AZED CROSSWORD 2087

ROCKET

1.  T. J. Moorey: Term for ‘soar’ etc, OK in salad (anag. incl. r, & lit.).

2.  D. Harris: Coke locomotive coming in first in Rainhill Trials (anag. in R, T, & lit.; ref. Stephenson loco).

3.  T. Crowther: Ticking off the seconds in order to achieve skyward send-off on time (second letters + t).

VHC

T. Anderson: Rollicking start to celebrations aboard rather wet decks (c in OK in ret; ref. jubilee pageant).

M. Barley: Fireworks feature in Diamond Jubilee concert (at the end) (rock + last letters).

P. Coles: Dicky ticker – love might make this one race! (comp. anag.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: See my upthrust prevented without source of propellant (cor (rev.) + ke(p)t, & lit.).

R. Gilbert: Pigeon? It’s preferred to rook for roasting (rocker with ’t for r).

G. I. L. Grafton: Initiators of early railways keenly commended this old loco (anag. of first letters, & lit.).

R. J. Heald: Naughty toker inhales a bit of cannabis – exotic stuff gets one very high (c in anag.; see exotic).

Mrs D. B. Jenkinson: May need some salt and French dressing? (rock + et).

M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: Diamond Jubilee’s last time one famously appeared on track before admiring crowd (rock + e t; ref. Stephenson).

D. F. Manley: Carpet here is beginning to look grotty? You could get cork tiles (comp. anag. less l).

M. Owen: One’s leaves are stock in salad (anag. less a’s, & lit.).

Dr T. G. Powell: Forerunner of trains trailing steam (carrying a whiff of coal) (c in roke + t, & lit.; ref. Stephenson).

T. Rudd: Second Trek? Send this space explorer in new generation (comp. anag.; ref. ‘Star Trek – The Next Generation’).

Dr S. J. Shaw: This makes huge din when applying acceleration for start of orbit (racket with o for a, & lit.).

J. R. Tozer: Part of Fireworks Music concluding things in jubilee pageant (rock + e, t).

L. Ward (USA): Shoot up coke mixed in crack (if dissipated) (anag. in r(if)t).

R. Zara: Epic stint on this early loco could leave ticket inspector upset (comp. anag.; ref. Stephenson).

HC

D. & N. Aspland, D. J. Bexson, J. Biggin, J. G. Booth, T. C. Borland, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, C. J. Butler, C. A. Clarke, E. Cross, Mrs M. Cunliffe, W. Drever, C. M. Edmunds, P. Evans, D. V. Harry, Dr G. L. Heard (USA), P. F. Henderson (New Zealand), R. Hesketh, R. J. Hooper, P. Jennings, Mrs J. M. Johnson, J. C. Leyland, E. Looby, P. W. Marlow, P. McKenna, Rev Prebendary M. R. Metcalf, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, C. Ogilvie, R. J. Palmer, W. Ransome, N. G. Shippobotham, I. Simpson, Mrs A. Terrill, L. Toole, Mrs A. M. Walden, A. J. Wardrop, A. Whittaker, Ms B. Widger, J. S. Witte, J. Woodall (Switzerland), Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
216 entries, no mistakes. Favourite clue (of 25 receiving one or more votes) was ‘Composer producing repeated note and one below it in sound?’ (BIZET), closely followed by ‘Wearing amplifiers, including one that’s taken off?’ (MIMICKED), though it was politely pointed out to me by one competitor that a microphone is not an amplifier. I’m happy to stand corrected, while clinging to the doubtless ignorant belief that anything that amplifies sound might loosely be called an amplifier.
 
According to all those who commented, this was a plain of more-than-average difficulty, perhaps because it contained a high percentage of unfamiliar words. TABOPARESIS caused some difficulty because it has no dummy entry in Chambers and can only be found lurking near the end of the entry for tabes. The lexicographers’ policy on the treatment of such compounds has always struck me as inconsistent, so I should perhaps have warned you that this one takes a bit of finding. On the other hand, do you really want or need such spoon-feeding?
 
I’m sorry that those of you who were expecting a Diamond Jubilee special were disappointed, especially as I gave you a Silver Jubilee one ten years ago. To tell you the truth, this particular event crept up on me unexpectedly (despite all the hoo-ha) and when realization dawned it was a bit late to do anything special. (I set my puzzles about four months before they appear in print.) Many of you commendably referred to the celebration in your clues, so the event did not pass completely unmarked.
 
I’d like to comment on a handful of promising clues submitted which, for me, failed the final analysis. (i) ‘This is casing for explosives or tick off’, a composite anagram that neatly combines two senses of ROCKET. But, close examination of the syntax in the cryptic reading of the clue reveals that a second ‘is’ (or equivalent) after the existing one is essential for the whole thing to work. As it stands there is an uncomfortable hiatus after ‘is’ which undermines the whole structure. (ii) ‘Banger missing bonnet, and ancient, won’t do this’ ((c)rock + et). Here I can’t accept that the definition (the last three words in the clue) has to be seen to assume the first five (the cryptic part) as the subject. Without them it is inadequate. (iii) ‘Eccentric geeks love developing e.g. this science?’ Another composite anagram, ‘eccentric geeks 0’ being an anagram of ‘e.g. rocket science’. But here we have another example of over-compression in the wording, this time in the use of the present participle ‘developing’ where the cryptic reading requires ‘develops’. The situation could be remedied by the simple addition of ‘One finds’ or some such phrase at the beginning of the clue.