AZED CROSSWORD 1181

SLADE

1.  N. C. Dexter: Semi paludal’s the term for comparable ground (anag. of (palu)dal’s e, & lit.).

2.  G. P. Conway: McLaren’s skidded, yielding ground – lead’s lost (2 mngs., anag.).

3.  R. V. Dearden: Damsel, without a trace of modesty, waggled bottom (anag. less m).

VHC

D. Appleton: A sled slued, slid in Slochd (anag.; village near Aviemore).

M. Barley: Alders would flourish in this, right? (comp. anag. incl. r, & lit.).

C. J. Brougham: What’s a sled done down a wee cleuch? (anag. & lit.).

D. Buxton: Where Sutherland’s prospects might have improved, Argyll’s declined; a depressed area (3 mngs.; ref. Graham S., art school).

A. G. Chamberlain: A drop of soup, ladle not litre, (Campbell’s maybe) slipped down easily (s + lad(l)e).

C. A. Clarke: Clough unsettled Leeds, acting briefly after Revie’s final parting (anag. incl. a less e; ref. Brian C., Don R.).

E. Cross: Porridge was served in this small square scoop (s + lade; ref. TV comedy series).

C. M. Edmunds: This ground could be about right for alders (anag. less r).

P. D. Gaffey: Usage of kilt, we hear, has lapsed in Scotland (‘slayed’; kilt² = killed).

E. M. Holroyd: It’s ground about right for alders (anag. less r, & lit.).

C. J. Lowe: Unhappy about Labour’s lead? The merest hint of election creates depression! (L in sad + e).

R. K. Lumsdon: You might see ladies in this institute being drawn (anag. less I, & lit.; art school; drawn = withdrawn).

D. F. Manley: ‘Noddy’ leads —— (anag. & lit.; ref. N. Holder, lead singer of Slade pop group).

H. W. Massingham: Dean’s satire initially set aboard merchantman (s + lade; ref. Swift, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’; dean²).

K. McDermid: Did sledging in Perth upset English lads? (anag. incl. E; ref. Test cricket).

T. J. Moorey: Hope, Bob: English lad made good (s + anag.; bob = shilling; hope²).

C. J. Morse: Down here it’s damp: up North you’d have glided over the ice – and tobogganed, we hear (‘sleighed’, 2 defs.).

R. C. Teuton: ‘Noddy’ leads ——? (anag. & lit.; ref. N. Holder, lead singer of Slade pop group).

D. H. Tompsett: Dell where Rosie takes cider – and Lee’s heart (Slad + e; setting of Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider with Rosie’).

HC

D. Ashcroft, G. D. Bates, E. A. Beaulah, Mrs K. Bissett, Ms F. A. Blanchard, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, J. M. Brown, E. J. Burge, P. Carmichael, I. Carr, B. Cheesman, M. Coates, D. B. Cross, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, E. Dawid, R. Dean, Mrs M. A. Eacott, R. A. England, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, R. R. Greenfield, B. Greer, D. R. Gregory, R. S. Haddock, P. F. Henderson, V. G. Henderson, R. Hesketh, R. J. Hooper, W. Jackson, Ms M. Kennedy, J. P. Lester, J. C. Leyland, P. W. Marlow, M. McMahon, G. McStravick, C. G. Millin, D. Mitchell, P. G. O’Gorman, R. J. Palmer, G. Perry, A. J. Redstone, Mrs E. J. Shields, N. G. Shippobotham, D. A. Simmons, P. L. Stone, J. B. Sweeting, Miss D. W. Taylor, J. R. Tozer, A. J. Wardrop, Mrs M. P. Webber, Mrs B. J. Widger, I. J. Wilcock, G. H. Willett, D. Williamson, M. Zeegen.
 

Comments
Nearly 390 entries, very few mistakes. These were mainly unsuccessful guesses at the clue to SWATS, which seems to have given a certain amount of trouble. I’m not sure why, unless it was a reluctance to suppose that a plural form would have its own entry in the dictionary. Some of you were also puzzled by my clue to TUSHIE, which (truth to tell) I was rather pleased with, being a lifelong Pooh fan. ‘Vocal contributions from Piglet’ was an indication of the vowels in Piglet’s name, ‘vocal’ being defined inter alia as ‘of or pertaining to a vowel’. Reasonable enough, I should say.
 
What a lot of words there are for a little valley! And many of them, as you were quick to realize, have multiple alternative meanings, a gift for the clue writer. I can’t remember when I last gave you a word that is also a proper name but I doubt whether it had as many well-known references as SLADE. The art college (and its founder) 1 know of, as well as the pop group (aging a bit but still at it, I gather) and Julian, but I’d forgotten that Ronnie Barker’s Porridge was set in Slade Prison. Clues involving an anagram of DALE or DALES were understandably common and just a bit too obvious. I expect it was the first idea that occurred to everyone.
 
I was initially dubious about the use of ‘noddy’ as an adjective meaning ‘silly’ and indicating an anagram, as in the undeniably neat clues by Messrs Manley and Teuton above, but was persuaded to accept it by the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, which gives its (albeit dated) adjectival use in this sense. It was a borderline decision though. Picking the winners this month was unusually tough. Mr Dexter’s elegant ‘& lit.’ finally emerged on top for its nice use of the double meanings of ‘term’ and ‘ground’. I think the author was right not to put a hyphen after ‘semi’, although normal practice might require one. Had he done so the cryptic reading would have strongly suggested that half of ‘paludal’ (not of ‘paludal’s’) was to be a component of the anagram, and the clue would have been weakened accordingly.
 
Lady solvers may be pleased to hear that I’m looking again into the possibility of producing an Azed headsquare, alongside the ties for men, decorated with the AZ monogram. More on this next time, but it would help me to hear from solvers who would be interested in buying one or more, assuming a reasonable price. I also have a few AZ 1000 ties left at £6 each + postage (mostly green, no maroon).