AZED CROSSWORD 23

SCLERODERMIC

1.  Rev C. D. Westbrook: Little sign of red after almost merciless thrashing with rod – if one’s this (anag. of merciles(s) rod + c, & lit.; c = cent).

2.  Mrs N. Jarman: Drawer involved with comic reels like ‘Dumbo’ (anag. incl. dr).

3.  R. E. Kimmons: Tests are so tough: middle of series – Lords – M.C.C. collapse (anag. incl. (s)erie(s); test = testa).

VHC

F. D. H. Atkinson: How I should be as rod circles me wielded violently (anag. & lit.).

C. O. Butcher: Breaking mile record’s tiptop of course and extremely hard (anag. incl. c).

A. L. Dennis: It’s hard, with tough covering, to make disorderly soccer milder (anag.).

N. C. Dexter: As hard skin circles me, Doctor, nothing is painful (anag. incl. Dr 0).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson: R. M. cleric does, perhaps, like leathernecks (anag.).

J. A. Fincken: Needing doctor to come prepared with slicer? (anag. incl. Dr, & lit.).

J. H. Foster: Right! cold creme is specially prepared for softening skin like this (anag. incl. r).

S. Goldie: Mr. Croc’dile, ’e’s uncommonly so (anag. & lit.).

J. J. Goulstone: Crusty Bouillabaisse of sliced ormer with mollusc tail (anag. + c).

L. Holtman: It’s having tough skins makes crocodiles more difficult; fire two rounds (anag. less oo).

G. Johnstone: Test coverage might be: ‘M.C.C. order lies in ruins’ (anag.; test = testa).

Sir S. Kaye: I’m mad about Emil’s record of a tough case (anag. incl. c.; ref. ‘Emil und die Detektive’).

A. D. Legge: With a hard top surface, revising order lies with M.C.C. (anag.).

Mrs B. Lewis: Comics erred, being funny about the sovereign – pelted hard (anag. incl. L).

Mrs J. Mackie: Namely, having a milder core disguised within? (anag. in sc., & lit.).

Mrs S. M. Macpherson: Crusty cleric stormed about missing start of Test (anag. less T).

Mrs E. McFee: Case-hardened? Has what it takes to plot Colder crimes (anag.).

W. H. Pegram: Comic errs: led astray with corny material? (anag.).

J. Revill: Lacking wit, 4 crazy comics write drivel – result’s corny (anag. less wit, IV).

D. S. Robertson: Cordeliers’ club-room bounds could be hard to penetrate (anag. incl. c, m).

G. A. Tomlinson: Like the scarabs and kindred species exotic climes record (anag.).

HC

C. Allen, C. Allen Baker, E. C. Bingham, Mrs A. Boyes, A. J. Bulman, A. H. P. Carden, E. Chalkley, Miss A. O. M. Clark, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. J. Crow, D. C. Davies, E. G. Durham, J. Gill, G. P. Goddard, N. C. Goddard, G. J. Gostling, Mrs L. F. Hallen, D. Hawson, T. Heaney, Mrs S. Hewitt, J. P. H. Hirst, G. M. Hornby, J. Horwood, C. H. Hudson, D. E. G. Irvine, Mrs M. Kissen, H. MacRae, D. F. Manley, D. McCallum, E. McNeal, A. G. McPhie, J. P. Mernagh, D. P. M. Michael, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, P. M. Newey, Dr R. J. Palmer, S. L. Paton, Miss M. J. Patrick, F. H. H. Pilkington, A. Rivlin, W. Rodgers, T. E. Sanders, K. C. Slater, Sir W. Slimmings, H. Stokes, E. D. Taylor, D. J. Thorpe, B. J. Wain, C. E. Williams.
 

COMMENTS
About 385 entries, very few mistakes. A smaller entry than usual, but I expect many are away on holiday.
 
I hoped that the word set would give plenty of opportunities for exploitation but it seems to have proved tougher than expected, if you’ll pardon the expression. Milder soccer, colder crimes and hundred-mile records were all very popular, and without wishing to detract from the achievement of those who used these ideas well, I do think there is something to be said for trying to anticipate what the commonest ideas are likely to be and avoiding them if possible.
 
There was less unsoundness this month than previously, which is encouraging, the commonest fault being a failure to indicate the part of speech required. ‘Skin in bad condition’ as a definition can only lead to a noun, whereas ‘Case is hard’ doesn’t really lead to anything. It’s only a question of adding ‘like’ and ‘such a’ to the beginning of these two respectively and you have two perfectly sound definitions.
 
Somewhat late in the day there is now an Azed book-plate for prize-winners along with their book-tokens. I hope you like it. It has been designed by the Observer art department from one of the very few known portraits of Diego Deza, then Archbishop of Seville, which hangs in the Municipal Museum in Seville. Fierce and unyielding, he doesn’t look a bit like me but it makes an imposing picture. I’ll see that all prize-winners to date receive one.
 
I must apologise for a slip I made in the notes to puzzle No. 20, for which, as an ex-classicist, I have quite rightly been taken to task. Creusa was Aeneas’ wife, not his mother. Aeneas, as anyone knows who has battled with Vergil, was son of Venus. Sorry about that.
 
No time for more. I’m just off for ten days without crosswords in Brittany, to get ‘tanned, perhaps, in an orgy of sol, mer and c-cidre’. How’s that for a not very good clue?