AZED CROSSWORD 1953

TRAUMA (misprint of T) (Misprints)

1.  M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: Hears of distraught mother’s emotional shock (heart; (dis)trau(ght) + ma).

2.  P. McKenna: Broken metatarsus sews badly leaving emotional shock (sets; anag. less anag.).

3.  W. F. Main: Perhaps confusion would result when a rum is drunk in tapas bar action (contusion; anag. in ta(pas)).

VHC

D. Arthur: Drug now used for amateur suffering injury (not; anag. less E).

M. Barker: First signs of horrid reaction after undergoing major accident? (torrid; first letters & lit.).

M. Barley: Market in recession: it’s for everyone involved a painful stage (state; U in mart (rev.) + a).

J. G. Booth: Taking a bend in ramshackle pram can give you a shock (tram; a U in anag.).

C. A. Clarke: Knocking our favourite finally from amateur dancing produces a shock reaction (out; anag. less e).

P. Coles: Dance forgotten, Travolta encountering Thurman’s shocked stare (state; Tra(volta) + Uma; ref. film ‘Pulp Fiction’).

E. Cross: Shock occasioned by gold found stashed in rickety pram (tram; Au in anag.).

V. Dixon: Rank amateur eliminating Spain produces a shocked stare (state; anag. less E).

T. J. Donnelly: Radium digested in rum a shocking experience (tum; Ra in tum a).

C. M. Edmunds: Amateur dancing, when excess energy leaves shattered stage? (state; anag. less E).

A. G. Fleming: Faces of terrorised reveal an utter mystification and a shocked stare (state; first letters).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Result of shocking incident by Capone, not ending with one inside (Capote; a in Truma(n); ref. St Valentine’s Day massacre and T. Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’).

R. Gilbert: ‘Amateur’ communications manager’s rewiring causes shock (retiring; am. UART (all rev.)).

A. & R. Haden: Engineers leaving armature light may lead to injury (tight; anag. less RE).

G. Johnstone: Revolutionary Marat soaking in a tub’s content … one sees the scene for forthcoming shock (sets; (t)u(b) in anag.).

C. Loving: What a brick cyclist runs into – it’s a cut arm with canine knocked out unfortunately (trick; anag. less c; trick cyclist = psychiatrist).

D. F. Manley: Marker showing recession going to year’s third quarter with UK not half in distress (market; U(K) in mart (rev.) + (ye)a(r)).

J. R. C. Michie: Defective armature, half of wire worn out, cause shock (torn; anag. less (wi)re).

T. J. Moorey: Are millions in a reduced state as backed banks make a packet? (take; r a in m in a UT (rev.); bank vt., packet = injury).

A. Plumb: Wound arm with gun’s second shot in LA (TA; anag. incl. u in TA).

HC

T. Anderson, D. Appleton, D. & N. Aspland, T. C. Borland, A. W. Brooke, C. J. Brougham, Dr J. Burscough, P. Cargill, T. Crowther, W. Drever, T. & D. East, L. K. Edkins, G. I. L. Grafton, R. B. Harling, D. Harris, P. F. Henderson, R. Hesketh, M. Hodgkin, R. J. Hooper, Mrs S. G. Johnson, J. C. Leyland, P. W. Marlow, Rev Prebendary M. R. Metcalf, D. S. Miller, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, J. Pearce, R. Perry, A. Phillips, Ms F. Plumb, T. Railton, D. P. Shenkin, D. H. Tompsett, Ms S. Wallace, L. Ward, A. J. Wardrop, T. West-Taylor, G. H. Willett, D. Willmott, J. Woodall, Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
209 entries, no mistakes (save those in a handful of clues submitted which failed to observe the ‘rules’). Favourite clue (of 17 mentioned): ‘Dane with dexterity but below senior tennis champ unconsciously’ (SENSELESSLY). Clues to ADDIO and SPARID were booed by one competitor. There was a mixed reaction to this variation on the traditional Ximenean ‘Misprints’ format, which I have to confess I now regard as a bit tired. Some still hankered after the old style but many were pleased with the new idea (which could be further reworked if necessary). I was pleased to find the Shadwell quotation, even if I had to use the following line in the puzzle, so that (in theory at least) it was not necessary to identify the line suggesting misprints. The stipulation that clues submitted should make some sense in both misprinted and original forms clearly posed an additional challenge (which some failed to meet) but having imposed this on myself – for what I saw as aesthetically pleasing reasons – I thought it only right to expect the same of you. One or two of the clues which were HC or above came close to using wording in which the misprinted and the original forms were equally valid (e.g. ‘the result of being shunned (stunned)’as a definition), a distinct weakness, I felt. But overall there was much to admire among clues submitted. Given the tortuousness of the puzzle I tended to favour structurally simple clues, as I hope my choice above shows.
 
Plans are getting under way for a gathering to celebrate Azed No. 2,000, which, all being well, will appear on 26 September next year. This will probably take the form of a lunch on Saturday 25 September 2010 in one of the Oxford colleges, if a suitable venue that is available can be found. To help in assessing numbers, please let me know without commitment (with your entry for next month’s competition) if you are interested in coming and how many may be in your party. Further announcements about ordering tickets etc will be made in due course in the slip and elsewhere.
 
I was delighted to receive a set of emailed colour photos from Paul Henderson in New Zealand after he won first prize in AZ No. 1,940 and duly received the cup posted to him by the previous winner, Mr Teuton. These show the cup and its temporary guardian in cheeringly sunny antipodean settings. I think it’s the first time the cup has left these shores, but I hope it won’t be the last.
 
A final apology to Mr P. Coles for the incomplete note for his VHC clue to PALFRENIER in last month’s slip. It should have read ‘L (Mirella) Freni in anag. less o’.