AZED CROSSWORD 610

DOUBLETHINK

1.  N. C. Dexter: By it ‘truth’ and ‘lie’ looked alternately interchangeable (anag. of alternate letters, & lit.).

2.  M. Barley: Apparently TT, hard drinker at heart: a novel form of split personality! (i.e. double T + H + (dr)ink(er)).

3.  E. A. Beaulah: Policy advocated by this year’s Socialist party line: veering plusleftwards with Kinnocklead? (double + thin + K; heraldry, golf; ref. Neil K., Newspeak; this year = 1984).

VHC

F. D. H. Atkinson: East’s weakness, thinks West, bidding caution: ‘Before you ——!’ (2 mngs.; ref. Communism, bridge).

E. J. Burge: Line judge required. Qualification – ability to accept simultaneously contrary opinions (double + think; double, heraldry).

R. L. Chambers: Uh! rot set in, kind o’ funny going round saying yes and no to the same question (blet in uh in anag.).

C. A. Clarke: This might be exhibited by far left in 2000 – or now (i.e. thin in double K; thin, golf; K = 1,000; now = 1984).

L. J. Davenport: Karate – this splitting in two leads to divided mentality (i.e. ka rate = double think).

N. C. Goddard: Mental polarity could be what is needed at board level to finish design! (double think; i.e. at dartboard).

P. F. Henderson: This is shown by the Party in the UK Blair, expressing atmosphere, evolved (do + anag. less air, & lit.; Blair = Orwell).

B. C. James: Party’s oddly blue and to the far left, taking Kinnock’s lead – exhibiting this? (do + anag. + thin + K; thin, golf; Neil K.).

Miss T. Kennemore: Tight garment; measure king for ability to wear two things that rub (doublet + hin + K).

J. H. C. Leach: Line judge reckoning ‘in’ as ‘out’? That’s typical (double think; double, heraldry).

D. F. Manley: State of tension in the head? In it there may be repeated thuds! (i.e. double sink lisped).

C. G. Millin: Power to hold two conflicting beliefs is due – link both, otherwise … (anag.; i.e. due in 1984).

J. D. Moore: Kind that’s ‘Blue’ tho’ revolutionary shows it (anag.; that’s = that has).

T. J. Moorey: Capacity to embrace opposing arguments, possibly both unliked! (anag.).

C. J. Morse: Line judge makes a habit of inconsistent opinions (double think; double, heraldry).

F. R. Palmer: Party’s central point headed ‘the contrary must be held in conjunction’ (do + (h)ub + anag. in link, & lit.).

K. Pearce: Simultaneously accepting contrary propositions general assembly of UN liked both! (anag.).

W. J. M. Scotland: What’s curtailed uncertainty with force, embracing the curious ultimate of Newspeak? (doub(t) + anag. in lin + k, & lit.; lin², force² = waterfall).

A. D. Scott: A trick to diminish Oldspeak ultimately? (double + thin + k, & lit.; ref. ‘1984’).

J. F. N. Wedge: Utter ambivalence left English in uncertainty and on the spot in Hong Kong, (l E in doubt + in in HK).

M. G. Wilson: Being both Tory and Labour perhaps is uncommonly bold in the UK (anag.).

L. C. Wright: Sophism – that’s bunk I held to stupidly (anag.).

HC

R. Abrey, C. Allen Baker, D. W. Arthur, R. L. Baker, Dr A. M. Bangham, J. D. D. Blaikie, C. Brougham, C. O. Butcher, D. A. H. Byatt, M. Coates, Mrs J. M. Critchley, A. J. Crow, A. L. Dennis, G. & J. Ferris, E. H. Freedman, M. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, R. R. Greenfield, J. F. Grimshaw, R. S. Haddock, Mrs B. E. Henderson, V. G. Henderson, J. C. Hobbs, A. H. Jones, C. L. Jones, J. R. H. Jones, A. Lawrie, J. C. Leyland, J. D. Lockett, C. J. Lowe, W. F. Main, L. K. Maltby, H. W. Massingham, T. W. Mortimer, S. J. O’Boyle, R. J. Palmer, L. Paterson, S. L. Paton, A. R. Rudge, L. G. D. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, M. Sanderson, C. A. Sears, W. K. M. Slimmings, P. D. Smith, B. Stuart, F. B. Stubbs, K. Thomas, M. J. E. Wareham, Mrs M. P. Webber, R. J. Whale, S. Woods, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
323 entries and quite a few mistakes – mainly SCRAGGY for SCROGGY and TAMIN for TAMMY. The first of these meant identifying ‘unplaced’ as A which won’t do (0 meaning ‘unplaced’ being a common enough convention in racing circles and one I’ve used before). TAMIN did fit the clue as well as TAMMY unfortunately and I’m cross with myself for not having spotted what may have seemed an unkind red herring. Of course only TAMMY satisfied the misprint/quotation sequence but I apologise if the alternative answer to the clue prolonged the overall struggle unduly for some.
 
Expecting a deluge of ‘1984’ puzzles I wanted to get mine in early. Indeed I had it scheduled for New Year’s Day but the fates decreed otherwise. It was a hard puzzle – I think you all found it so – though with all the extra help I gave you including the broad hint in the title I was surprised that even a small handful (about a dozen) failed to spot the clue-word. The trouble with this type of special is that it can introduce a more-than-average number of unches into certain words, which is a bit unfair, though as the quotation reveals itself it clearly helps somewhat to know the letter in an unsolved word that has been misprinted. RECEIPT was a case in point, since it contained effectively 3 unches, and I wish now I’d given it an easier clue. Never mind, most seemed to relish the extra toughness, and there’s every chance I’ll give you another puzzle on similar lines on some appropriate future occasion. What decided me to choose it this time was the happy realisation that George Orwell and Winston Smith each have 12 letters, serendipitous indeed!
 
DOUBLETHINK proved a difficult word to deal with effectively. I was a bit disappointed that so few had a go at writing a clue in Newspeak but perhaps it was felt that this would have given the game away to a solver too easily. Anagrams not unnaturally predominated as they tend to with longer words (of which some accuse me of having starved you lately!).
 
The new type-size for clues seems about as small as it can go for comfort, though the overall area for the crossword is neatly compact. I hope no one is seriously put off. We must all bow to the computer these days, it seems.