AZED CROSSWORD 603

FIGULINE

1.  W. J. M. Scotland: Fragile unit this art throws? (comp. anag. & lit.).

2.  A. Scott: From this we’d pour fluid, e.g. wine (comp. anag. & lit.).

3.  P. R. Clemow: Crock – fated to die with one lung collapsed within (anag. incl. I in fie; see fey¹).

VHC

C. Allen Baker: Here’s a little number, trendy in rubber or plastic… (fig. + in in ule).

M. J. Balfour: I sniff limitless glue, being desperate for pot (anag. incl. (s)nif(f)).

E. A. Beaulah: Potter makes me specious – in that I cheat endlessly (I gul(l) in fine; ref. Stephen P., ‘One-Upmanship’).

Mrs K. Bissett: One in Gulf moulded in Earth’s first clay (I in anag. + in E; ref. Omar Khayyam).

A. G. Bogie: Form, turn (on wheels), and work supplies of potter’s clay (fig² U line).

M. Coates: Pot one red almost in making slight contact with ball (I gul(y) in fine).

R. Dean: I handle wheels, absorbed in exquisite pottery (I lug (rev.) in fine).

N. C. Dexter: Pot requiring Reardon’s extreme guile if snookered (anag. incl. (Reardo)n; ref. Ray R., snooker).

N. C. Goddard: I pull to the left in striking what may be thrown (I lug (rev.) in fine).

D. A. Grassland: Fix largely obtained by abuse of glue in pot (fi(x) + anag.).

P. F. Henderson: This bit of biscuit may be smashed if I bungle (comp. anag. incl. b, & lit.).

Mrs J. Higgins: Pot? Try taking in glue if in need of a change! (anag.).

M. Jellis: Griffiths’ third short red is pocketed in excellent example of the potter’s art (i + gul(y) in fine; ref. Terry G.).

A. H. Jones: What should be thrown with care I flung, i.e. smashed (anag.).

B. K. Kelly: Nothing for the countryman to loathe – quite the reverse – in eccentric example of the potter’s art (nil ug (rev.) in fie; see fey¹).

F. P. N. Lake: As traditionally thrown in row after female ego starts to get upset? (f I g u + line, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: Clay with straw – superior stuff (fig U line; fig, straw = thing of little consequence).

S. M. Mansell: Riotous fun with long lost Gillie Potter’s material (anag., less l; ref. former radio comedian).

L. May: Plastic reflects for example condition that nothing of better quality gets in (nil U in e.g. if (all rev.)).

L. Paterson: Right out of form, turned nothing instead of pottery (figure with nil (rev.) for r).

J. H. Russell: Pot wild life with gun one smuggled in (I in anag.).

T. A. J. Spencer: Example of potter’s art form – top class 50 in opening of exhibition (fig² U L in e; snooker).

J. F. N. Wedge: Quirky fun? Gillie (long gone) Potter created it (anag. less l; ref. former radio comedian).

HC

T. H. Ayre, W. Bauer, R. E. Boot, J. M. Brown, E. J. Burge, C. J. & M. P. Butler, C. A. Clarke, W. H. C. Cobb, Mrs D. M. Colley, P. W. Davenport, D. M. Duckworth, A. J. Duncum, O. M. Ellis, D. S. Fielker, Dr I. S. Fletcher, B. Franco, M. Freeman, S. Goldie, J. J. Goulstone, J. F. Grimshaw, V. G. Henderson, A. W. Hill, R. J. Hooper, W. Jackson, G. Johnstone, J. R. H. Jones, J. Lawrence, C. W. Laxton, J. H. C. Leach, J. F. P. Levey, Dr R. A. Main, Rev W. P. Manahan, H. S. Mason, H. W. Massingham, J. P. Mernagh, C. G. Millin, W. L. Miron, J. H. Moore, J. J. Moore, J. G. Morgan, C. J. Morse, F. Moss, D. A. Myles, R. J. Palmer, G. Perry, B. A. Pike, Mrs L. E. Pimlott, D. Price Jones, D. Riley, Mrs H. Roberts, B. F. Russell, L. G. D. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, D. P. Shenkin, Mrs E. J. Shields, W. K. M. Slimmings, R. N. G. Stone, F. B. Stubbs, D. G. Tallis, R. T. Taylor, R. Weatherburn, T. Wightman, G. H. Willett, S. Woods, Dr R. L. Wynne, Dr E. Young, and an entry without name or address beginning ‘O to be back in shape…’ (Mr Bradbury?).
 

COMMENTS
420 entries, scarcely any mistakes. A few commented that the puzzle was stiffer than usual, though not unduly so. New words in the latest edition of Chambers are beginning to creep into the puzzles and plenty of you must still be hoping that Father Christmas will do the needful! In retrospect I think my definition of GO as part of GOLLOP (‘succeed’) was questionable. Chambers defines the noun as ‘success’ (e.g. ‘make a go of something’) but the analogy is unsound. I’m also not too sure now about ‘alongside a vessel’ for ABEAM.
 
The clue word was a mixed blessing, I opine – available as both a noun and an adjective, with a nice broad meaning, yet at the same time limited in what you could do effectively with it. The Chinese or Japanese statuette (figurine) idea was neat but overdone and the temptation to use ‘flung’ alongside ‘thrown’ was understandably strong. Stephen Potter came in for a lot of treatment too, though very few achieved anything really memorable with him. The other most widely used ploy included anagrams involving ‘glue’. Especially popular was wording like ‘glue if in pieces’ intended to mean ‘glue if in in pieces’ or ‘pieces of glue if in’ – an impossible construction in my view (though common enough in less rigorous crossword circles, I concede).
 
I’d like to quote two otherwise good clues spoiled by minor faults to show how these could be simply avoided, (i) ‘Plastic goodies are exhibited primarily in lieu of fresh – none go off.’ Here the plural forms of both verbs are unacceptable since in each case a single letter is intended as the subject. (I’m also less than wholly satisfied with ‘primarily’ used to mean ‘initially’ in this context, but that’s another matter.) With minimal adjustment the following very acceptable clue could result: ‘Plastic goodies initially displayed (better than ‘exhibited’?) in lieu of fresh – none will go off.’ (ii) ‘Dresses may sport it – and it’s fashionable in a natural material, too.’ Explanation: fig + in in ule, and an ambitious attempt to include an ‘& lit.’ definition of FIGULINE in 3 senses, viz. an earthenware vessel; tactile; of earthenware. What bothers me is that the ‘it’ can only refer to the answer to the whole clue, not to just part of it (fig, what a human dresser sports). Consider the following rewording: ‘What dresser may sport – fashionable, in a natural material, too.’ We now have an excellent ‘& lit.’ clue to FIGULINE (noun), with a misleading suggestion that the solver must look for an article of dress, and the nice ‘fashionable = able to be fashioned’ (though to be quite strict about it Chambers doesn’t give this sense). See what I mean?