AZED CROSSWORD 1702

WORDSMITHERY

1.  Mrs J. E. Townsend: The artistry of wits, rhymed or otherwise (anag.).

2.  R. J. Palmer: Novel style of modish writer with yen for a bit of innovation could show it (anag. with y for i, & lit.).

3.  A. J. Wardrop: What modish writer with yen for a bit of innovation might supply (anag. with y for i, & lit.).

VHC

B. Burton: Perplexity about Azed’s latest: after expenditure of energy, theme is unravelled. What we devotees enjoy! (d + anag. less e in worry).

E. Cross: ‘Do writs rhyme with fits?’ – Logodaedaly Carroll excelled at (anag.).

N. C. Dexter: Terribly shoddy writer’ll need a bit of a miracle for a degree in this (anag. with m for d, & lit.).

V. Dixon: Azed’s extreme this has me embroiled in perplexity (d + anag. in worry, & lit.).

P. Eustace: The WMD? Sorry – I deployed some pretty crafty language (anag.; ref. Iraq war inquiry).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: With it do rhymers elaborate? (w + anag., & lit.).

H. Freeman: 500 ahead, SA skipper has English in trouble (spin) (D + Smith E, all in worry; ref. Graeme S., cricket).

N. C. Goddard: I drew my short change in coinage (anag.).

J. P. Guiver: In ironic mode, this possibly defines a bit of rhetoric (r in anag. in wry).

D. V. Harry: It earns writer my dosh (anag. & lit.; earn² = curdle).

R. J. Heald: Ace —— I’d fancy will show why Tim Rice’s adored (comp. anag. & lit.; ref. songwriter).

R. J. Hooper: In trial, Met dish crook for fabrication, leading to exemplary sentence perhaps (anag. in worry).

G. Johnstone: Source of intelligence? Sorry, the ‘WMD sexed-up’ rather exemplifies it (anag. incl. i, & lit.; ref. Iraq war inquiry).

J. P. Lester: Poet lacking merit and rhyme – it wrecked the writer’s craft (Words(worth) + anag.).

J. C. Leyland: Endless dry wit? My Sabbath hero revels in it (anag. less y incl. S, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: Concern about this marks ed. out (anag. incl. M in worry, & lit.).

P. McKenna: Concern about cryptic method is lifting ordinary clue-writer’s art (anag. less o in worry).

C. J. Morse: With dime’s worth tumbling, you should double your small coinage (anag. + yr (rev.); ref. weak dollar).

W. Murphy: Wanton rowdyism involves starters of trouble, heavies exhorting rampant use of choice language (first letters in anag.).

D. J. R. Ogilvie: Why Mr Editor’s excited? (anag. & lit.).

R. G. Smith: Why Mr Editor’s excited? (anag. & lit.).

F. J. B. Wheen: Homer’s translated with dry wit, revealing the writer’s art (anag.).

G. H. Willett: Talent typified by Edward Lear, eccentric one-off weirdo rhymist (anag. less I).

Dr E. Young: Can it in a worthless poet supply rhyme? (it in Words(worth) + anag., & lit.).

HC

T. Anderson, D. Appleton, M. Barley, J. R. Beresford, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, L. W. Blott, C. Boyd, C. J. Brougham, J. Brydon, Dr J. Burscough, J. A. Butler, P. Cargill, A. G. Chamberlain, B. Cheesman, C. A. Clarke, D. C. Clenshaw, G. P. Conway, M. J. Corlett, K. W. Crawford, G. Cuthbert, R. Dean, W. Duffin, A. E. Farrow, A. G. Fleming, J. Gillies, J. Grimes, W. Gundrey, A. & R. Haden, D. A. Harries, K. P. Hart, P. Heffernan, V. G. Henderson, R. Hesketh, A. Hodgson, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, J. R. H. Jones, D. Lythall, Mrs J. Mackie, W. F. Main, R. Mankelow, L. F. Marzillier, H. Meltzer, K. & P. Milan, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, R. Murdoch, J. Pearce, Dr T. G. Powell, Mrs A. Price, W. Ransome, D. R. Robinson, M. Sanderson, G. R. Scott, V. Seth, N. G. Shippobotham, P. L. Stone, R. C. Teuton, C. W. Thomas, D. H. Tompsett, Dr I. Torbe, J. R. Tozer, G. Tucker, M. Wainwright, Ms S. Wallace, R. J. Whale, J. S. Witte, W. Wynne Willson, A. J. Young.
 

Comments
The biggest entry for some time, 370 in all, and no mistakes. A number of you commented that the puzzle was easier than average, but I find it hard to believe that this alone accounted for the surge in the number of entries. Whatever the reason, it was good to see so many new competitors. Favourite clue of the month: that for RACIST (‘Carmen is a bit of a treat for the discriminating person’) with 10 votes, closely followed by those for FEE-TAIL and PETRODOLLARS with 9 each, and 22 receiving at least one vote. A few of you thought ‘Carmen’ for ‘RAC’ a bit outrageous. I’ve defined ‘AA’ in the same way on a number of occasions, and I have a feeling I pinched the idea from Ximenes. I now see that ‘carman’ is labelled archaic in Chambers, so perhaps it was a bit naughty, but clearly this didn’t bother those who voted for it.
 
This month’s clue word was generally a popular choice, though it’s something of an oddity as it doesn’t seem to appear in any other dictionary, not even the OED, and Chambers doesn’t even take the trouble to define it, leaving the reader to infer its meaning from that given for WORDSMITH. Is one to assume that WORDSMITHERY is likewise ‘sometimes ironic’? I guess so, though that ‘sometimes’ conveniently allowed you to treat it as a complimentary term as well as a potentially derogatory one. I just thought it looked a promising word to give you, and I wasn’t disappointed (though I had, I confess, forgotten that you’d had JOKESMITH not that long ago). Anagrams were predictably popular and many used anagrams that included ‘rhyme/rhymer(s)’, but no one else came up with the precise form of wording of Mrs Townsend’s neatly phrased first prizewinner, which I liked for its elegant simplicity. I paused momentarily over her use of ‘of’, but it can be justified in its meanings of ‘derived from’, ‘constituted by’, etc. There wasn’t much to choose between the clues of Messrs Palmer and Wardrop, but the former’s nice use of the double meanings inherent in ‘novel style’ just gave his the nod.
You may like to know that Chambers are publishing another collection of Azed puzzles reissued in book form. As with previous collections it will contain 100 puzzles (85 plain, 15 thematic), with an introduction by me and a foreword by Michael Frayn. The puzzles I have chosen are from the period 1991-2001. Publication is scheduled for July this year. More details when I have them.