AZED CROSSWORD 783

CAMPESINO

1.  E. J. Burge: Get the odd peso? I can – working in farm far away ((far)m in anag., & lit.).

2.  P. F. Henderson: Such as some Hispanic cropping his produce, possibly (anag. less his, & lit.).

3.  T. W. Mortimer: What might make him till? Call it peonism! (comp. anag. & lit.).

VHC

K. Aaronovich: I’m a peon, Sc. rustic (anag. & lit.).

M. Barley: It’s the peasant farmer for whom CAP monies are distributed (anag.).

C. J. Brougham: In cultivated manioc crop his money? (peso in anag., & lit.).

M. Clarke: Who, with neat, scrapes together peasant income? (comp. anag. & lit.).

F. D. Gardiner: Foreign born, he’s unfortunately no combines for reaping (comp. anag. & lit.).

M. Goodyear: Can I start to make peso ploughing? (anag. incl. m, & lit.).

R. R. Greenfield: Fashion companies – here’s one whose business is growing (anag.).

R. J. Hooper: S. American peon could work near me (comp. anag. & lit.).

J. H. C. Leach: Granger, maybe, makes theatrical and affected noise (camp + anag.; ref. Stewart G.).

C. J. Morse: I’m a peon, Sc. distressed peasant (anag.).

H. B. Morton: One secures Spanish currency in the cultivation of manioc (peso in anag., & lit.).

R. F. Naish: Ploughing Latin maybe could produce some panic (anag.; panic² = cereal grass).

F. R. Palmer: What, with a bit of capital, you might allow peon aims to become? (c + anag., & lit.).

D. Price Jones: I might make a bit of Central American money harvesting at home (C + Am + in in peso, & lit.).

A. J. Redstone: Zapata championed me: Sc. I’m a peon demanding reform (anag.; ref. Emiliano Z.).

B. Roe: See, I am working with peons (c + anag., & lit.).

T. E. Sanders: Companies coming a cropper – that might produce some panic (anag., anag., & lit.; panic² = cereal grass).

A. D. Scott: Who might have some panic spread? (anag. & lit.).

Mrs E. J. Shields: Bananas, pacos mine? (anag. & lit.).

A. J. Wardrop: Peasant’s income might be derived from ——’s involvement with neat (comp. anag. & lit.).

R. J. Whale: One is poor where coffee product comes first (Camp + anag., & lit.; ref. coffee extract brand).

HC

S. Armstrong, E. A. Beaulah, Dr A. K. Black, J. D. D. Blaikie, H. J. Bradbury, J. M. Brown, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, W. H. C. Cobb, Mrs D. M. Colley, Mrs M. P. Craine, L. J. Davenport, E. Dawid, Dr V. G. I. Deshmukh, N. C. Dexter, L. L. Dixon, G. T. Donnelly, C. M. Draper, Mrs P. Edwards, O. M. Ellis, Dr I. S. Fletcher, S. Gaskell, S. Goldie, J. F. Grimshaw, D. V. Harry, W. Jackson, A. H. Jones, F. P. N. Lake, C. W. Laxton, C. J. Lowe, R. K. Lumsdon, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, A. N. MacDougall, L. K. Maltby, D. F. Manley, H. W. Massingham, C. G. Millin, J. D. Moore, T. J. Moorey, F. E. Newlove, S. J. O’Boyle, D. F. Paling, J. Phillipson, B. A. Pike, S. Rose, J. H. Russell, A. J. Shields, W. K. M. Slimmings, D. M. Stanford, J. B. Sweeting, D. H. Tompsett, G. H. Willett.
 

ANNUAL HONOURS LIST (13 COMPETITIONS):
1 (equal), E. J. Burge (2 prizes, 6 V.H.C.s), N. C. Dexter (2, 6); 3 (equal), D. F. Manley (2, 5), C. G. Millin (2, 5); 5 (equal), C. 1. Brougham (1, 6), P. F. Henderson (2, 4), R. J. Hooper (1, 6), T. J. Moorey (1,6), C. J. Morse (1, 6), T. E. Sanders (0,8); 11 (equal), M. Barley (0, 7), F. R. Palmer (0, 7), W. K. M. Slimmings (1, 5); 14 (equal), N. C. Goddard (1, 4), F. P. N. Lake (2,2); 16 (equal), E. Dawid (1, 3), Dr I. S. Fletcher (0, 5), 5. Goldie (2, 1), D. V. Harry (1, 3), V. G. Henderson (1, 3), A. Lawrie (1, 3), H. W. Massingham (0, 5), T. W. Mortimer (2, 1), D. M. Stanford (0, 5); 25 (equal), H. J. Bradbury (1, 2), J. F. Grimshaw (0, 4), J. I. & B. C. James (1, 2), G. Johnstone (0, 4), J. C. Leyland (1, 2), R. J. Palmer (1, 2), D. R. Robinson (0, 4). CONSOLATION PRIZES: T. E. Sanders, M. Barley, F. R. Palmer, Dr I. S. Fletcher, H. W. Massingham, D. M. Stanford, J. F. Grimshaw, G. Johnstone, D. R. Robinson.
 

 
COMMENTS
 
364 entries and no mistakes that I spotted. No special difficulty with the puzzle either, it would appear, though one or two failed to understand the allusion to mistresses in the clue to PROPS. Props mistresses are a regular feature of amateur (and perhaps also professional) theatricals, usually very hard-working and of infinite patience in a thankless job. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a props master, not so-called anyway.
 
CAMPESINO, by common consent, offered a plethora of possibilities and was a natural for ‘& lit.’ treatment, what with companies lurking there and suggestions of peons and pesos awaiting exploitation. I was initially somewhat uncertain whether a campesino is himself a peon or a notch or two up the social scale and therefore likely to be in a position to employ one. Research in Webster however indicates that the word is a loose term for any Latin-American from a rural area, especially ‘a Latin-American farmer or farm laborer.’ I had similar misgivings about panic grass (primarily, it seems, a S. European cereal crop) turning up in campesino territory, but could not unearth any overwhelming evidence why this might not happen. And manioc likewise, for that matter.
 
A query came up on the matter of accents, especially on unchecked letters, as on the final E of ACHARNE in the present puzzle, and whether I expect them to be marked in. The answer is no. Accents generally are disregarded by me and can safely be by you too unless special circumstances dictate otherwise. I think nothing of crossing what in lower-case script would be an accented letter with the same letter unaccented. When all’s said and done French (and doubtless other languages) frequently omits accents from upper-case lettering.
 
Another year of competitions completed and we have a tie at the top, the first for some years. Congratulations to the joint winners, especially to Mr Burge who attains this position for the first time and that after a (for him) rather thin year the year before. Mr Dexter is no stranger to the victor’s rostrum but it is a while since he adorned it and it’s good to see him back. Congratulations too to the consolation prize-winners, whose consistency merits such an award. And my thanks to Mr Dearden for checking the points scored over the year. I hope our joint figures square with everyone else’s. Mr Johnstone’s name got left out of the list of consolation prize-winners in the paper and I apologise to him for that.