. Burton, J. Butcher, B. S. Clark, Capt D. A. Craddock, E. Cross, G. Cuthbert, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, R. Dean, P. Egan, P. S. Elliott, R. A. England, P. D. Gaffey, N. C. Goddard, C. P. Grant, R. G. Gray, D. Gregory, A. Hall, S. Hempsall, R. Hesketh, M. J. Hickman, R. Jacks, W. Jackson, T. Jacobs, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, J. Kearney, R. E. Kimmons, P. J. Knight, A. Logan, P. Long, R. K. Lumsdon, Mrs W. A. Marlar, H. W. Massingham, M. McMahon, J. R. C. Michie, D. S. Miller, Dr E. J. Miller, W. L. Miron, C. J. Napier, J. Pearce, D. J. Penford, R. Phillips, D. Price Jones, H. L. Rhodes, J. H. Russell, W. K. M. Slimmings, Dr N. Smith, P. L. Stone, J. B. Sweeting, K. Thomas, R. W. Thompson, J. R. Tozer, A. P. Vincent, A. J. Wardrop, M. J. E. Wareham, I. J. Wilcock, P. B. G. Williams, W. Woodruff.
 

Comments
458 entries, no mistakes. (Do however always check your diagram before submitting an entry. There are regularly a few which are incomplete, and I cannot accept an incomplete grid or one that is incorrect, even when the error is clearly a lapsus calami) No special problems either this month. Many of you said you found the puzzle on the easy side and hoped for something a little more challenging at Christmas. Let’s see. BOOTLEG seemed to promise much (‘the best competition word this year’, said one), but it actually proved quite hard to break away from the pack. Clues involving ‘Profit on ...‘ were two a penny, so it was essential to find some extra touch of cleverness to have a hope of making the lists. (It was curious to note, in passing, that both BOOT and GELT are defined as ‘profit’.) ‘Get blotto’ with TT extracted was also a very popular ploy, and ‘run’ as a definition. There was nothing wrong with any of these, and unsoundness generally was commendably low. It’s just that, as I never tire of saying, soundness alone is not enough to achieve distinction in competitive clue-writing. There’s simply too much wit and invention around, as I hope the quoted clues demonstrate.
 
I will be brief this month, as the Christmas and January competitions are fast approaching. Many thanks for all the cards and greetings. I hope you all enjoy the festive season and a new year of Azed puzzles. May I urge competitors to use first-class stamps if they are posting entries near the deadline? With the new arrangements I have a struggle to get the judging done in time for my deadline, and entries posted second-class can sometimes take a week or more to reach me, especially with Christmas mail to compete with, making it hard for me to give every entry a fair and equal chance.
 
Finally, a ‘mildly interesting’ footnote of interest to bootleggers, unearthed by a regular in an encyclopedia of Americana: ‘Boole (Ella, 1858-1952) President of the NY branch of the Women’s Temperance Union, later National President and Prohibition Party’s candidate for Senate.’ Material for an & lit. anagram there somewhere, I’m sure.