AZED CROSSWORD 2170

SAYONARA

1.  T. C. Borland: Utter it leaving terminal in Tokyo Narita? (say + o Nar(it)a, & lit.).

2.  Ms K. Bolton: How Tokyo Rose signed off talk about Rising Sun overcoming America? (say on + Ra (rev.) + A; ref. WWII Japanese propagandist).

3.  N. G. Shippobotham: It’s choppy so any rowing enthusiasts could be accompanied by a wave (anag. + ARA).

VHC

T. Anderson: Something said at end of Saga break, regularly? (say on a + alternate letters, & lit.; Saga, Japanese city).

D. Appleton: Goodbye, son – for ever going abroad, defying the odds (s ay + alternate letters).

M. Barley: Stokes OK against Australia; for all remaining, heads must roll – it’s goodbye (S + ay + on A + a, r (rev.); ref. Ben S. and Ashes aftermath).

Dr J. Burscough: Something said by chaps leaving a Japanese meal, perhaps? (say on + a ra(men), & lit.).

N. Connaughton: It ruined a yarn carrying on so long (SA + o’ in anag.).

W. Drever: To add a run, one includes leg bye (on in say a r a).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Is this waved from a ryokan as one at end of break leaves? (anag. less k, & lit.).

R. J. Heald: Hooray Henry falls out of carriage, squiffy on strong toddy mostly (s(H)ay + on + ara(k); hooray²).

R. Hesketh: Clout given by Nora Batty before parting (say + anag. + a).

R. J. Hooper: Clout on centre of jaw leads to real agony later (say on a + r, a; see later).

J. C. Leyland: Ta-ta in Tokyo? Sure, a must on leaving each other (anag. of alternate letters, & lit.; must⁴).

D. F. Manley: Cutter passing Bairstow’s foot that leads to a run, a bye (sa(w) + yon + a + r + a; ref. Jonny B, cricketer).

C. J. Morse: Butterfly’s last word in echo-sounding, circling for ever round and about (ay in sonar + a; ref. opera, Madama B.).

C. Ogilvie: Talk about those who have profitless rows for so long (say on ARA; Amateur Rowing Assoc.).

W. Ransome: In it you may find a valedictory’s final bit or an unusual farewell (a y + anag. in SA, & lit.).

T. Rudd: We go with this line – it could be translated ‘so long’ – and are away (comp. anag. incl. l, & lit.).

Dr S. J. Shaw: Exchange as heard in Nagoya, heading away (anag. less heading, & lit.).

P. A. Stephenson: A parting as any couple of Orientals articulated (a in anag. incl. Or, & lit.).

R. C. Teuton: A closing remark directed towards Rising Sun representation? (a after say on Ra (rev.), & lit.).

A. Whittaker: So long a yarn, so rambling – and just beginning! (anag. + a).

HC

D. K. Arnott, M. J. Barker, C. J. Brougham, Mrs S. Brown, C. A. Clarke, V. Dixon (Ireland), C. M. Edmunds, M. Freeman, R. Gilbert, J. Glassonbury, G. I. L. Grafton, A. H. Harker, D. A. Harris, D. V. Harry, P. J. Hartley, G. Johnstone, E. C. Lance, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, W. F. Main, J. McCabe, J. R. C. Michie, K. Milan, T. J. Moorey, T. D. Nicholl, M. Owen, F. R. Palmer, S. Randall, S. Reszetniak, Mrs L. J. Roberts, G. Rosser, D. P. Shenkin, C. Short, P. Taylor, J. R. Tozer, J. Vincent & Ms R. Porter, M. Wainwright, Mrs A. M. Walden, Ms S. Wallace, L. Ward (USA), A. J. Wardrop, N. Warne, Dr P. Whitehead, G. H. Willett, J. S. Witte, J. Woodall (France), A. J. Young, R. Zara.
 

Comments
213 entries, no noticeable mistakes. Favourite clue, of 19 nominated at least once, was (just) ‘Badly nagged by Church? It’s almost sure to be a cracking measure!’ for EGG DANCE, with 6 votes, with five others (to ADAMIC, INTAKES, LIP-SYNC, LOIR and TWIG) one vote behind. I do apologize for the late announcement of the last two competition results. With three comps in quick succession this is always a busy time for me, and our holiday in India merely added to the pressure. Things should return to normal for the time being from February, barring the unforeseen.
 
SAYONARA proved unexpectedly awkward to clue effectively, making the judging process correspondingly difficult, and there was much unsoundness from less experienced solvers. This included the frequent use of ‘back’ to indicate reversal, which I’ve always found unacceptable in a down word. (‘Back up’ would be all right.) Several of you asked concernedly whether the choice of clue word was my way of announcing in advance the ending of the Azed series, in the same way that Araucaria warned his many solvers of his last illness by inserting a number of thematic words in one of his Guardian puzzles. I’m happy to dispel any such fears. I am as healthy as increasing age permits and have no plans to stop setting as long as I remain so. And on the subject of Araucaria, more than a few clues submitted were on the lines of ‘Valedictory extract from essay on Araucaria’, a nice tribute but, alas, just too popular to gain higher than HC placing in the lists.
 
More cricketing references, I’m afraid, with ‘bye’ invitingly possible as a definition for SAYONARA. And the arrival on the test-match scene of Ben Stokes makes the abbreviation S for ‘stokes’ (in what sense I know not) more attractive than hitherto. I certainly cannot declare a moratorium on such usage, beyond the general warning that clues with a cricketing theme in their surface reading are not an automatic guarantee of preference in the eyes of the judge!