AZED CROSSWORD 2425

EPILIMNION

1.  D. F. Manley: Simon P is on Galilee’s, faltering – with SOS, gale’s gone (anag. less SOS, gale’s, & lit.; ref. Matthew 14, 29-32).

2.  M. Barley: Surface water is involved in pile-up on M1 (you can’t see what’s ahead) (anag. less up).

3.  P. McKenna: Possibly this warmer water on coast is changing opinions on climate (comp. anag.).

VHC

P. B. Alldred: Stormy El Nino and unlimited limpid waters of the upper lake (anag. less l, d).

T. C. Borland: Top layer of mere lino? I’m revelling in distressed pine (anag. in anag.).

Dr J. Burscough: Lake superiorly boasted, ‘I’m No. 1 in ELP’ (anag.; ref. Emerson, Lake & Palmer; boast = shape roughly).

E. Dawid: Essentially tepid, I’m in and on top of lake circulating (anag. incl. epi, l, & lit.).

V. Dixon (Ireland): Struggling PM, one in the middle of boiling hot water – staying on top? (anag. incl. ili).

W. Drever: Record I draw on includes current top band from the Lakes (I in EP I limn on).

J. Fairclough: I’m on short pier in lake, making waves in warm surface water (anag. incl. pie(r), l).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Where ultimately less cold temperature implicit, no end of phytoplankton floating? (e + anag. incl. n less c, t, & lit.).

H. Freeman: This would one in mini pedalo displace? (anag. with a, ’d, & lit.).

R. Gilbert: Under extreme pressure, I paint early hint of iridescence on surface water of lake (EP + I limn + I + on).

R. J. Heald: Warm surface of water around edge of Pacific island is El Niño, I’m tipping (P, I in anag.).

G. Johnstone: Superior band, say, in EMI No. 1 LP hit (anag.; ref. Lake Superior).

Dr J. B. Reid: Superior perhaps gets this at the top while minion plies endless grind (anag. less s; ref. Lake Superior).

Dr S. J. Shaw: I’m located just below one on surface of lake engaged in swimming in open (i + l + I’m in anag., & lit.).

P. L. Stone: E.g. Victoria’s warm liquid lips on mine transported one for a second (anag. with I for s).

J. R. Tozer: Top of the Lake: mostly great picture once Campion drops affectations (epi(c) limn (Camp)ion; ref. TV drama dir. by Jane C.; picture vb, camp² n).

Ms S. Wallace: Shivering in Polish winter I’m wanting woolly shirt with mere top layer of warmth (anag. less anag. incl. w).

A. J. Wardrop: Cook pimiento left for short time in warm water (anag. with l for t).

A. Whittaker: One in limpid, endlessly fluctuating, warm layer of water (anag. less d).

HC

S. J. L. Ball, D. J. Bexson, Ms K. Bolton, J. G. Booth, R. Bowden, C. J. Brougham, D. Carter, M. Coates, P. Finan, J. Grimes, A. H. Harker, M. Hodgkin, J. C. Leyland, I. & G. Macniven, P. W. Marlow, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, D. J. R. Ogilvie (USA), S. J. O’Boyle, R. J. Palmer, M. G. Payne, A. Plumb, J. & A. Price, S. Randall, A. D. Scott, I. Simpson, R. C. Teuton, P. Tharby, K. Thomas, R. J. Whale, G. H. Willett, K. & J. Wolff, Dr E. Young.
 

Comments
Only 153 entries, but no mistakes that I spotted. Not a vintage competition, this one, largely (I expect) because of the tricky clue word, which many of you clearly struggled to do anything interesting with. I had a feeling this might be the case when I chose it. Specific scientific terms like this tend to limit possible ways of defining them, and too often competitors took refuge in overly vague definitions. I partly blame myself for this, having been seduced by an intriguing word I’d not met before.
 
Favourite clue, of 16 nominated once or more, was ‘One that doesn’t even get a third in finals or anything’ for ALSO-RAN, well ahead of ‘Like cricket ball needing replacement, half circle shape distorted’ (ASPHERIC). It was nice, I admit, to devise a hidden-type clue that wasn’t as easy to solve as most are. There were a few grumbles about my clue to PREJINK, which would have served equally well for PERJINK, but I’m not too contrite about that. And why, I was asked, did I opt for Abel Ganz rather than the possibly better-known Abel Gance, in another hidden clue (for BELGA)? I have no notion why, and it didn’t affect the clue’s validity either way.
 
Apologies for the fact that the online version of the puzzle originally included the non-competition Rules and requests paragraph, subsequently corrected. Only newcomers I think, will have been misled by this, but it’s noticeable how many of you do now submit your entries on printed-out copies of this version, reflecting, I dare say, a general trend away from print newspapers, which saddens me somewhat. And my thanks to those who pointed out an error in the VHCs list in Slip No. 2,421 last month. ‘J. C. Lester’ should have read ‘J. C. Leyland.’
 
Enough for now. I hope you enjoy the Christmas competition, which is almost upon us. Warmest season’s greetings to you all.