AZED CROSSWORD 766

GUBBINS

1.  J. Campbell: Scrap deregulation of British busing (anag. incl. B).

2.  N. C. Dexter: Bunter’s interest is awfully big buns (anag.; bunter = ragpicker).

3.  E. Dawid: Clue 1 this month? ‘Thingumbob’s in as an alternative’ (comp. anag. incl. I, & lit.; in = popular).

VHC

C. J. Brougham: What’s turning nut and screwing bolt? (bug (rev.) + snib (rev.) & lit.).

E. J. Burge: What’s produced by bib’s trimming, among other pieces? (anag. in guns, & lit.; g. = fish shavings, see Brewer).

F. D. Gardiner: A device to fasten LEM to rocket (snib bug (rev.)).

S. Goldie: What puts the throb in Heath Robinson? Cannily using bits and bobs for starters (anag. incl. b b).

Ms J. Gore: A trifle big, buns crumble (anag.).

D. V. Harry: Red and white wines (gub bins; red²).

P. F. Henderson: Something trivial stimulated origins of US board game now in British shops (anag. of first letters; ref. Trivial Pursuit).

V. G. Henderson: Red or white wines (gub bins; red²).

G. B. Higgins: Broad’s opening batting contained by Aussie white men – that’s rubbish! (B in in gubs; ref. Chris B.).

T. M. Humphries: Hold up wee catch, an insect or something (snib bug (rev.)).

R. Jacks: Big buns, crackers, small beer (anag.).

W. Jackson: Wee bar fly keels over? It’s nothing to boast about (snib bug (rev.)).

M. S. Taylor & N. C. Johns: Gizmo brings gremlin uprising – bedlam follows ultimately (bug (rev.) + bin + s; ref. film ‘Gremlins’).

C. W. Laxton: Take discarded food containers, for example (g(r)ub bins, & lit.).

A. N. Macdougall: Locking device, listening device, lifting device (snib bug (rev.)).

L. May: A bit of gimmicky, undefined rubbish, new in (g + n in (r)ubbis(h), & lit.; g. in 1983 C. for first time).

D. M. McCall: Eavesdropper lifts wee window-catch up a trifle (bug (rev.) + snib (rev.)).

C. G. Millin: Gizmo: first of gremlins, source of breakdowns and bedlam in America (g + b bin in US; ref. film ‘Gremlins’).

J. J. Moore: Books among Penguins with authors not shown? Rubbish! (bb in (Pen)guins).

T. J. Moorey: Small bowled big ’uns out – that’s the stuff! (anag. incl. b; ref. Gladstone S.).

F. R. Palmer: White man oppresses black – with those in power something of little importance (B in gub + ins).

T. E. Sanders: Refuse white wine in case overtopping the margin of safety should thereby result (gub bin s).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Black members of party in power inferior to white man? That’s rubbish (gub + B ins).

HC

K. Aaronovich, D. W. Arthur, M. Barley, R. C. Bell, Mrs F. A. Blanchard, Dr J. Burscough, K. S. Burton, C. J. & M. P. Butler, E. Chalkley, C. A. Clarke, M. Coates, A. E. Crow, A. J. Crow, P. M. A. Crozier, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, M. Davies, R. V. Dearden, A. L. Dennis, C. E. Faulkner-King, J. Francis, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, P. D. Gaffey, J. Gill, D. A. Ginger, N. C. Goddard, H. J. Godwin, J. F. Grimshaw, I. F. & L. M. Haines, L. S. Harris, Mrs R. Herbert, S. Holgate, R. J. Hooper, R. F. A. Horsfield, F. G. Illingworth, G. Johnstone, A. H. Jones, J. H. Jones, R. E. Kimmons, F. P. N. Lake, A. Lawrie, J. H. C. Leach, P. W. W. Leach, A. Logan, R. K. Lumsdon, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, L. K. Maltby, Rev W. P. Manahan, D. F. Manley, H. W. Massingham, J. R. C. Michie, Dr E. J. Miller, C. J. Morse, T. W. Mortimer, F. Moss, J. J. Murtha, D. S. Nagle, R. J. Palmer, Mrs E. M. Phair, J. Phillipson, Mrs A. Price, H. Ransom, R. F. Ray, C. P. Rea, Mrs A. J. Reynolds, H. L. Rhodes, D. R. Robinson, J. Sefton, B. D. Smith, D. M. Stanford, F. B. Stubbs, K. Thomas, V. C. D. Vowles, R. J. Whale, M. A. Wilson, S. Woods, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
490 entries, no mistakes. Very little time for detailed comments this month. It was good to see a more respectable size of entry than of late and the puzzle seems generally to have been regarded as on the easy side – certainly less exhausting than the Christmas comp. I was pleased to be introduced to the entry for GUBBINS in Brewer (‘The wild and savage inhabitants in the neighbourhood of Brentor, Devon …’). The word proved, I think, trickier to handle effectively than it appeared to be at first sight. There were swarms of bugs crawling round the gubbins bin and a fair measure of Spoonerish turns to negotiate, none of them quite right. Quite a lot fell foul of my old bête noire, the use of ‘back’ in a down word to indicate reversal. I still find this unacceptable but shall not argue my reasons again this month.
 
A cri de coeur from a Printer’s Devilry fan suffering withdrawal symptoms points out that it’s nearly 90 weeks since the last PD competition. There isn’t one in the pipeline (3-4 months) but I’ll try to put one together for early summer. They take nearly twice as long as normal plains to concoct!
 
And a final word of thanks to the solver who sent me the recipe for Gubbin’s sauce from a 1925 cookery book. My wife has promised to try it soon.