AZED CROSSWORD 635

ROSEMARY

1.  F. R. Palmer: An ideal companion for lamb? (rose Mary, & lit.; ref. nursery rhyme).

2.  J. F. N. Wedge: Nonpareil companion for Lamb? (rose Mary, & lit.; ref. nursery rhyme).

3.  H. S. Mason: Kind of red Queen, once, to produce seasoning for cook (rose Mary; ref. Alice in Wonderland Ch. VIII).

VHC

C. J. Brougham: Sorry Ma bedevilled (touch of exorcism needed) (e in anag., & lit.; ref. film ‘Rosemary’s Baby’).

C. J. Feetenby: What could get you wed, heart lost, after Eros struck (anag. + ma(r)ry, & lit.; ref. Brewer).

N. C. Goddard: Prayers around the middle of November may be for Remembrance (em in rosary; ref. R. Sunday).

J. F. Grimshaw: Encumber this flourishing. That could put paid to your remembrances! (comp. anag. & lit.).

R. J. Hooper: You’ll find ——’s offered with rue ‘with a difference’ in sorry measure (comp. anag. & lit.; ref. Hamlet IV, v).

B. C. James: What gives dish aroma? Recipe in wine can (r in rosé may).

Mrs N. Jarman: Something to sprinkle with – companion to a little tender lamb (rose Mary, & lit.; ref. nursery rhyme).

F. P. N. Lake: Simply got up, lamb’s tender – and tastier with it? (rose, Mary; ref. nursery rhyme).

A. Lawrie: Me leaves are memory’s in play (anag. less me, & lit.).

C. J. Morse: I’m noted for remembering – so rare my lapses (anag.).

R. J. Palmer: Mother involved in devilish sorcery, yielding child initially (ma in anag. less c, & lit.).

A. J. Redstone: This herb’s an ideal one with lamb (rose Mary; ref. nursery rhyme).

E. R. Riddle: Mother is sitting in the garden that brings back memories (ma in rosery).

D. Riley: Trains memory? It might be confused with mint (comp. anag. & lit.).

W. J. M. Scotland: One out for love in spring its balmy leaves may stir madly? (rise with 0 for I + anag. less anag., & lit.).

D. M. Stanford: Stern first old ship is put into stock (i.e. Mary Rose with Rose first).

F. B. Stubbs: This, adding a bit of taste, could transform my roaster (comp. anag. incl. t, & lit.).

HC

K. Aaronovich, R. Abrey, S. Armstrong, F. D. H. Atkinson, Mrs K. Bissett, E. J. Burge, C. A. Clarke, Mrs D. Colley, Mrs J. M. Critchley, R. V. Dearden, N. C. Dexter, Dr I. S. Fletcher, M. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, J. Gill, S. Goldie, Mrs L. A. Graves, P. F. Henderson, Mrs J. Higgins, W. Jackson, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, A. H. Jones, M. Kissen, P. W. W. Leach, J. P. Lester, C. J. Lowe, D. F. Manley, S. M. Mansell, H. W. Massingham, L. May, H. J. McClarron, G. McStravick, C. G. Millin, T. J. Moorey, F. E. Newlove, B. Roe, H. R. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, D. P. Shenkin, R. C. Teuton, K. Thomas, H. Tillier, M. G. Wilson.
 

COMMENTS
Another low entry, 212 in all and quite a lot of mistakes. What’s come over you all? The problem largely stemmed from the THYME variations which clearly worried many of you. I foresaw that these might prove tricky and pondered long and hard on whether to give you the unchecked letters, deciding finally that the link was logical and fair and that therefore extra help was unwarranted. I still feel that way and wonder whether those who agonised so over the appropriateness of TERM actually noticed the existence of TURM in C. For those still in the dark the link is that THYME sounds like TIME and TURM and WILE sound like synonyms of TIME. Surely not too far-fetched? CHILON caused unexpected difficulties, too. I took him from the list of seven sages given in C. at seven, not suspecting that he might appear in another guise (as CHILO) in other reference books. And to complete the list of principal errors, quite a few had TRAP/PERT for TREF/FERN. TREF is one of the words included for the first time in the new edition of Chambers, but I can’t see how TRAP could ever have been thought to fit the clue (‘Bit of rust appearing in cereal, not right for eating (some say)’) and it would have been pretty feeble of me to have PIERT and PERT as the two variations of PARSLEY.
 
Some of you were unfamiliar with the song in which the theme-words form a refrain. Simon and Garfunkel recorded it memorably in their heyday as a duo, but I suspect it is based on a much older folk-song. The four words have an obvious link anyway so knowledge of their source wasn’t important. I had a nice lot of ROSEMARY clues to sift through, the pick of which appear above. I just preferred Mr Palmer’s to Mr Wedge’s because of the latter’s capital L, not necessary for the clue’s soundness and only put in as an extra red herring for the solver suggesting a cricketing context. (Though fond of the game I am not automatically well-disposed towards clues with a cricketing flavour!)
 
Most of you by now will have seen the announcement of the Observer / Oxford Crossword Superbrain Competition in which some of you will be moved to compete, I hope. I should just add that Chambers will continue to be recommended for all normal Azed puzzles. I’ll be interested to hear though how non-competitors cope with the extra challenge of an unfamiliar set of reference sources.