AZED CROSSWORD 513

ETYMOLOGICON

1.  J. G. Stubbs: Notice gym loo stinking? Onions, possibly (anag.; ref. C. T. Onions, editor of Oxford Dict. of Eng. Etymology).

2.  C. J. Lowe: Break my toe on chunk of wood? – Figure the volume of verbal originality! (anag. + log + icon).

3.  D. H. Tompsett: What’s ‘cento’ originally about? I go and look mine up (I go lo my (rev.) in anag., & lit.).

VHC

M. J. Balfour: Brewer’s product gives me too cloying a sensation (anag.; Dict. of Phrase & Fable).

E. J. Burge: Round 1 – gloomy Conteh almost out. That explains origin of language used! (I in anag. less h; ref. John C., boxer).

E. Chalkley: Tattered tome, thick one that follower of X has got in study? (Y in anag. + log I + con, & lit.; thick n.; X = Ximenes).

N. C. Dexter: Go look my note up – and figure the root (go lo my te (rev.) + icon, & lit.).

M. G. Elliott: Shell GT Economy Oil: BL may find it useful (anag.; BL = Bachelor of Letters, British Leyland).

P. S. Elliott: Where one finds the elements in a word gloomy, ice not melting (anag.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Could be I’m to undergo revision with neology about to be included (anag. incl. c, & lit.).

O. H. Frazer: Chambers? My loo got nice potty! (anag.).

J. A. Gill: In cometology is a derivation of this – and vice versa (anag. & lit.).

S. Goldie: I’ll give you serendipity’s root: correct sources of my information go to Ceylon (anag. incl. m i).

J. J. Goulstone: Placement for neologic mot? Yes, initially (anag. incl. Y, & lit.).

D. V. Harry: A ready source of words, that’s me – I go to C. only rarely (anag.; rare = extraordinary; C. = Chambers).

J. P. H. Hirst: Book of words; odd loco men go by it, ignoring lead from Buckton (anag. less B; ref. Ray B., ASLEF Gen. Sec.).

W. Jackson: Abroad and gloomy, distracted, I no longer know where to establish roots (et + anag. + I con).

M. D. Laws: In motel, go coy with embarrassment, and book giving dubious origins? (anag.; ref. ‘etym. dub.’).

D. F. Manley: My OE lingo C. T. Onions initially edited perhaps (anag. incl. O, & lit.; ref. editor of Oxford Dict. of Eng. Etymology).

L. May: Try me. (I go only to C.) (anag. & lit.; I = AZ, C. = Chambers; try = sift etc.).

C. G. Millin: Having no C, my source of true English around, I go and look up another dictionary (I go lo in no C my t E, all rev.; C = Chambers).

C. J. Morse: I’m not infatuated with ecology, I’m just devoted to roots (anag.).

R. J. Palmer: In book of ‘Roots’ e g. I’m to colony transported (anag.; ref. Alex Haley novel).

D. Riley: It relates ‘icy’ to O.E., O.N., and M.L.G. (anag. & lit.; old languages).

Mrs E. J. Shields: Into ecology, worried about origin of manure? My leaves supply roots with organic particles (anag. incl. m; see organic in C.).

P. D. Smith: It defines ento-, myco- and olig- in composition (anag. & lit.).

J. F. N. Wedge: ‘Roots’ book upset me – too cloying (anag.; ref. Alex Haley novel).

HC

Miss M. R. Adcock, Mrs G. M. Barker, M. Barley, E. A. Beaulah, A. Bottoms, Miss A. R. Bradford, A. J. Bulman, C. J. & M. P. Butler, P. Cargill, C. A. Clarke, D. L. L. Clarke, P. R. Clemow, Mrs D. M. Colley, Mrs J. B. Coltham, A. G. Corrigan, A. J. Crow, R. Dean, R. A. England, C. J. Feetenby, Mrs J. Ferris, M. Goodyear, Ms J. Gore, J. F. Grimshaw, B. Hancock, E. L. Hancock, R. Harling, V. G. Henderson, Mrs S. Hewitt, Mrs N. Hobbs, R. J. Hooper, J. G. Hull, M. Jellis, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, G. Johnstone, C. L. Jones, J. F. Jones, F. P. N. Lake, J. W. Leonard, R. K. Lumsdon, J. D. H. Mackintosh, Dr R. A. Main, L. K. Maltby, Rev W. P. Manahan, T. A. Martin, H. W. Massingham, J. J. Moore, R. A. Mostyn, J. J. Murtha, D. S. Nagle, P. Oldershaw, N. O’Neill, F. R. Palmer, S. L. Paton, R. Quibell, R. F. Ray, C. P. Rea, C. W. Robins, G. C. Rosser, H. R. Sanders, L. G. D. Sanders, A. D. Scott, W. K. M. Slimmings, G. Snowden-Davies, M. C. Souster, T. A. J. Spencer, B. Stuart, F. B. Stubbs, J. B. Sweeting, I. Torbe, W. Woodruff.
 

COMMENTS
490 entries or so and very few mistakes, mainly through failure to understand SAIC (C (100) for L (50) in SAIL) or failure to find MERI (under MERE (4) in C). Some subdued muttering about the second 12-letter word running (third if you exclude the 6-letter P.D. at Christmas). This is pure inadvertence on my part, and the result when setting each competition of choosing the most promising-looking clue-word regardless of length.
 
Another clue that caused difficulty to more than a few was the one to MELANGE. This is quite simply LA in MENGE (sv. MING (1) in C). I did not indicate that MENGE is ‘old’ since Chambers labels it archaic not obsolete and there is a difference, even though I don’t recall ever having heard it used even as an archaism.
 
In general it was a pretty average sort of competition, with the clue-word one that didn’t quite live up to expectations perhaps. Rather too many gloomy notices and variations on the ‘anagram of yet + logic in moon’ formula. Two unsuccessful clues (both HCs) deserve mention as ‘nearly-but-not-quites’. One attempted a new coinage for the etymologicon: Lingooectomy (rare) – extraction of tongue by roots.’ A lovely idea which I’d have been tempted to award with a prize but for the extra ‘o’ in the nonce-word which no etymological rule could justify, and the somewhat vague definition. Secondly: ‘A dicky set. Regulating volume for Call My Bluff’ I only got ‘Come Dancing’!’ ‘A dicky set’ is based on dick = dictionary, but why ‘set’? An etymologicon need not be more than one volume. The rest of the clue is very nice though, even if the exclamation mark is a superfluity.
 
A final comment on the timing of specials. Some of you complain when special puzzles (i.e. not the standard ‘plains’) occur on other Sundays than the first in the month, on the grounds presumably that you are thus denied the opportunity of a competition using one of the non-standard clue types. It is true that of late I’ve been sticking pretty closely to the pattern of a special every six weeks, special occasions (like No. 500) and e.g. Christmas excepted. This usually means a competition special about every third month which I regard as a reasonable balance. For one thing there are many solvers who do not compete but submit entries for the non-competition puzzles whether plain or special and it would be wrong to deny them the chance to win a special completely. For another of course it is often the case that I ask for standard clues to be submitted for special competitions so the distinction is not a real one.