AZED CROSSWORD 2222

OBJECT LESSON

1.  J. R. Tozer: The coalition’s been a good one for all parties except for the one in opposition (objection with less for I).

2.  M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: On leaving Jobcentre, loses work experience of an instructive kind (anag. less re).

3.  A. J. Wardrop: Start to junk obsolescent exercises, improving educational process (anag. incl. j).

VHC

D. Appleton: Leaders in cosmetic surgery let nose job get botched; such an experience should serve as a warning (anag. incl. c, s).

M. Barley: Demonstration demands fewer cuts etc., and no job being ‘restructured’ (less in anag.).

J. G. Booth: Close ENT jobs following re-organisation? That could be an instructive experience! (anag.).

T. C. Borland: Salutary experience once jobless, taking Tebbit’s tip, circulate? (t in anag.; ref. 1981 ‘on his bike’ speech).

R. Bowden: Real life example from job scene, lots redeployed (anag.).

S. L. Claughton: Botched nose jobs, etc. ending in trial provide salutary warning (anag. incl. l).

G. I. L. Grafton: Result of jostle with first of shoppers, bonce being injured? (anag. incl. s, & lit.; ref. ‘Black Friday’, etc.).

D. V. Harry: For example, ‘Something not acceptable’ (object less on).

R. J. Heald: Botched nose jobs: Lancet article delivered salutary warning (anag. less an).

R. Hesketh: Job selections under review after overlooking current teaching experience (anag. less I).

G. Johnstone: Right selects ‘BoJo’ – Cameron’s final warning? (anag. + n; right = set in order; ref. Boris Johnson).

T. J. Moorey: Wasting carbon energy, planned obsolescence should be cut by Japan and Thailand to show a good example (J, T separately in anag. less C, e).

C. J. Morse: Working on select jobs, endless working – that’s a learning experience (anag. & objectless on).

A. Plumb: Example of JC set noble resolves around the Sabbath (o’ + S in anag.;ref. AZ).

D. Price Jones: Obsolescent, Jonathan’s first slip? No, a guide for the future (anag. incl. J; ref. AZ slip).

W. Ransome: There’s no turning back after jobless, etc., riot in demonstration involving teachers (anag. + no (rev.)).

Dr S. J. Shaw: Jesus’s noble act on cross can give us an —— —— (comp. anag. & lit.).

N. G. Shippobotham: Harrowing scene, Job’s lot, yet an example to us all (anag.).

P. L. Stone: Daft clot’s been butt of joke so that’ll teach him (anag. incl. j).

P. Taylor: Adolescent’s job reassigned without notice or warning (anag. less ad).

R. C. Teuton: Be hit with Noel’s cost around the beginning of January – giving you this? (J in anag., & lit.).

Dr E. Young: One might put end to doubtful nose jobs etc abroad (anag. incl. l, & lit.).

HC

T. Anderson, M. Barker, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, Dr J. Burscough, C. J. Butler, D. Carter, P. D. Chamberlain, B. Cheesman, C. A. Clarke, M. Davies, Ms L. Davis, V. Dixon (Ireland), T. J. Donnelly, W. Drever, A. S. Everest, J. Fairclough, Dr I. S. Fletcher, D. Grice, J. Grimes, Dr C. P. Hales, M. Hodgkin, J. R. Howlett, L. M. Inman, R. Jacks, B. Jones, E. M. Keating, E. C. Lance, J. C. Leyland, D. F. Manley, P. McKenna, J. R. C. Michie, K. Milan, C. G. Millin, M. L. Perkins, A. M. Price, D. Protheroe, G. J. H. Roberts, M. Taylor, The Right Revd D. Thomson, Mrs A. M. Walden, Ms S. Wallace, L. Ward (USA), R. J. Whale, A. Whittaker, Ms B. J. Widger, G. H. Willett.
 

Comments
175 entries, no noticeable mistakes. Favourite clue (by far), among 16 receiving one or more votes, was ‘Who’ll render France lawful when it strays?’ for FLIC. Equal second was ‘Reynard’s tail behind, brush-like’ for DAFT, though I’ve a sneaking feeling I might have used the idea, if not the precise wording, before. (I never deliberately reuse an old clue verbatim, no matter how pleased I was with it first time round.) Another clue, which received a few votes of approval, was actually flawed: in ‘Being so makes car drive off, instinctively’ (IN SE) the final word should have been ‘intrinsically’, which I keyed incorrectly and then failed to spot the error at proof stage. A few of you clearly saw that something was amiss by querying my definition. I do apologize.
 
There were lots of good ideas, nicely realized, for a not very inspiring compound noun. Picking the best was uncommonly tricky. The three prizewinners I chose in the end on the naturalness of their wording, a factor always worth keeping in mind when composing your entries. The less a clue reads like a clue, i.e. something that would sound odd in any other context than that of a crossword, the better, I feel. A fair number of you dealt with the LESSON part as LESS ON. Nothing wrong with that, but too often it was clued by ‘wearing fewer clothes’ or something similar, which isn’t quite right: ‘wearing fewer clothes’ leads to ‘having less on’. Such fine syntactical distinctions are most important.
 
The comments I received on my question regarding my use of Mrs/Ms in slips, etc (for which many thanks) were overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the status quo. (The only time I don’t use Mrs is for husband-and-wife teams, where logic would demand both Mr and Mrs, though this seems too pernickety.) There was also a universal welcome for my decision to accept all abbreviations in Chambers in future. I’m just sorry it’s taken me so long! And yes, I’m also happy to accept the use of international radio communication code words such as alpha, bravo, etc.
 
While on the subject of Chambers, I’ve had the following update from the ‘project editor’: ‘The situation with The Chambers Dictionary, 13^th edition is that we can [sic] to reprint it later this year, although we do not have a set date for this yet. It would not be cost effective to pulp our current stock and to reprint the book just yet so our next reprint will be based on shifting our current stock. We do have the missing words list available on the Chambers website as a printable PDF for those who have purchased the 13^th edition.’ This strikes me as pretty outrageous and I shall say so. If you feel like complaining direct to the publishers, please do. Meanwhile I shall continue to recommend the new edition, but this should not inconvenience those who have not yet bought it.