AZED CROSSWORD 1858

HUMONGOUS

1.  Dr I. S. Fletcher: Whacking no good for Greyfriars’ most seen character in comic? (humorous with ng for r; ref. Billy Bunter in ‘The Magnet’).

2.  V. Dixon: Tremendous comic, but no good for Romeo (humorous with ng for R).

3.  R. J. Whale: I doubt that ordinary North American sandwiches turn out thus! (go in hum³ o N US, & lit.).

VHC

R. D. Anderson: Unionist crowd in Chamber endlessly howling (U mong in hous(e)).

T. Anderson: Tuck in to tasty yellow veg when you get Green Giant (on ‘go’ in humus; ref. sweetcorn brand).

D. Arthur: Huge stink about America’s consumption of energy (hum + go in on US).

C. J. Brougham: Oversized kid needs responsibility (to restrict fare) (hum² + go in onus; ref. obesity issue).

C. A. Clarke: Titanic: entertaining, no good as a slice of reality (humorous with ng for r; ref. film).

P. Coles: Enormous burden’s sound to leave in another’s keeping (hum + go in onus; burden^2,1).

A. G. Fleming: Jumbo can be discomposed by mouse, one huge as the farmer’s wife’s three (anag. of 3 tailless words; ref. nursery rhyme).

R. Gilbert: Given time, enough constant sumo wrestling can make contestant this (comp. anag. incl. t, & lit.).

G. I. L. Grafton: Bumper issue of gin for me? Ugh! Only regulars knock this back (alternate letters rev.).

R. J. Heald: Extra-large sumo thong, not a little tight, looks funny around Oriental mister (U² in anag. less t).

M. Hodgkin: Banishment order heartless Uranus placed on mortal showing love for a Titan (human with 0 for a + ‘go’ + U(ranu)s).

J. R. H. Jones: Big, bad, no ‘R’, a ‘NG’ in? Funny: that’s ‘Brobdingnagian’! (humorous with ng for r, 3 defs.).

E. C. Lance: Gigantic hoax at the expense of you and me, ready to be taken in (hum² + go in on us).

P. Long: Really bad smell on cheap airline (American) (hum on GO US).

P. McKenna: Wicked getting tipsy in lively mug-house with no end of ale (on in anag. less e).

T. J. Moorey: Whaling time and again excused ought … no, must get punished (anag. less t t).

D. J. R. Ogilvie: Mega buzz about America consuming energy (go in hum on US).

D. Parfitt: Patagonian gaucho’s mount collapses after disregarding a colt’s limits (anag. less a c, t; see Patagonian).

D. J. Short: Great big hug? No – sumo wrestling (anag.).

Mrs A. Terrill: Exceptionally bad university crowd filling pub that doesn’t close (U mong in hous(e)).

J. R. Tozer: Titanic? I have my doubts about journey ahead of us (hum³ on go us).

HC

D. Appleton, M. Barker, M. Barley, D. J. Bexson, Dr J. Burscough, D. A. Campbell, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, D. C. Clenshaw, M. Coates, D. Coe, N. Connaughton, C. Daffern, R. Dean, N. C. Dexter, Ms A. Diamond, W. Duffin, J. Fairclough, C. George, N. C. Goddard, G. Goodwin, D. Grice, J. Grimes, R. Haddock, R. Hamlin, Dr S. B. Hart, R. Hesketh, C. & C. Hinton, R. J. Hooper, S. D. James, B. Jones, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, D. W. Mackie, D. F. Manley, G. McStravick, K. Milan, C. G. Millin, M. Moran, C. J. Morse, R. S. Morse, S. Naysmith, M. Norris, F. R. Palmer, R. J. Palmer, G. S. Parsons, Mrs E. M. Phair, A. Plumb, T. G. Powell, J. T. Price, D. Price Jones, Mrs L. J. Roberts, M. Robertson, D. R. Robinson, M. Sanderson, D. Sargent, D. P. Shenkin, C. M. Steele, P. L. Stone, C. W. Thomas, D. H. Tompsett, A. Varney, M. Vodrey, P. Voogt, A. Wallace, L. Ward, A. J. Wardrop, A. Whittaker, D. C. Williamson.
 

Comments
271 entries, no obvious mistakes. Favourite clue, by a long way: ‘Reminder of summer holiday in Hungary? The opposite – immediately forgotten’ for THAN. A clue which, though favoured by some, gave problems, was ‘Bits of gut fitted upon a fiddle? Flip these perhaps’ (DUODENA). This was nothing to do with OUD, an unintended red herring, but a composite anagram, ‘upon a fiddle’ being an anagram of ‘flip duodena’. I was also pleased to be told that TELEDU, the Javanese stinking badger which made an appearance in the grid, is also Welsh for ‘television’. I’ll remember that.
 
Several of you said you were unfamiliar with the spelling HUMONGOUS, even though Chambers makes it the headword, not the variant. I was too, and suspect that this form (of an unlovely word) is perhaps more common in the US. Anyway it offered quite a range of possible treatments. Sumo wrestling proved very popular, understandably. A surprising number spoiled otherwise promising clues by treating HUMOUS as though it were synonymous with HUMUS (decomposed organic matter) and failing to recognize it as an adjective.
 
Further to the slip for the Christmas competition, I have to report that 25 additional entries were delivered by mistake to the house of a close neighbour who was away at the time and only returned after the results had been announced. By way of reparation I am awarding two additional VHCs (with the extra prizes they are due) to N. Talbott for ‘Guiding light towards ‘Table of Jesus’, the magic al/tar of Bethlehem’ and M. P. Young for ‘Visit Diocletian’s palace in sp/ite of local interest’. The slip also omitted in error a short final paragraph wishing you all well for the new year. I think Brian Head has repaired the omission.