AZED CROSSWORD 234

HOROSCOPIST

1.  Dr R. L. Wynne: I might read poor Scot his weird (anag. & lit.).

2.  R. J. Whale: Perhaps one holding a ball in which Scorpio’s movements can be seen? (anag. in host, & lit.).

3.  W. J. M. Scotland: Sort, initially, that can report on several interesting points of one’s house structure (anag. of first letters, & lit.).

VHC

C. Allen: Give me a guinea and I will spell out useless house prognostics (anag. incl. Ho. less gn., & lit.).

C. O. Butcher: I write lots the Observer has no room for. Pooh, cross it out (anag.; no horoscopes in Observer).

E. Chalkley: One who would get excited about Scorpio’s changing form? (anag. in host, & lit.).

P. R. Clemow: Heavenly bodies inspire me. Take care of torso and hips and model them for me (anag. incl. c/o).

R. M. S. Cork: He might cast a nativity play with Scorpio in the role of innkeeper (anag. in host).

Capt D. A. Craddock: A lucky press forecaster may make a scoop or hits! (anag.).

R. Dean: In advance of the year I could make scoop history (anag. less y, & lit.).

E. A. Free: He hunts for romance among heavenly bodies. Coo, his sport is swinging (anag.).

F. D. Gardiner: I’m Scorpio, flighty, needing a crowd around – according to him, perhaps (anag. in host, & lit.).

G. B. Greer: Person who’s involved with the zodiac – that’s the one chosen for cluing when Azed composed (comp. anag. & lit.).

A. H. Jones: Prophet unproven possibly or is post hoc … his justification? (anag.).

J. R. Kirby: One who may provide comfort to inspire a worried ‘Scorpio’ (anag. in host, & lit.; inspire = draw in).

D. F. Manley: I predict reduced crops with it so hot – there’s no end of drought (anag. less t; ref. summer heatwave).

T. A. Martin: Your past determines your future, he says – or ‘post hoc …’ is wrong (anag.).

C. G. Millin: Whose work concerned planets before Scorpio unfortunately displaced Libra, and after (Holst with anag. for L; ref. Planets Suite).

J. D. Moore: He forecasts trouble for Scorpio in the press (anag. in host; press = crowd).

C. J. Morse: Scorpio occulted by sun – I’d get excited about that (anag. + S in hot, & lit.).

R. J. Palmer: One who would take you in about configuration of Scorpio? (anag. in host, & lit.).

W. H. Pegram: One who has many a worried Scorpio at heart (anag. in host, & lit.).

A. J. Redstone: I make predictions involving Scorpio in press (anag. in host).

D. R. Robinson: Her trade is laying bare the shape of things to come. Soho Strip Co? – no, much different (anag.).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Excited about Scorpios, is he? So must they be (anag. in hot, & lit.).

F. B. Stubbs: I offer one interpretation of Scorpio, amongst many (anag. in host, & lit.).

P. Thacker: Soothsayer can be prosaic without a sooth (anag. less a).

Rev C. D. Westbrook: Man whose business is houses with signs, in which Scorpio’s involved, for one (anag. in host, & lit.).

D. C. Williamson: With crops so withered in heat, one should engage a diviner (I in anag. in hot; ref. summer heatwave).

HC

M. Adams, C. Allen Baker, D. R. Appleton, W. A. Bauer, G. Blunden, Rev C. M. Broun, E. J. Burge, C. A. Clarke, D. L. L. Clarke, Mrs J. M. Critchley, A. L. Dennis, D. M. Duckworth, A. L. Freeman, N. Gambier, W. F. Goodman, J. J. Goulstone, D. V. Harry, D. Hawson, V. G. Henderson, E. M. Hornby, R. H. F. Isham, W. Islip, G. Jones, N. Kemmer, R. E. Kimmons, A. Lawrie, J. P. Lester, C. J. Lowe, D. J. Mackay, H. Macrae, W. T. Meade-King, Dr E. J. Miller, R. A. Mostyn, D. S. Nagle, D. Ogilvie, F. R. Palmer, Mrs A. G. Phillips, Mrs S. Rees, E. R. Riddle, B. Russell, T. A. J. Spencer, Brig R. F. E. Stoney, G. A. Tomlinson, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
Just under 400 entries with about 30 or 40 showing RIME for RIMY. The clue cried out for an adjectival answer, and ‘me!’ is no substitute for ‘my!’ so I was pretty unsympathetic towards miscreants. It did however raise two separate issues, the use of capitals and abbreviations. One senior solver queried ‘in a state’ as an indication of R.I. (Rhode Island) on the grounds that the United States ought to be capitalized. I agree with that and subscribe to the general rule that though it is permissible (if a little wilful) to give words capital initials which they normally do not deserve, it is wrong (because unfairly misleading) to remove capitals which should be there (e.g. peter for Peter etc.). That having been said ‘the state of Rhode Island’ is, although faintly ambiguous, implying as it might the condition in which that insular community finds itself, no offence against the American constitution (or Constitution) as perhaps ‘the united states’ would be, and therefore it is acceptable to me. I am far less happy, though no one faulted me on this, on the use of an abbreviation of this kind at all. The U.S. are numerous (almost as numerous as ‘points’ which I dislike), not to mention all those other states around the world not featured on Old Glory. All of which adds up to the confession that I’m not proud of ‘a state’ for ‘R.I.’, not because it should be ‘a State’ but because it is too vague as an indication.
 
SPREADEAGLED gave a little difficulty too, though no one got it wrong. When I was a young lad the high point of my week was the arrival of the Eagle, a superior comic now alas no more, featuring the continuing adventures of Dan Dare, Luck of the Legion, Jeff Arnold and many other heroes, to be read, as like as not, spread out upon the floor. To those whose comic-reading days ended before or started after the Eagle’s heyday I apologise and offer my condolences.
 
It was perhaps inevitable that Scorpio should figure in one form or another in a host of entries, many of them none the worse for that – it was a neat idea and a natural for ‘& litting’. All the more credit to those who consciously tried to be different, especially Dr. Wynne’s brief and poignant self-appraisal.
 
No time for more now. Next month I want to say a bit about anagram indication and add a footnote to the remarks I made about connecting words recently. I must conclude by reporting that the get-together to mark Azed No. 250 looks definitely on in view of the response so far. There will be no Observer on Boxing Day so the puzzle itself will appear on 2 January 1977. This means that the party will probably now be in the second half of January, at a weekend. Further details will be announced in the Observer Magazine when known, but Mr. L. May would stilt like to hear from all those who think they’d like to come, and can.