AZED CROSSWORD 1286

CHALET

1.  J. R. Tozer: What you might find in Lechtal overlooking lake? (anag. less L, & lit.; ref. area of Tyrol).

2.  N. G. Shippobotham: What might be built at Lech? (anag. & lit.; ref. alpine resort).

3.  M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: Accommodation for Heidi, high, we’re told? (i.e. ‘Hi-de-Hi!’, & lit.; ref. TV holiday camp sitcom).

VHC

M. Barley: With old pine you might build this shelter from the Alpine cold? (comp. anag. & lit.).

E. A. Beaulah: Home for the hols kids are an encumbrance (ch. a let).

Dr J. Burscough: Are lodges in Switzerland rented out? This one may be! (a in CH let).

B. Burton: From such a place, let out for a month in Haute-Savoie, mountain antelope may be seen (i.e. chalet with mois for let = chamois, & lit.).

D. A. Campbell: Ski lodge in Klosters? William’s omitted to go with Charlie this year (C + ha (abbrev.) + let (Shakesp.); ref. Princes).

B. Cheesman: Far cry from pavilion: ‘Caught! Well caught!’ (hale in ct).

N. C. Dexter: Alternative to hotel with a/c too spent? (anag. less too, & lit.).

G. I. L. Grafton: For Savoy residents, perhaps, this housing has mostly little luxury (ha(s) + l in cet (Fr.), & lit.).

C. R. Gumbrell: A little house, Alpine, out of wood etc. built (anag. incl. h, less pine, & lit.).

P. F. Henderson: The avalanche would do for this (a haven otherwise) (comp. anag. & lit.).

G. Johnstone: ‘Halt EC dithering’ might be a Redwood premise – but not a Major one (anag.; ref. John R., John M.).

P. R. Lloyd: Contents of satchels thrown out – holidays are here? (anag. less s, s).

Mrs J. Mackie: Villa that could become, e.g., ‘The Laurels’ with a bit of planting in central position (cha(p)let).

D. F. Manley: Hotel du Lac would offer alternative to loud —— (comp. anag. & lit; ref Anita Brookner novel).

I. Morgan: Tea-service showing summer-house in Canton (cha-let; Swiss canton).

C. J. Morse: Cabin service to be cancelled after not very refined tea (cha let).

F. R. Palmer: Country house with no running water plugged by the French, or one found in Switzerland on a lease? (le in chat(eau), a in CH let, & lit.).

Dr M. C. Whelan: It could be offered as ‘Switzerland: a property to rent’ (CH a let, & lit.).

G. H. Willett: You might find one in Switzerland housing tenants (a in CH let, & lit.).

B. K. Workman: Des. res. Alps. Children accepted. Phone back (ch. a + tel (rev.)).

HC

Ms E. Allen, D. Appleton, D. Ashcroft, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, C. Boyd, C. J. Brougham, P. A. Bull, P. Cargill, J. & B. Chennells, C. A. Clarke, P. Crozier, Ms N. Davis, E. Dawid, W. E. Dillon, V. Dixon, E. G. Fletcher, M. Freeman, P. D. Gaffey, N. C. Goddard, E. Gomersall, B. Grabowski, R. R. Greenfield, R. S. Haddock, I. & L. Haines, W. Jackson, F. P. N. Lake, C. Loving, R. K. Lumsdon, R. M. Luty, G. Maker, P. W. Marlow, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, A. C. Morrison, R. J. Palmer, J. Pearce, Dr T. G. Powell, D. Price Jones, D. Rainford, H. L. Rhodes, D. R. Robinson, J. Saynor, W. J. M. Scotland, D. J. Short, R. Stocks, P. L. Stone, A. P. Vincent, M. Wakeling, L. Ward, A. J. Wardrop, M. J. E. Wareham, Mrs M. P. Webber, A. West, Ms B. J. Widger, I. J. Wilcock, M. A. L. Willey.
 

Comments
378 entries, almost no mistakes. Sighs of relief all round for a relatively straightforward Plain after the travails of the Christmas competition. The problem this month was to think of an interesting and original way of dealing with the clue-word without producing a clue to which the answer was blindingly obvious. The combination of CH and ‘let’ with ‘a’ in the middle cried out for ‘& lit.’ treatment and many of you duly obliged. As a result that path was so well-trodden that few who trod it achieved special mention and then only by dint of specially felicitous wording. As I’ve said often before, if you think an idea, however good, is likely to be extra-popular, it’s worth spending time to think of another tack altogether. The three prizewinners did just that. Mr Tozer (who’s having a terrific year) edged ahead of Mr Shippobotham by virtue of being a little less obvious and his nice use of ‘overlooking’. (My atlas doesn’t show any large lakes in the Lechtal area but I can’t believe there isn’t the odd large pond or two.) When I first read Mr Macdonald-Cooper’s clue it amused me greatly but seemed too outrageously unconventional for serious consideration. It then grew on me steadily, and I now think it’s fair, witty and inspired, even though it uses the homophone idea in a way I can’t remember seeing before.
 
Since there are so many ‘& lit.’ and/or ‘comp. anag.’ clues quoted above, it’s a very good opportunity to explain these abbreviations for newer solvers. To be honest, I’m not absolutely sure what ‘& lit.’ does stand for. It was current in Ximenes’s time and I believe he attributed it to the legendary Afrit (A. F. Ritchie). It means something like ‘and literally so’ and indicates that a clue can be read as a whole as a literal definition of the answer, while it can also be read as a whole as a cryptic indication of that answer. So, to take Mr Tozer’s clue, it can be read as a literal definition of CHALET (A chalet may be found in Lechtal overlooking a lake) and as a cryptic clue to the component letters of the word CHALET (anagram of Lechtal minus L for Lake). If ‘& lit.’ clues can be achieved without too much strain on the wording (a not uncommon fault), they represent what is for many (myself included) the neatest and most satisfying clue type of all. The term ‘comp. anag.’ (which I think I was the first to use regularly) stands for ‘composite anagram’ and is often used together with ‘& lit.’ (see for example Mr Henderson’s clue above). A composite anagram involves the clue-word plus a number of additional letters which together when jumbled form a word or phrase in the clue, the task of the solver being to subtract the additional letters and unscramble the residue to arrive at the target word. A composite anagram works best when it is part of an ‘& lit.’ clue (as with Mr Henderson’s), which usually requires a degree of succinctness. The point is that the clue-writer is helping himself to a number of extra letters in order to achieve a better anagram and if this is overdone the whole thing becomes cumbersome and wearisome to solve. For the busy setter faced with a common short word for the umpteenth time it can be a boon and a blessing, but it needs discreet handling with, as always, the enjoyment of the solver being a prime consideration.