AZED CROSSWORD 2045

CATENATE

1.  M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: Like traditional sausages fellow worried about E number serves? (E n in cat ate).

2.  C. J. Morse: Form a chain with ‘lynx’ (e.g.) growing out of ‘links’ (cat enate).

3.  Dr J. Burscough: Conveyance of estate, if not singular, can? (anag. less s, & lit.; ref. estate agents’ property chain; conveyance = trickery).

VHC

D. Appleton: Clarke needs a neat tee shot for birdie. How are things after putting on links? (anag. incl. t for lark; ref. Darren C.).

P. Coles: Linked, as ‘Tate’ perhaps with ‘cane’ loosely (anag.; ref. sugar company).

E. Cross: Puke, having misguidedly eaten something like sausages (cat + anag.; something adv).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Like Albert, say, such as lion has eaten after provocation (cat + anag.; ref. Marriott Edgar poem/monologue).

R. J. Heald: ’Orribly eaten by lion? Albert may be described thus (cat + anag.; ref. Marriott Edgar).

Ms M. Irvine: Tucked in between ends of chain, and appended? (ate in and after c, n, & lit.).

G. Johnstone: Like Albert? Eaten in a rage by the lion? (cat + anag.; ref. Marriott Edgar).

E. C. Lance: Both ends of chain have corroded – can it still do this? (c ate + n ate).

J. C. Leyland: Like Albert, eaten unfortunately by lion? (cat + anag.; ref. Marriott Edgar).

D. F. Manley: Chap worried about latest signs of possible recession, like Cable? (e, n in cat ate; ref. Vince C.).

W. Ransome: Couple in train consumed with animal energy, having a bit of nookie (cat E n + ate).

P. L. Stone: Having round after round a teen getting sozzled goes on to vomit (cat + anag.).

J. R. Tozer: Wanting a bit of diversion at tea dance, fancy forming a conga? (anag. less a d).

A. J. Varney: Chain letter penned by malicious woman caused anxiety (en in cat ate).

A. J. Wardrop: With links one can tee off inhaling whiff of tang (t in anag. incl. a; tang³).

D. Whisstock: This hard pin could form a patterned chain link (comp. anag.).

A. Whittaker: Even bits of scrap, a large number corroded, make chains (c, a + ten ate; see ten).

K. J. Williams: Being this and English, gent’s châtelaine could be forged? (comp. anag. & lit.).

HC

D. K. Arnott, D. & N. Aspland, M. Barker, M. Barley, P. Bartlam, M. Bath, D. J. Bexson, T. C. Borland, G. Borooah (USA), C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, L. Carter, C. A. Clarke, S. L. Claughton, T. Crowther, E. Dawid, N. C. Dexter, Mrs P. Diamond, T. J. Donnelly, W. Drever, J. Fairclough, R. Gilbert, R. B. Harling, D. V. Harry, R. Hesketh, M. Hodgkin, R. J. Hooper, J. R. H. Jones, J. P. Lester, M. Livesey, M. Lunan, W. F. Main, P. D. Martin, P. McKenna, H. Meltzer, K. Milan, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, D. J. R. Ogilvie (USA), M. Owen, D. O’Connor, M. L. Perkins, A. Plumb, A. M. Price, D. Price Jones, Dr S. J. Shaw, D. P. Shenkin, A. J. Shields, N. G. Shippobotham, P. A. Stephenson, Mrs A. Terrill, R. C. Teuton, K. Thomas, M. Wainwright, L. Ward (USA), J. Waterton, R. J. Whale, G. H. Willett, Dr E. Young.
 

ANNUAL HONOURS LIST (13 COMPETITIONS to JULY 2011) 1. R. J. Heald (5 prizes, 7 VHCs); 2. A. J. Wardrop (2, 7); 3 (equal). M. Barley (2, 7), T. J. Moorey (3, 5); 5 (equal). D. F. Manley (1, 8), C. J. Morse (2, 6), J. R. Tozer (1, 8); 8. J. C. Leyland (1, 6); 9 (equal). M. A. Macdonald-Cooper (1, 5), P. D. Martin (2, 3), Dr S. J. Shaw (2, 3); 12 (equal). D. K. Arnott (1, 4), C. J. Brougham (1, 4), P. L. Stone (0, 6); 15 (equal). D. & N. Aspland (1, 3), Dr J. Burscough (1, 3), C. A. Clarke (0, 5), Dr P. Coles (1, 3), N. C. Dexter (0, 5), V. Dixon (0, 5), Dr I. S. Fletcher (0, 5), R. Gilbert (1, 3), J. Grimes (1, 3), D. V. Harry (0, 5), R. Hesketh (1, 3), R. J. Hooper (1, 3), A. Plumb (0, 5), Dr E. Young (1, 3); 29 (equal). M. Coates (1, 2), E. Cross (0, 4), J. P. Guiver (0, 4), M. Hodgkin (0, 4), E. C. Lance (0, 4), C. G. Millin (1, 2), N. G. Shippobotham (1, 2), L. Ward (1, 2). CONSOLATION PRIZES P. L. Stone, C. A. Clarke, N. C. Dexter, V. Dixon, Dr I. S. Fletcher, D. V. Harry, A. Plumb, E. Cross, J. P. Guiver, M. Hodgkin, E. C. Lance.
 

 
Comments
 
199 entries, the only mistake (made by only a few) being the choice of CATENANE as the clue word, though as a noun this didn’t fit the definition (and as a scientific term it falls into a category I would probably never give you to clue, both because its definition is too narrow and because as one baffled by science generally I would feel unqualified to judge clues in that area of knowledge). Competitor numbers tend to dip during the holiday period but I was still disappointed by the low turn-out for what was generally regarded as a puzzle of no more than average difficulty. Twenty-two of my own clues were picked out as favourites by at least one, the runaway winner being ‘What’ll follow porridge of grey lumps (serving of regulars)’ for FRY-UP. One or two of you justifiably queried my use of ‘retroussé’ to mean ‘backwards’ in the across clue to POSTMAN’S KNOCK. Distinctly borderline, I agree.
 
Some found the clue word uninspiring. I liked the idea of referring to Marriott Edgar’s verse monologue The Lion & Albert, popularized by Stanley Holloway and including the priceless lines (by Albert’s mum, if memory serves): ‘Ee I am vexed./ Yon lion ’as ate our Albert,/ And ’im in ’is Sunday best too.’ One nearly excellent clue raised an interesting point of grammar: ‘Tate and cane processed are linked’, with its reference to sugar refining. Its author stated that the phrase ‘are linked’ constitutes the definition, but the verb ‘catenate’ would need to be intransitive (meaning ‘be linked’) for this to work, and I can find no evidence of its being anything but transitive. (One might perhaps argue that ‘are’ is not part of the definition but refers back to ‘Tate and cane’ as a plural phrase, but this weakens the clue overall, I feel.)
 
The annual honours list appears a month late (for which I apologize) because of a communication breakdown. Congratulations to all those who appear on it, especially to Richard Heald, who leads the rest of the field by a handsome margin and achieved a record score which it will be difficult to surpass. And my sincere thanks as ever to Martin Perkins for his meticulous score-keeping.