AZED CROSSWORD 423

ACCOUTRE

1.  T. J. Moorey: Carter coup tails off in disarray – prepare for war? (anag. of Carte(r) cou(p); ref. Iran hostages fiasco).

2.  A. G. Bogie: Prepare for war? Oddly, a truce is broken by one who won’t (CO in anag.).

3.  E. M. Holroyd: Prepare one to receive cut or hit? (anag. in ace, & lit.).

VHC

Dr J. K. Aronson: Dress account over-extravagant – very little change at the end of a hundred sovereign (acc. outré, a C couter with er rev.).

M. Barnes: Actor’s confused with cue – old ones would when tiring (anag.; tire³).

E. J. Burge: It’s extravagant and beneath amateur cricket club to equip with helmets, etc (A CC + outré).

N. C. Dexter: Coat curée, possibly (anag. & lit.; ref. deriv. in SOED: ‘prob. f. à + coustre a sacristan, who robed the clergyman’).

N. C. Goddard: Play ace or cut deck (anag.).

G. B. Higgins: Bill in error; second note put in mail (acc. out re).

E. M. Hornby: County do attended by Queen in service dress (Co. ut R in ace; do²).

H. Hudson: No time for truce, coat off, equip for battle (anag. less t).

A. Lawrie: Get head of clinic in to cure a broken arm (c in anag.).

D. F. Manley: Deck tennis service may go outside court with a splash (anag. in ace).

S. M. Mansell: Cricket club in the field are about to prepare for battle (CC out in are).

D. P. M. Michael: A little volume, beyond what is proper – fit for scrapping (a cc outré).

C. J. Morse: TUC & Co. are jolted by current suit (anag.; ref. court injunction against 14 May strike).

T. W. Mortimer: Stove, court ace, gets ready to serve? (anag.; ref. Betty S.; ready vb.).

F. R. Palmer: Invest to equip rig? The bill’s fantastic – and so is what’s to accrue (acc. outré, anag., 3 defs.).

Mrs A. G. Phillips: Members of O.C.T.U. may take care to dress so (anag. & lit.; Officer Cadet Training Unit).

B. Roe: Dress coat recut short – to fit? (anag. incl. recu(t)).

W. J. M. Scotland: Supply contents of pouch, pack etc to Sappers? (anag. of inside letters + RE, & lit.).

B. D. Smith: Furnish a target for former Anglo-French investors, accepting a price on the Bourse (coût (Fr.) in Acre; ref. siege of A.; invest = besiege).

J. C. P. Taylor: Current cost accounting reverses extravagant habit (CCA (rev.) + outré).

I. Torbe: A drop too much! Ready for a fight (a cc outré).

Mrs M. R. Wishart: You’ll get rum below according to deck (acc. + outré).

W. Woodruff: Sovereign shuffles feet after bill for dress (a/c + couter with er rev.).

HC

C. Allen Baker, T. Anderson, F. D. H. Atkinson, M. J. Balfour, M. K. Bamber, A. J. Bulman, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, E. Chalkley, D. P. Chappell, C. A. Clarke, P. R. Clemow, M. Coates, A. G. C. Cox, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. J. Crow, Mrs C. M. Delso, O. M. Ellis, C. E. Faulkner-King, Dr I. S. Fletcher, O. H. Frazer, F. D. Gardiner, J. A. Gill, S. Goldie, J. F. Grimshaw, I. F. Haines, F. W. Hall, D. V. Harry, R. N. Haygarth, P. F. Henderson, V. G. Henderson, A. Hodgson, W. Islip, B. K. Kelly, N. Kemmer, F. P. N. Lake, M. D. Laws, J. P. Lester, B. Lowe, W. F. Main, L. K. Maltby, C. S. Marcus, H. S. Mason, Rev M. R. Metcalf, R. A. Mostyn, J. P. O’Neill, S. L. Paton, W. H. Pegram, Mrs E. M. Phair, C. P. Rea, K. Reed, E. W. Richart, D. R. Robinson, T. E. Sanders, W. K. M. Slimmings, F. B. Stubbs, Dr G. A. Styles, R. C. Teuton, R. VanLangen, L. J. Wayman, T. Wightman, L. C. Wright, and an unnamed entry from East Preston, Littlehampton.
 

COMMENTS
410 entries and hardly any mistakes. Quite a lot of you admitted to having opted for BROO instead of BREE initially, thus prolonging the business of completing the SW corner. I hadn’t intended this red herring but don’t regret it. Such things add an extra unlooked-for bit of devilment. The clue-word this month offered a wide range of possibilities both in its component parts and in its agreeably vague definition. There were still too many who defined it as if it was a noun thus spoiling their chances from the outset. And while we’re on the subject, may I urge you all to prune your clues of unnecessary words when all such words are for is to assist the readability or naturalness of the clue. Mr. Mortimer’s clue above is actually quite sound; for the cryptic reading you have to imagine it to mean ‘… ace, gets (you a word which means to) ready to serve’. But why not omit ‘gets’ altogether? To me the clue reads better immediately in that it avoids what one might term ‘instructions to the solver’. These are often necessary and legitimate, I readily concede, but just as often they can be avoided.
 
In the current spate of printing problems, as you will have gathered, quite a lot of reshuffling of forthcoming Azed puzzles has been necessary (the Observer Magazine being prepared and printed separately from and well in advance of the paper). This will probably mean that the competitions for the next two months at least will not appear on the first Sunday. Please bear with this shift in the routine. We’re doing our best to cope with a troublesome situation that is none of our making.
 
May I in conclusion draw your attention to two new crossword collections by Alec Robins, just published as Paperfronts by Elliot Right Way Books, Kingswood, Surrey. Entitled Crosswords for the Addict and Crosswords for the Discerning, they are 75p each and are both divided into three sections: Armchair Cryptics, Slightly Harder Cryptics, and Novelty Puzzles. Admirers of Alec’s style and scrupulous fairness will not be disappointed.