AZED CROSSWORD 1316

FINGERLICKIN’

1.  N. C. Dexter: Taste of grub in nick lifer’s found quite otherwise! (anag. incl. g, & lit.).

2.  C. J. Brougham: Smug whip: ‘Tony’s unbeatable’ (finger (= pilfer) + lick + in (= fashionable); ref. T. Blair).

3.  R. J. Hooper: Champion Faldo losing lead with not quite par round ((N)ick in fingerlin(g)).

VHC

D. Ashcroft: Shape edges of royal icing with knife for topping (anag. incl. r, l).

M. Barley: Might such cooking make one linger in KFC? (anag. incl. I, & lit.; ref. Kentucky Fried Chicken).

M. Bath: In KFC one liner ‘good’ is qualified thus (anag. incl. I, & lit.).

Rev Canon C. M. Broun: Good? Much better, beating almost all around (g in finer lickin(g), & lit.).

E. J. Burge: Particularly used in KFC ‘one liner’ – with ‘good’ (anag. incl. g, & lit.).

E. Cross: Exceedingly fine ceiling Frink crafted (nobody’s attributin’ this to former arts minister!) (anag.; ref. Elizabeth F., and toe-sucking attributed to D. Mellor).

H. Freeman: Fried chicken can be so good if in crinkle chips! (anag. incl. g).

C. R. Gumbrell: Toy with whip I name top (finger lick I n).

G. Hughes: Fine girl tormented by head of Charles’ family? That’s wicked! (anag. + C + kin; ref. Princess Diana).

J. P. Lester: Suffering grief in clink, the alternative to fine or topping (anag.).

D. F. Manley: Porridge can be so good – grief in clink made to look funny (anag.; ref. TV comedy series).

C. J. Morse: Fabulous models link in grief to bury foremost of couturiers (c in anag.; ref. Versace funeral).

F. R. Palmer: Steal to smoke crack? That’s hip, real cool! (finger lick in).

R. J. Palmer: Like some takeaway food? Fish portion with batter’s popular (finger lick in).

G. Robinson: After ordering pieces, linger in KFC – exceedingly good results! (anag.).

N. G. Shippobotham: What Warne does a lot of when bowlin’ deceptive flick, reignin’ supreme (anag.; ref. Shane W.).

C. Weatherley: Almost cured of one’s nail-bitin’ habit? Excellent! (2 mngs.).

K. Wilson: Extremely good nick F reg. in light ivory, original parts, convertible (anag. incl. l, i).

Dr E. Young: Name belonging to best chops? (lick in finger in, & lit; best verb).

HC

S. Armstrong, W. G. Arnott, Mrs P. A. Bax, E. A. Beaulah, M. J. Bland, R. E. Boot, B. Burton, E. Bushell, C. A. Clarke, M. Crilly, Mrs J. M. Critchley, R. Dean, R. V. Dearden, V. Dixon, Dr I. S. Fletcher, Ms B. Gleave, H. J. Godwin, B. Grabowski, R. R. Greenfield, R. S. Haddock, R. Hesketh, F. P. N. Lake, M. D. Laws, J. D. Lockett, C. J. Lowe, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, P. W. Marlow, G. Neighbour, S. O’Boyle, G. Perry, Dr T. G. Powell, C. Reed, Mrs V. M. Riley, D. R. Robinson, R. Stocks, G. Telfer, L. Toole, J. R. Tozer, J. P. Wheatcroft, N. Wheatley, J. S. Witte, W. Wynne Willson, R. Zara.
 

Comments
416 entries, with no noticeable mistakes. I’m grateful to Mr E. M. Holroyd who suggested ‘Jigsaw’ as variant on the ‘Carte Blanche’ idea, especially as your general reaction was very favourable. It’s not often I get over 400 entries for an August competition. I think the clues overall were a little easier than average, and I could have made things tougher for you by omitting word lengths or designing a diagram with more words of each different word length, but there seemed no point in extra difficulty of this kind purely for its own sake. I was especially pleased to note the large number of first-time competitors. One or two of you asked why I bothered with clue numbers and (a different set of) diagram numbers. This was deliberate. Numbering the clues obviated any slight risk of your not being sure where one clue ended and the next began, and the diagram clues were necessary for the notes accompanying the solution.
 
I don’t think there were any special difficulties over the clues this month. The ‘z’ in the puzzle was not deliberate, but it clearly helped to get many of you started. I am not normally keen on puzzles in which the solver has to solve a large number of the clues before he or she can even begin to fit any of them into the grid (a fault of many Times Listener puzzles, I feel). I was pleased that many of you said that once you’d made the initial breakthrough the puzzle proved to be no tougher than the average Plain. And what of FINGERLICKIN’? The Chambers definition uses that rather tiresome lexicographical device of the brackets to ‘telescope’ the adverbial and adjectival senses of the word (i.e. ‘extremely’ and ‘extremely good’), and this put one or two of you off, but it does allow a very broad range of meanings, even though I feel sure that the word originates with the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan (the final apostrophe being the clincher), and it was certainly in that context that many of you clued it. Clues using anagrams that included KFC (the new corporate logo) were many and various, with only the best making it into the lists. In general, however, the standard this month was exceptionally high, presenting me with a stiff task on my return from holiday. All the quoted efforts are excellent, and the three prizewinners outstanding.
 
After my announcement last month about recordings of the AZ 1300 dinner, I’ve received about a dozen blank cassettes. Will those who sent them please be patient? I can only copy the recording I have onto these one at a time and am not the most technically skilled person in the world. They will get done and duly sent off but it will take a little time.
 
Another apology, I’m afraid. I’ve had more than a few complaints recently about non-receipt of prizes and bookplates. I always duly pass these on the Observer, where such matters are dealt with, and it is clear to me that there has been a certain amount of inefficiency there of late. The person currently responsible, Gordon Agar, has only just been given the job (and is emphatically not to blame for the lapses I’ve mentioned). I have had a word with him and am confident that he will deal swiftly with any such problems in future. If you think you’re overdue a prize, please give him a ring at the Observer offices.