AZED CROSSWORD 2139

DE RIGUEUR

1.  Dr S. J. Shaw: Fashion guru’s term, Gallic in origin and required without question (anag. incl. u, g less q, & lit.).

2.  R. J. Whale: How do you make socks etc this? Fashion guru CK decrees it so! (comp. anag. & lit.; ref. Calvin Klein).

3.  D. K. Arnott: Buffalo innards for budget curries required by the ton (anag. less first & last letters; buffalo = bewilder).

VHC

D. Appleton: It’s essential to be fashionable. Tailor required, upper-class, good quality not needed (anag. incl U, g, less q).

D. & N. Aspland: Term in etiquette and dress. Proper, socially acceptable and right? That’s about it! (e rig in due U r, & lit.).

M. Barker: What fashion demands a designer guru meddled with, overlooking potential snag (anag. less anag.).

M. Barley: Hats for upper-class gents required when racing? No question, they’re —— (anag. incl. U, g less q, & lit.).

J. G. Booth: On the Ku’damm the guipure (priced initially to go) could render one comme il faut (der + anag. less p).

T. C. Borland: Standard queried urge to renew failing QE (anag. less QE).

E. Dawid: Machine rider astride tuned kit – acceptable as necessary for ton (gue U in anag.; kit = violin).

J. Fairclough: Be in dungarees rig-out – amazingly it’s gonna be —— (comp. anag. & lit.).

G. I. L. Grafton: Correctly done puzzle, but not in time? Felt sorry about that in retrospect ((int)rigue in rued (rev.)).

R. J. Heald: Fashion gurus desire to have squares turned out as style dictates (anag. less S, S).

R. Hesketh: Guilder but not pound being replaced by single currency almost expected (anag. less l + eur(o)).

G. Johnstone: What’s proper about expected English attire, applying upper-class rule? (E rig in due + U, r, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: Fashion guide erroneous, so one sadly lacking as indicator of what’s this? (anag. less anag. & lit.).

I. D. McDonald: Tipping ‘Coeur de Paris’ guide with local currency – that’s comme il faut! (anag. incl. r + Eur.).

T. J. Moorey: Germany, having set up expanding European Union, stuck with Euro? Correct (D + rig in EU Eur.).

P. Taylor: Fashion guru: hot designer making thongs this? (comp. anag. & lit.).

J. R. Tozer: It’s necessary to fashion guide user wanting dress’s latest rule (anag. less s + r, & lit.).

A. J. Wardrop: Leftie does a turn about wanton head of undemocratic EU, as convention dictates (rig u EU all in red (rev.)).

HC

Ms K. Bolton, J. M. Brown, Dr M. Bullivant, Dr J. Burscough, C. J. Butler, D. A. Campbell, J. & B. Chennells, M. Coates, N. Connaughton, W. Drever, R. Gilbert, J. R. H. Jones, E. C. Lance, J. C. Leyland, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, Ms R. MacGillivray, W. F. Main, K. Manley, P. W. Marlow, P. McKenna, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, D. J. R. Ogilvie (USA), M. Owen, W. Ransome, T. Rudd, D. P. Shenkin, P. L. Stone, K. Thomas, L. Toole, P. Tozer, Mrs A. M. Walden, L. Ward (USA), G. H. Willett, Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
189 entries, no errors that I spotted. Favourite clue, of 15 mentioned once or more than once: ‘Two boxes to fill in on form? Not one concerning period in later life’ (SEXAGENARY), though as one perceptive competitor pointed out ‘nary’ doesn’t really mean ‘not one’ so much as ‘not’. Careless of me.
 
I am keying this on holiday in France, using a friend’s laptop, so I’ll keep my comments brief this month. I take the low entry to indicate a slightly tougher-than-average puzzle and perhaps a rather unappealing clue phrase. Its Frenchness raised the question I’ve promised to address regarding the extent to which clue writers should indicate the information conveyed by dictionary labels. In this case, the phrase has become so widely used in English that I do not regard it as essential to signpost its origin in a crossword clue. I’ll return to this next month.
 
The ‘rude urge I’ anagram was so widespread in clues submitted that no clues using it made the quoted lists. I was also not keen on ‘Parisian backstreet (or even back street)’ for ‘rue’, which cropped up quite a lot, on the grounds that ‘back’ in this context does not mean ‘reversed’.
 
Greetings from a somewhat overcast Brittany.