AZED CROSSWORD 40

FANTOCCINI

1.  T. Anderson: What can excite the most original of children if I cannot? (anag. incl. c, & lit.).

2.  N. C. Dexter: We’d be out of action if ends of cotton tangled (anag. incl. c, n, & lit.; i.e. puppet strings).

3.  Dr R. J. Palmer: Kiddies’ show that’s not riotously comic finally received by loud raspberries, etc. (anag. + c, all in f acini).

VHC

W. G. Arnott: They dance if I act on the ends of a chain (anag. incl. c, n, & lit.; dance vt).

R. Brain: One devoted to quintet from Puccini for string performers (fan to (Pu)ccini).

R. S. Caffyn: Football Club’s left-wingers in action disciplined for display of manipulation (anag. incl. F C).

E. Chalkley: Could be in action following opening of children’s show (anag. incl. f, c, & lit.).

P. M. Coombs: With art we can be shown in frantic action (comp. anag. & lit.).

A. J. Crow: Well handled, little company can fit in little theatre (anag. incl. co.).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson: If coin can’t fiddle it, we must have string-pullers (anag.).

J. A. Fincken: Pulp fiction can show dolls with guys of a kind (anag.; guy¹, pulp vt).

F. D. Gardiner: You can see us in action if, initially, no cord’s broken (anag. incl. n, c, & lit.).

Mrs E. J. Holmes: Perfect if Conti can pull strings for us (anag.; perfect vt; ref. Italia Conti School of Acting).

G. Johnstone: Loud Conservative in action – made to walk – wired party favourite (f + anag. incl. C; ref. Edward Heath’s walk).

J. R. Kirby: When they’re required in action, leaders of fine cord must be manipulated (anag. incl. f, c, & lit.).

L. F. Leason: They’re jerky in action, manipulated with bits of fine cord (anag. incl. f, c, & lit.).

Mrs B. Lewis: Busted F.C. in action ? Dolly players! (anag.).

Sir N. Lipton: We appear manually controlled; we are in fact coin operated (anag.).

Mrs S. M. Macpherson: Faction in C is a ‘company of persons acting together’ – both manipulated here (anag.; C = Chambers).

D. G. C. Mockridge: Creator of fiction can stage show with manipulation of characters (anag.).

D. S. Robertson: Display of controlled handling given by well-organised Football Club in action (anag. incl. FC).

L. G. D. Sanders: One form of fiction can record successes for Shaw, perhaps (anag.; ref. Sandie S., ‘Puppet on a String’).

T. E. Sanders: Improper action in football club: those who are suspended participating in play (anag. incl. FC).

W. K. M. Slimmings: With art, these may be jerked into frantic action (comp. anag. & lit.).

G. A. Tomlinson: Capital instances of corded figures – in action jerky (anag. incl. initial letters, & lit.).

HC

C. Allen, C. Allen Baker, F. D. H. Atkinson, Col P. S. Baines, T. E. Bell, Mrs K. Bissett, Miss M. P. Blackburn, G. Bradbrook, Rev C. M. Broun, C. O. Butcher, E. A. Clarke, P. R. Clemow, A. F. Coles, J. Cordery, Miss G. Cowan, J. M. Critchley, A. E. Crow, A. L. Dennis, P. Drummond, D. M. Duckworth, C. C. M. Giffin, J. Gill, G. B. Greer, D. J. Hennings, D. R. Hopkin, E. M. Hornby, J. M. Houghton, W. Islip, A. Jackson, Mrs K. Jenkins, A. H. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, B. K. Kelly, A. Lawrie, J. H. C. Leach, A. D. Legge, Mrs P. M. V. Lloyd, C. J. Lowe, B. Manvell, D. McCallum, Mrs E. McFee, A. G. McPhie, D. P. M. Michael, C. G. Millin, D. I. Morgan, F. E. Newlove, M. Newman, W. H. Pegram, M. L. Perkins, F. H. W. Peters, P. G. Purtell, E. G. Rackham, J. Revill, D. R. Robinson, K. C. Slater, P. G. Stephenson, Brig R. F. E. Stoney, F. B. Stubbs, Rev L. M. Styler, E. D. Taylor, Mrs B. Thornley, D. J. Thorpe, W. C. Waterman, M. H. E. Watson, A. R. Wheatley, C. E. Williams, A. H. Wright.
 

Comments
About 450 entries; a few mistakes, mostly with DECKLE and SISSOO. I try to avoid giving you 6-letter words with two unches too often but from time to time it is unavoidable and I make up for it with easier-than-normal clues. At least that’s the theory.
 
A good entry this month. Plenty of good clues and new competitors, including a thirteen- and a fourteen-year old. A number of you included references to Punch and Judy which produced neat clues but since, as far as I was able to discover, they are always glove puppets I had to exclude such clues from the VHC list and above. Another device which cropped up more than once for some reason was F as an abbreviation for ‘fellow’. Chambers gives this but only as part of a longer abbreviation, e.g. F.R.C.S., F.R.A., etc. If one is to allow F for fellow, one should logically accept R = royal, A = academy, and so on. This I cannot do. It seems to me to open the door to all sorts of bogus abbreviated equivalents. I’d like to say more in a future slip about abbreviations in general, but this example will suffice for now.
 
May I remind you all of the request which accompanies competition puzzles asking for explanatory notes to your clues. Some quite complicated clues come with no elucidation whatever; others assume an unwarranted degree of polymathy on my part (like the solver whose clue was followed by the note: ‘see concluding paragraph in “Vanity Fair” ’). Judging the competitions is quite time-consuming enough without involving visits to the public library!
 
With Christmas approaching I’ve no time for more except to say that January’s puzzles will look slightly different. The diagrams will be rectangular, a little taller than they are wide. This will allow more space for letters, numbers and bars in the solution diagrams and also save time in the proofing stage since it will be done entirely by the printer and not, as before, by an artist and then the printer. I’m not sure whether I really prefer the end product though it is undeniably more convenient for the Observer people. Let me know what you think if you have views.
 
Finally a sincere thank you for all your good wishes and seasonal greetings. A merry Christmas and happy solving in 1973 to you all.