AZED CROSSWORD 2270

FENESTRA

1.  R. J. Heald: Pierce Brosnan feted for playing striking Bond (anag. less Bond; ref. J. Bond actor; pierce = perforation).

2.  Dr I. S. Fletcher: Football Association has seen corrupt transactions within coming to light (anag. + tr. in FA; ref. Fifa scandals).

3.  M. Hodgkin: Free Santa after backside’s left jammed in vent (anag. less a).

VHC

T. Anderson: This (English version) could be an Everest forte (comp. anag. incl. EV, f, & lit.; ref. E. windows).

D. Appleton: Hole in wall gives foreign currency – dreadful rates (fen³ + anag.).

M. Barley: Opening presents loudly, dinner finally eaten – the heart of Christmas merrymaking (f + anag. incl. r, s).

M. Clarke: Head of Ethics covers for Blatter’s rear in dodgy transfer window (anag. with E for r).

V. Dixon (Ireland): Source of beguiling light Romeo located in east, fancifully (fen + R in anag.; ref. fen-fire, Romeo and Juliet, ii, 2).

W. Drever: Footballer finally leaves for Spain in busy transfer window (anag. with E for r).

C. Loving: Far-seen fluttering about Titania’s crown – one spots Moth’s wing perhaps (T in anag.).

M. A. Macdonald-Cooper: Oriel say tuition charges must inhibit men or women ultimately with a right to come up (n in fees + a rt (rev.)).

W. F. Main: Following eastern twinkling light (f + anag.).

D. F. Manley: Male-deprived female overlooking residence – a Romeo turns up beneath this? (fe(male) + nest + a R (rev.), & lit.).

P. W. Marlow: France’s foremost art seen in review? Louvre might feature in such (F + anag.).

C. G. Millin: Ox-eye? See English home rather than look among flowers (E nest for lo in flora).

T. J. Moorey: Clinical opening leads to electrifying speech after Corbyn’s stern rambling (anag. incl, e, s, n; ref. H. Benn’s Syria speech).

W. Ransome: Playing Thisbe (principal character) Flute’s edging near Snout’s opening – Wall’s chink (anag. incl. T, F, e, S; ref. MND).

T. Rudd: In Chartres, we often observe church and tower enlivened with this? (comp. anag. incl. ch., & lit.).

Dr S. J. Shaw: Constructing rooms with a —— could allow Romans to see far (comp. anag. & lit.).

P. A. Stephenson: Opening for air force base sent to bomb Arab uprising (F + e + anag. + Ar. (rev.)).

D. H. Tompsett: It could light middle of vestry in ruined fane (estr in anag., & lit.).

J. R. Tozer: Intense RAF strikes in bombing window (anag. less in).

A. J. Varney: Change for fare home consumed – hole in the wall required (nest in anag.).

Ms S. Wallace: Opening set: Rafa starts to nail every shot with no end of bravura (anag. incl. n, e less a; ref R. Nadal).

HC

D. K. Arnott, D. Ashby (Canada), D. & N. Aspland, T. C. Borland, C. J. Brougham, Mrs S. Brown, D. A. Campbell, P. Cargill, C. A. Clarke, S. L. Claughton, A. Colston, C. M. Edmunds, J. Fairclough, M. J. Hanley, A. H. Harker, R. Jacks, E. W. Kelly, J. P. Lester, J. Liddle, M. Lunan, I. Mackintosh, P. J. Nightingale, S. J. O’Boyle, R. J. Palmer, M. L. Perkins, R. Perry, A. Plumb, Ms F. Plumb, J. & A. Price, Ms L. Quee, S. Randall, N. G. Shippobotham, C. Short, I. Simpson, B. Solomons, P. L. Stone, R. C. Teuton, S. J. J. Tiffin, A. J. Wardrop, R. J. Whale, A. Whittaker, Ms B. Widger, K. J. Williams, Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
Oh dear, I did it again! For those whose memory is as poor as mine, or who joined the Azed series since, I gave you FENESTRA to clue in No. 1,602, nearly 13 years ago. I do apologize for this lapse, which is easy enough to avoid, by remembering to check in the andlit.org archive, as I must have inadvertently omitted to do this time. As on a similar previous occasion, I’ve decided to award prizes as usual but to omit the competition from the current annual honours list. In judging the present competition I did not, and still have not, looked at that earlier slip, beyond noticing the extraordinary fact that then, as now, Dr Fletcher was among the prizewinners.
 
There were 195 entries this time, with virtually no mistakes. Favourite clue (of 22 voted for at least once) was, by a wide margin, ‘Merman e.g., tail to the fore, in river of legend’ for LETHE. It was a slight surprise to me that Ethel M. is still so fixed in popular memory, whereas Jenny Lind, nicknamed ‘the Swedish Nightingale’, is clearly much less so. Likewise the painter Paula Rego, who is still alive and, I think, active, but whom many said they’d never heard of. (The Australian term REGO, an informal abbreviation of ‘registration’, appears in Chambers, unhelpfully, at the entry for reggo. Another example of poor cross-referencing in C. One other clue that caused puzzlement was ‘Sea dog, possibly, endlessly roguish’ for ARC, defined as ‘a luminous discharge over the horizon, presaging bad weather’. Not exactly an arc, perhaps.
 
There were plenty of good clues to savour, a fair number being topical or Christmassy (and therefore different from anything used in the No. 1,602 competition). The FASTENER/REFASTEN anagram was just too popular to gain special mention, despite its obvious appeal. And what a gem (again) from RJH. Good luck also to the Heald/Hodgkin/Tozer trio (all mentioned above) as they progress towards the semi-finals in the current series of Only Connect on BBC2.
 
A very happy Christmas to you all. My thanks to all who sent cards and messages of good cheer to me and my wife Alison.