AZED CROSSWORD 1624

BELAY

1.  C. R. Gumbrell: Hearts of sailors applauded in the old book Westward Ho! (l, a in ye b (rev.); ref. Charles Kingsley novel).

2.  Mrs E. M. Phair: Make fast buck taking orders? (be lay; i.e. resist ordination).

3.  V. Dixon: The old invest enough not to qualify for ‘benefit’? (be lay, 2 defs.; i.e. benefit of clergy; invest = besiege).

VHC

R. L. Baker: Secure rope, making even bits of abseil easy (alternate letters).

M. Bath: Cliff’s ‘ropy’ turn to counter precipitation is live song (be lay; ref. Sir C. Richard singing at Wimbledon when rain stopped play).

B. Burton: Not to obtain a clerical appointment it’s enough, perhaps, to become a chap’s lover (be lay in 2 senses; ref. Jeffrey John).

C. A. Clarke: Secure by looping round middle of cleat in knotted fashion (anag. in by, & lit.).

D. C. Clenshaw: Troubled leaders of liberal Anglicans yield but evangelicals hold firm (anag. of first letters).

M. J. Corlett: Secure striker, one knocking out half-century before close of play (bell with a for L + y).

R. Dean: University’s second team back is a rock holding the line (Yale B (rev.)).

N. C. Dexter: Secure by a short line twisted round middle of cleat (a in anag. incl. l, & lit.).

W. Duffin: Enough! (Instruction to give up living?) (be lay; living = benefice).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Secure on hard pitch? Bat safely cracked fast over delivered (anag. less fast (rev.); pitch = section of climb).

H. Freeman: Scale peak, by securing it? (e-la in by, & lit.).

J. P. Guiver: After extreme crop of burglaries, see about a security system (b + a in Ely; see²).

D. F. Manley: Introduction of bishop to diocese blocked by homophobia ultimately? Enough! (b + a in Ely).

T. J. Moorey: Labour absolutely alienating us lot with spin – enough! (anag. less anag.).

C. J. Morse: Take tip of boulder and lock on it with a turn (b + Yale (rev.), & lit.).

R. Phillips: Bight securing end of alpine line (e l in bay, & lit.).

D. A. Simmons: Secure by roping centre of cleat (when at sea) (anag. of (c)lea(t) in by, & lit.).

C. W. Thomas: Fix pin to end of line: fish swallows it (e in blay).

K. Thomas: Secure overturned leaky ale barrel’s contents (hidden rev.).

J. R. Tozer: Lack professionalism that could help secure a position (be lay).

W. B. Wendt: This helps in climbing a tower, if it’s replaced frequently (belfry with a² for fr).

HC

F. Anstis, W. G. Arnott, D. & N. Aspland, F. D. H. Atkinson, M. Barley, Mrs P. A. Bax, E. A. Beaulah, J. Bennett, Dr P. M. J. Bennett, J. R. Beresford, D. J. Bexson, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, C. J. Brougham, J. M. Brown, E. J. Burge, S. Burgess, C. J. & M. P. Butler, D. A. Campbell, P. Cargill, B. Cheesman, G. Clyde, N. Connaughton, R. M. S. Cork, A. Cox, E. Cross, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, L. K. Edkins, C. M. Edmunds, J. Francis, M. Freeman, E. H. Furnival, P. Gately, J. Gillies, N. C. Goddard, R. R. Greenfield, R. J. Hooper, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, G. Johnstone, J. P. Lester, J. C. Leyland, Mrs J. Mackie, P. McKenna, E. Metcalfe, C. G. Millin, R. Murdoch, C. Ogilvie, R. J. Palmer, C. Pearson, D. Pendrey, M. L. Perkins, G. Perry, W. Ransome, M. Rupp, H. R. Sanders, V. Seth, T. Smith, P. L. Stone, K. B. Taylor, Ms S. Wallace, A. J. Wardrop, M. H. E. Watson, R. J. Whale, A. R. Whelan, M. Whitmore, D. C. Williamson, W. Wynne Willson, Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
318 entries, very few mistakes. Quite a few of you rightly queried my clue to SPLIFFS, which was faulty, failing to indicate one of the esses. My apologies. Sometimes one can’t see for looking. Of the 23 clues (including SPLIFFS!) which you mentioned as giving particular pleasure, the favourite by far was that for FLAN (my own too, I think), followed by those for GREENERY, BESSERWISSER and GROOMS. One or two were puzzled by my use of the abbreviation DVT, which hasn’t reached Chambers yet (but see below). It stands for ‘deep-vein thrombosis’ and in view of the exposure this dangerous condition has had in the press in the context of long-distance air travel I thought I was safe in using it.
 
Chambers is also at fault, I think, in not acknowledging the intransitive usage of BELAY as a verb, which other reputable dictionaries seem happy with. I accepted clues that implied intransitive usage. (I feel sure, too, that Spenser must be the source for the sense of ‘to set or overlay, (with ornament)’. I don’t think C. would make special mention of Herbert in this way.)
 
A good competition, for a modest word with a nice range of meanings. Some of the definitions submitted (e.g. ‘rock’) were a little thin and tended to be marked down accordingly. As I’m sure I’ve often said before, the more precise a definition for a word of many senses can be in a clue, the better. One amusing clue I sadly rejected was: ‘“Avast behind!” evokes laughter among yachting beginners’. I simply cannot accept that ‘beginners’ stuck on at the end adequately indicates that the solver must take the initial letters of the preceding five words.
 
I’m told that a new edition of Chambers is now in the shops, at a special publication prize that will be held for some months. I don’t yet have my own copy so I don’t know the extent of the revision, but I will let you know when I intend to start using it.