AZED CROSSWORD 70

GESTAPO (Misprints)

1.  H. W. Massingham: Sound – a step in broadcasting – helped establish Reith (Reich; anag. in go; ref. Lord R.).

2.  L. H. Stewart: Over-indulgence in potages could produce bellies in the forties (bullies; anag.).

3.  G. Aspin: Germany’s secret buzz bombs tore gaps after release of rocket head (fuzz; anag. less r).

VHC

Mrs A. J. Bell: Under-cover policy bearing a President’s seal? (police; gest a P O; seal = circular mark, ’s = has).

Rev C. M. Broun: To gape’s not exactly polite – very unpleasant too (police; anag.).

C. O. Butcher: Rampant love caresses e.g. in the car could be fatal to those inside (war; 0 pats e.g. (all rev.)).

Flt-Sgt J. Dromey: Privy polite name for office containing inelegant seat (police; anag. in GPO; office = latrine, GPO).

R. P. C. Forman: German pies and pâtés go off (pigs; anag.).

S. C. Gilchrist: They hated Newry. Out goes Pat (Jewry; anag.).

S. Goldie: To pages broadcast in the Third Reith applied ruthless control (Reich; anag.; ref. Lord R., BBC Third programme).

J. J. Goulstone: Hiller’s heavy brigade rampages. Tap on will hold them (Hitler’s; hidden; ref. Bob H., rugby player).

Mrs R. Harvey: Try without a step wrong – force used by Hiller (Hitler; anag. in go; ref. Bob H., rugby player).

E. M. Hornby: Established amid the trees by the river, they snoozed under cover (snooped; est. in gapó).

D. P. M. Michael: Secretly goes about to eavesdrop – disgraceful political farce (force; tap in anag.).

P. J. Oddy: Relay pages to hunters of news (Jews; anag.).

L. W. G. Oxley: Hiller’s side-kicks go past end of loose maul (Hitler’s; anag. incl. e; ref. Bob H., rugby player).

F. R. Palmer: Old age pension gets reviewed – outcome’s a cruel farce (force; anag. incl. OAP).

Miss M. J. Patrick: Foreign policy established in General Assembly’s lower chamber (police; est. in GA + po).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Hitter’s force occupies gully with uppish strokes (Hitler’s; pats (rev.) in geo).

Brig R. F. E. Stoney: High postage policy that met strong resistance (police; anag.; high = drunk).

F. B. Stubbs: There’s creamed sago, pet, and perhaps some Hamburgers with chips (whips; anag.).

G. A. Tomlinson: Lofted strokes in the gully. Miller controlled them latterly (Müller; pats (rev.) in geo; ref. Heinrich Müller and William Miller, former Aus. batsman).

J. F. N. Wedge: Hiller’s mainstay, the kick, short and goes badly outside (Hitler’s; tap in anag.; ref. Bob H., rugby player).

C. E. Williams: The scourge of Merlin could make a pest go (Berlin; anag.).

S. E. Woods: A good deal of tepid sago sloshed about in German farce (force; anag. incl. tep(id)).

HC

T. Anderson, Col P. S. Baines, J. C. Barnes, J. W. Bates, Mrs K. Bissett, Mrs A. Boyes, E. J. Burge, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. E. Crow, R. A. Dehn, J. H. Doran, Miss L. Eveleigh, Dr E. Gallagher, N. Gambier, F. D. Gardiner, R. B. Harling, P. R. L. Heath, J. P. H. Hirst, S. Holgate, R. H. F. Isham, A. Jackson, Miss H. Jenkins, J. H. C. Leach, D. J. MacKay, H. S. Mason, C. G. Millin, W. L. Miron, C. J. Morse, R. A. Mostyn, F. E. Newlove, R. F. Pardoe, M. L. Perkins, Mrs G. Rajkowska, L. G. D. Sanders, J. G. Stubbs, J. B. Sweeting, C. M. Tatham, A. R. Trowell, Mrs M. P. Webber, B. C. Wilcox.
 

Comments
Only 220 entries, over 60 of them incorrect, the most common mistake being HICCUPS for HICCUPY. I couldn’t accept this, though I tried. The misprint in the clue was DRINK for DRUNK, and ‘start of your drunk’ as a definition of HICCUPS will hardly do, whereas ‘start of your’ surely screams ‘y’. My commiserations to the disqualified.
 
Either I’m getting more difficult or this was an unusually tough puzzle, or both. ‘Misprints’ are usually more testing than most specials, but I was disappointed at the size of entry, the only compensating factor being that it took less time to judge than normal! Anagrams were the most popular device by far – understandable in view of the large number available (see above). It’s worth noting that a misprint clue is almost the only one where you can’t use the ‘& lit’ device. If the misprinted clue is as much a definition of the answer as its original it cannot really be considered to be misprinted. Ximenes made the point in his slip to No. 1131 for those who keep scrap-books.
 
A regular solver has written to query my growing tendency to use ‘a bit of’ to mean ‘the first letter of’, citing ‘two bits of spam’ = SP in this puzzle. His point is that a bit of something could come from any part of it and that the example given could just as easily indicate SM, SA, PA, PM or AM. I hope I am not being too contrary if I say that I regard the way I used the device as acceptable, the latter possible readings of it not. It is a somewhat lazy way out, I agree, and not to be overdone but I would always regard ‘a bit of’, ‘a piece of’ as coming from the front of a word unless additional directions in the clue indicated otherwise. I once used ‘some egg’ to indicate E but was very unhappy about it and haven’t repeated the formula, though the same principle applies.