AZED CROSSWORD 660

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (Anagram)

1.  N. C. Dexter: East’s trio encounter new saviour at manger.

2.  Dr J. Burscough: At our wainscot, no murine ever greets Santa.

3.  B. Greer: Are vermin to cut out row, seeing Santa’s near?

VHC (extra prizes)

D. Ashcroft: Eastern magi encounter new star – to saviour.

Mrs G. M. Barker: Wise men trace a route to star over a snug inn.

M. Barley: C. Moore verse one utters, awaiting Santa run?

E. A. Beaulah: Creator sent to men a new sign – a Saviour true.

Mrs K. Bissett: I’ve an anagram serious setter won’t trounce.

C. J. Brougham: Ace wags sort out a verset on an inert murine.

W. Davies: Setter sure means to ruin vacation, we groan.

E. Dawid: Eastern Magi encounter new star to Saviour.

S. Goldie: I savour innocent awe treasures get at morn.

D. V. Harry: Now Eastern magi encounter Saviour at rest.

V. G. Henderson: Incarnate Son? Star gave wise men tour route.

R. Jacks: So creative an arrangement’s sure to win out.

J. C. Leyland: Crimson nose gave Santa a true winter route.

D. F. Manley: Santa comes on a winter eve’s urgent air tour.

C. G. Millin: In a wee manger our saviour’s at rest, content.

T. K. Milsom: Santa creating verse? No, untrue – it was Moore.

S. J. O’Boyle: Winner’s sure to set out on creative anagram.

R. J. Palmer: Wise trio can use star on venture to a manger.

Mrs E. M. Phair: Wise Men urge on caravan – it’s en route to Star.

L. Richards: ‘Ave tu!’ sing we’t, /’Rosa anni! /Recrea tu /Morte nos!’

G. J. H. Roberts: Magi set true course to a new star over an inn.

W. J. M. Scotland: No wee vermin scurries out at Santa on grate.

A. D. Scott: New star out, seen to trace Saviour in manger.

G. A. Tomlinson: Star steering wise men out on caravan route.

Rev C. D. Westbrook: At rest in a manger, our wee Saviour’s content.

G. J. Wheeler: At rest in a manger our wee saviour’s content.

HC

K. Aaronovich, Mrs E. Allen, C. Allen Baker, D. W. Arthur, G. Aspin, I. M. Barton, Dr P. M. J. Bennett, R. Brain, E. J. Bushell, R. S. Caffyn, C. A. Clarke, D. L. W. Collins, R. M. S. Cork, Mrs M. P. Craine, P. W. Davenport, R. V. Dearden, Ms V. Edwards, M. Fairy, Dr J. Felton, E. G. Fletcher, R. E. Ford, P. D. Gaffey, D. Giles, R. W. Hawes, E. L. Hayward, Mrs R. Herbert, G. B. Higgins, C. Hobbs, G. Hobbs, J. M. Hutchinson, J. I. & B. C. James, A. H. Jones, N. Kemmer, N. Kessel, R. E. Kimmons, M. Kindred, J. R. Kirby, J. P. Lester, J. F. P. Levey, M. Lloyd, C. Loving, R. K. Lumsdon, M. J. Lunan, A. D. MacDermot, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, Mrs J. Mahood, L. May, G. McStravick, D. P. M. Michael, J. R. C. Michie, J. D. Moore, C. J. Morse, R. A. Mostyn, A. W. T. Mottram, P. Mungo, S. L. Paton, Mr & Mrs P. S. Peters, D. Price Jones, R. F. Ray, D. R. Robinson, P. A. Rook, H. R. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, J. W. Sherwood, A. J. Shields, N. G. Shippobotham, W. K. M. Slimmings, A. J. Sobey, T. A. J. Spencer, F. B. Stubbs, R. I. Sutherland, J. B. Sweeting, D. H. Tompsett, A. P. Vincent, P. J. Wagstaffe, M. R. Wetherfield, R. J. Whale, Mrs B. Wharf, G. H. Willett, P. B. G. Williams, Dr E. Young, R. F. Zobel.
 

COMMENTS
A marvellous Christmas entry, 625 in all, perhaps 50 of them flawed, mostly with RIMA(V)L for RIVA(V)L or with some alternative initial letter for PEC(E)H. The former wasn’t intended as a red herring (RIVA and RIMA being roughly synonymous) since the definition part of the clue (‘old fellow’) was quite unambiguous, so I was surprised that so many stumbled here.
 
The large entry and the many appreciative comments seemed to indicate that the puzzle offered about the right degree of challenge for the festive season and though a few muttered testily about their distaste for long anagrams, the uniformly excellent standard of those submitted (creating real problems of adjudication) spoke for itself. After the rigours of the Superbrain competition I was looking for a not too demanding idea and lighted on this variation on an old theme with some satisfaction. The 36-letter quotation (not too readily findable in the ODQ!) was a happy windfall and the diagram construction proved less challenging than you might suppose. A free, floating extra letter gives considerable flexibility though by deciding to make such extra letters checked in every case I automatically made things easier for you and tougher for me. I was also conscious of the need, when phrasing the subsidiary indications in down clues, to be as precise as possible in showing where the extra letters occurred, so that clues solved could be entered at once.
 
I had some really excellent anagrams to choose from and congratulate you all on your inventiveness. In the last analysis I tended to prefer topicality (Christmas, the competition, events of the day, etc.) to pure creative manipulation of the 36 letters regardless of the result. Almost all anagrams submitted avoided repetition of words in the original quotation (with the occasional exception of ‘a’) and some achieved amazing succinctness. One (alas nonsensical) entry reproduced it in four words only: ‘Ostentatious warmonger venerates uranic.’ Mr. Richards’s refrain of an early carol entitled "The Yere’s Rose" is a truly remarkable effort though I hesistated to give a prize to an offering almost entirely in Latin for fear of the precedent it might set.
 
Many more messages of good will for 1985 came with this competition. My thanks for them all. I hope I am preserved in health to keep you all diverted for another year at least. It now looks as though the Superbrain Competition final puzzle will not be reproduced in The Observer but copies of it should be obtainable from the Promotions Department of the paper in due course. Look out for an announcement in February.