AZED CROSSWORD 1775

ROUGH-AND-READY

1.  Dr E. Young: A hard tussle with Dr E. Young plainly winning? (anag.).

2.  V. Dixon: Like ‘can belto’ tenors, say, producing disgust in Covent Garden, awe among some (ug in ROH + dread in any; Royal Opera House).

3.  J. C. Leyland: Does Ryanair save one dough, dear? Not half, it’s ‘no frills’ (anag. less I incl. de(ar)).

VHC

D. Arthur: Reach hundred having been dropped, with a dodgy run in a scramble – crude but effective (anag. less C).

M. Barley: What you regard as handy, if crude, could be … this, say? (comp. anag. & lit.).

C. J. Brougham: In case of robbery, criminal adored a hung jury (anag. in r, y; jury- = makeshift, without hyphen in Collins).

B. Burton: For sort of repair newspaper DIY column may suggest, search through and read yesterday’s! (hidden).

M. Coates: Your garden had run wild, uncultivated but pleasant (anag.).

N. C. Dexter: With no finishing touches added, you go and hurry work? With such an outcome! (anag. less final letters).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Hash or ecstasy a handy drug providing quick fix? (anag. incl E).

L. M. Inman: That’ll do, Andy dear (i.e. anag. of last two words).

G. Johnstone: Regard your hand … discard King then finesse. It’s easily improvised (anag. less R).

M. Moran: Serving well enough, unshaven Agassi has advantage against unknown (rough André ad y; ref. tennis player).

C. J. Morse: Bully and greens is nice enough (but not refined) (rough and ready).

D. Parfitt: Hick, perhaps, having smashed boundary, charged, getting out caught and bowled (anag. less c, b; ref. Graeme H., cricket).

W. Ransome: Rude, with a bit of gracelessness, or handy, knocked up (anag. incl a g, & lit.).

M. Sanderson: Bully plus bread makes such a meal? (rough and ready).

N. G. Shippobotham: Like Prescott, could it be argued? Or handy, in a tussle (anag. & lit.; ref. John P.’s reputation).

Ms A. Terrill: Crude, but effective from Hoylake’s long grass, Funk holes one (rough + dread in any; ref. Fred F., US golfer).

R. C. Teuton: Like a quick fix? Try tripping on hard drug, yea? (anag.).

J. R. Tozer: So Lady Chatterley saw her lover adorn her with gaudy blooms? (anag.; bloom = flourish).

R. J. Whale: It could be argued – handy or improvised? (anag. & lit.).

Ms B. J. Widger: Uncultivated, your garden had gone to seed (anag.).

A. J. Young: Run up from long grass near fairway – some that fear wedges will succeed (rough + dread in any).

HC

G. Alderman, D. Appleton, W. G. Arnott, D. & N. Aspland, M. Bath, T. C. Borland, C. Boyd, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, E. J. Burge, C. J. & M. P. Butler, D. A. Campbell, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, C. A. Clarke, N. Connaughton, G. Cuthbert, T. J. Donnelly, P. Eustace, J. Francis, P. D. Gaffey, R. R. Greenfield, J. Grimes, J. P. Guiver, R. J. Heald, M. Heery, P. F. Henderson, R. Hesketh, B. Hitman, C. Holland, W. Jackson, Mrs S. D. Johnson, Mrs S. G. Johnson, E. C. Lance, C. Loving, D. Lythall, Mrs J. Mackie, I. G. Macniven, W. F. Main, D. F. Manley, P. W. Marlow, J. Mason, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, T. D. Nicholl, D. J. R. Ogilvie, F. R. Palmer, R. J. Palmer, M. L. Perkins, G. Perry, D. Sargent, Dr S. J. Shaw, A. Streatfield, C. W. Thomas, Mrs C. Velarde, L. Ward, G. H. Willett, D. C. Williamson, K. Wilson, J. S. Witte.
 

Comments
A disappointingly low entry, only 190, but with no mistakes. Favourite clue: ‘Couple starting battle – Hastings perhaps’ for BANDA, followed by ‘Blank panels? How dictionary labels them is about right!’ (ORBS), and 25 receiving at least one mention, one of these being the clue for MADAMS, in which I erred by stupidly suggesting that MMS is an abbreviation for ‘manuscripts’ instead of the correct MSS, as I well know. These mistakes creep in when one is working under pressure, I fear. My apologies for causing undue puzzlement.
 
A friendly clue word this month, by general consensus, though some said they found it difficult to define satisfactorily. I think the quoted clues, especially the three fine prizewinners, show what could be done in this regard. Though no one else could have produced it effectively, I found Dr Young’s clue irresistible, with a truly inspired definition. As he commented himself, he’s unlikely to be presented with such an opportunity ever again. Mr Inman’s VHC is also fairly outrageous (and might have benefited from an exclamation mark) but it certainly tickled my fancy and is not really unsound. I had forgotten, incidentally, that Old Rough and Ready was the nickname of Zachary Taylor, the 12th US president. Brewer (the latest, 17th, edition, edited by John Ayto) says he acquired the sobriquet in the Seminole Wars, but doesn’t tell us why, though Mr D. J. R. Ogilvie, who lives in New York, informs me that it derived from his campaigning style against the Indians (sorry, native Americans) and the Mexicans. A few of you essayed clues based on this but none were quite good enough to make it above the HC level.
 
One clue submitted raises a general point I’ve been meaning to mention for some time: ‘Quickly repaired but OK, Rooney let one go, took a hard nudge, collapsed’. Though important, though not crucial, for the literal reading of the clue, the past tenses ‘let’ and ‘took’ are unjustifiable in the cryptic reading. Such a gratuitous use of the past tense of main verbs is surprisingly common, but I find it unacceptable, especially as there are usually ways of avoiding it without doing damage to the idea behind your clue. Many congratulations to Richard (R. J.) Palmer (a regular Azed solver and himself a setter) for being awarded an MBE for services to scientific publishing in the recent birthday honours list. And one final administrative point: because of my holiday plans, the results of the August competition are likely to be announced a week late, i.e. on 3 September.