AZED CROSSWORD 289

AMNESIAC

1.  Mrs K. Bissett: Names I must jot endlessly (anag. + ac(e), & lit.; must⁴ adj.).

2.  J. D. Moore: As men get so, I fancy, only odd items are recognized (alternate letters & lit.).

3.  S. Goldie: Manes drifting with one across Lethe made one this (anag. + 1 ac.).

VHC

E. Akenhead: Came in as doddering old man in Jaques’s last scene (anag.; ref. AYLI: ‘seven ages of man’).

C. Allen Baker: I can’t remember names – not even with a leading clue (anag. + 1 ac.).

F. D. H. Atkinson: A Cinema’s shewing ‘Random Harvest’ – or its hero (anag.; ref. Ronald Coleman film).

C. O. Butcher: He has a scrap of material knotted in case he forgets (a m + anag.).

J. A. Fincken: Who can efface me as I can? (anag. & lit.).

A. L. Freeman: I can’t remember unusual names; I’ll stick to Bill – that’s short (anag. + I + a/c).

I. F. Haines: Q: Who am I? A: Nesciam (possibly) (anag. & lit.; I know not (L.)).

E. M. Hornby: Like the proverbial professor, senior master gets up before first light (sen. MA. (rev.) + 1 ac).

J. G. Hull: Such as confounded Americans forgetting the fourth (anag. less r,& lit.; 4th July).

R. Jacks: Forgetting, names unsound clue the first (anag. + 1 ac.).

D. F. Manley: Experiencing a fugue? Means becoming excited – one will get to the heart of Bach (anag. + I + (B)ac(h); fugue, type of amnesia).

L. May: Muddling names – that’s the first clue (anag. + 1 ac., & lit.).

J. P. Mernagh: One needs reminding – wind in SE., wrap up in an overcoat (anag. in a mac).

C. G. Millin: Sorry case I am, forgetting name (anag. incl. n, & lit.).

R. J. Palmer: As CIA men after disorientation might be? (anag. & lit.).

S. L. Paton: Un-mindful of name I’m a case in manner vague (anag. incl. n, & lit.).

M. L. Perkins: No elephant but mice NASA put in orbit (anag.; ‘Elephants never forget’).

A. Rivlin: Means I can not quite recollect (anag. less n, & lit.; re-collect, vi.).

Dr W. I. D. Scott: One who can’t remember names badly stuck over the first clue (anag. + 1 ac.).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Fugal treatment of ‘Amen’ is the soul of Bach (anag. + (B)ac(h); fugue, type of amnesia).

Brig R. F. E. Stoney: What Bach holds is name for composing one with fugue (anag. incl. (B)ac(h); fugue, type of amnesia).

F. B. Stubbs: Fugal variation on amen is close to a vicar’s heart (anag. + a c; fugue, type of amnesia).

W. Woodruff: When Americans ignore the 4th it must be because they have become this (anag. less r, & lit.; 4th July).

HC

Mrs A. Baker, R. L. Baker, Rev R. Bamford, Mrs A. R. Bradford, Rev C. M. Broun, A. J. Bulman, E. J. Burge, C. A. Clarke, G. H. Clarke, M. Coates, R. M. S. Cork, R. V. Dearden, A. J. Duncum, L. K. Edkins, J. D. Foster, Dr E. Gallagher, F. D. Gardiner, M. Greenwood, G. K. Grigg, A. H. Harker, Mrs S. Hewitt, B. Higgins, R. J. Hooper, C. H. Hudson, B. H. Jackson, W. Jackson, G. Johnstone, R. E. Kimmons, J. R. Kirby, Mrs M. Kissen, W. E. Latchem, M. D. Laws, C. Loving, H. MacRae, R. A. Megan, D. P. M. Michael, J. J. Moore, D. B. Oaten, E. R. Riddle, H. R. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, A. D. Scott, Mrs E. J. Shields, T. A. J. Spencer, J. G. Stubbs, M. R. Szymanski, D. H. Tompsett, J. R. Tozer, J. F. N. Wedge, G. C. West, R. J. Whale, C. E. Williams, M. Woolf, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
An easier-than-average prize puzzle, I think. 560 entries, the only mistakes I spotted being PEDIPALPS or PEDIPALPE for PEDIPALPI – carelessness, I suspect. AMNESIAC offered a large number of possibilities and I had a great many anagrams, varying but slightly, to compare and assess. Producing a short list was extremely difficult. Many competitors, however, especially some of the large number of newcomers, made the elementary mistake of failing to indicate that their clues were anagrams. And that old scoundrel the indirect anagram reared his head quite often too. For the benefit of those who are new to the Azed series I should explain that I regard it as a prerequisite of an anagram clue that it should contain the letters of the word or words involved in the anagram, or an unequivocal indication of them. In other words the solver should not be asked to work out the group of letters he must then juggle with if that group of letters is not featured in the clue. An example from this competition should show what I mean. ‘Entered as, roughly, being without recall. ‘ The solver is expected to translate ‘entered’ into ‘came in’ and only then combine it with ‘as’ and form an anagram of it. This double puzzle is, I submit, unfair to the solver. The quoted example is a comparatively easy clue despite its unsoundness, but the device if carried to more extreme lengths results in what to my mind are totally unsolvable clues, e.g. (a genuine entry) ‘Thousand fish destroyed. One lost its memory.’ The fish to be disturbed with M is SCIAENA. Need I say more?
 
Regular solvers will probably already know that a new edition of Chambers is now out. It is a revised edition of the 1972 one with a new supplement of five pages and a number of additions to the list of abbreviations. I intend to start recommending it from the beginning of next year so you may wish to start dropping hints to would-be Christmas present donors straight away. It costs £5.95, I believe. Incidentally, publication of the Pan edition of The Azed Book of Crosswords is planned for 18 November.