AZED CROSSWORD 835

PROSAICAL

1.  P. F. Henderson: Such works are nothing special (never entertaining English) (anag. incl. O less E, E, & lit.).

2.  M. Barley: For shortened form of it in Chambers, look up ‘workaday’ (pro SA i’ C. + la (rev.), & lit.).

3.  T. J. Moorey: Mill or Pascal, I like works without rhyme (but with reason) (anag.; mill = grind).

VHC

S. Armstrong: Diamonds missing, a Police car is mobilised. Just routine! (anag. less ice).

D. Ashcroft: Streetwalker’s one I mostly describe as drab (pro’s a I cal(l)).

Mrs F. A. Blanchard: Stop racial riots time’s short, as a matter of fact (anag. less t).

E. J. Burge: Get duck in April (start of cricket), as badly prepared? Not having feet in line? (0 in anag. incl. c; metrical feet).

C. M. Edmunds: Put plainly – a first in clue slip or A’s rotten (anag. incl. c; A = Azed).

C. J. Feetenby: Let loose from Calliope’s art in composition (comp. anag. & lit.).

H. Freeman: Not how lines are run in P & O with Calais in turmoil (r in P O + anag.).

D. A. Ginger: No escaping from tremulous soprano, one not fully composed, uninspired (anag. less no + cal(m)).

I. A. Herbert: One lascar joins P & O – working flexibly – not striking at all (anag. incl. I).

R. J. Hooper: A la scrip o’ novel? (anag. & lit.).

D. G. Hopkins: Commonplace social parvenus, loveless and dissipated! (anag. less Venus).

R. Jacks: I’m not striking, working P & O Calais run (anag. incl. r).

A. H. Jones: Like Monsieur Jourdain’s speech, ‘pas clair’, muddled, with zero content? (0 in anag.; ref. Molière, ‘Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme’).

J. C. Leyland: Dry? Sip a cola on the rocks with a dash of rum in (r in anag.).

H. W. Massingham: Avoiding ice, a police-car is involved with pedestrian (anag. less ice).

H. B. Morton: Not striking, restoring P & O Calais run shortly (anag. incl. r).

D. S. Nagle: Flat pie rose inside before long (Rosa in Pica + l; pie³).

R. J. Palmer: One engaged for money on Calais run? Definitely not striking! (pro + anag.).

A. D. Scott: Flat cap sailor sports (anag.).

D. P. Shenkin: Government office monkey about with afternoon luminance – likely to remain dull (PRO + sai c. a. L; ref. British Summer Time).

Mrs E. J. Shields: A crisp loaf once cut turns dry (anag. incl. loa(f)).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Ruins of acropolis one lacking love finds unromantic (anag. incl. a less 0).

J. P. Wheatcroft: Flat cap sailor sports (anag.).

D. Williamson: To wax this on an acropolis would be unfitting (comp. anag. & lit.; cf. wax lyrical).

HC

F. D. H. Atkinson, M. J. Balfour, Mrs G. M. Barker, E. A. Beaulah, B. W. Brook, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, J. M. Brown, Miss L. Bruce, Dr J. Burscough, C. J. & M. P. Butler, Mrs M. J. Cansfield, J. E. Cartmel, B. E. Chamberlain, G. Clyde, W. H. C. Cobb, Dr S. Corne, L. J. Davenport, R. V. Dearden, N. C. Dexter, Mrs P. Edwards, O. M. Ellis, Dr I. S. Fletcher, J. Gill, N. C. Goddard, H. J. Godwin, M. Goodyear, R. R. Greenfield, P. W. Grimsey, Dr J. F. Grimshaw, D. V. Harry, T. M. Hoggart, Mrs D. B. Jenkinson, P. Long, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, A. N. Macdougall, D. J. Mackay, D. F. Manley, H. S. Mason, Wg Cdr J. D. deS. McElwain, J. F. McKee, M. R. Metcalf, J. R. C. Michie, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, T. W. Mortimer, R. A. Mostyn, F. R. Palmer, S. L. Paton, Mrs A. G. Phillips, D. Price Jones, Rev E. H. Pyle, Rev A. Reed, H. L. Rhodes, D. R. Robinson, J. H. Russell, L. G. D. Sanders, T. E. Sanders, W. J. M. Scotland, Dr W. I. D. Scott, D. D. R. Sibbald, F. B. Stubbs, J. B. Sweeting, K. Thomas, R. E. R. Thomas, D. H. Tompsett, M. H. E. Watson, R. J. Whale, Mrs B. J. Widger, Dr E. Young.
 

ANNUAL HONOURS LIST (13 COMPETITIONS):- 1. M. Barley (2 prizes, 6 V. H. C. s); 2. E. J. Burge (2,5); 3(equal), P. F. Henderson (2,4), C. J. Morse (0,8); 5(equal), N. C. Dexter(1,5), W. J. M. Scotland (0,7), T. J. Moorey (1,5); 8(equal), D. F. Manley (0,6), T. W. Mortimer (2,2), W. K. M. Slinimings (1,4); 1 1(equal), C. J. Brougham (0,5), M. Earle (0,5), H. Freeman (1,3), J. F. Grimshaw (2,1), G. Johnstone (2,1), R. J. Palmer (1,3); 17(equal), C. A. Clarke (1,2), L. J. Davenport (0,4), Dr. I. S. Fletcher (0,4), F. P. N. Lake (1,2), A. Lawrie (0,4), J. C. Leyland (0,4), M. A. Macdonald-Cooper (0,4), H. W. Massingham (0,4), F. R. Palmer (0,4), A. D. Scott (0,4), J. B. Sweeting (2,0), D. H. Tompsett (1,2), Dr. E. Young (1,2). CONSOLATION PRIZES:- C. J. Morse, W. J. M. Scotland, D. F. Manley, C. J. Brougham, M. Earle, L. J. Davenport, Dr. I. S. Fletcher, A. Lawrie, J. C. Leyland, M. A. Macdonald-Cooper, H. W. Massingham, F. R. Palmer, A. D. Scott.
 

 
COMMENTS
 
545 entries, with no mistakes. An excellent all-round competition, not prosaical at all, with lots of nice ideas for a not very promising word. Surprisingly few found (or decided to use having found) the P & O/Calais theme, which appealed to me. Clues exploiting the ‘social rap’ anagram, with ‘& lit.’ implications, I found rather less convincing. The three prize-winners each came up with entirely original ideas and all are excellent. If Mr Barley employs a non-standard abbreviation (C. = Chambers) I think it is permissible within the context of Azed puzzles (I use it myself regularly in clues and solution notes) and of his particular clue. A glance at the entry for ‘workaday’ in C. will show how clever it is. I wonder how many synonyms of PROSAICAL he had to look up before finding the one he needed! Mention of Mr Barley allows me neatly to congratulate him on heading the honours list for the first time – another new name to add to the roll of honour, with Mr Burge, last year’s joint winner, just nudged into second place. Congratulations too to all the others who made the list by scoring 4 points or more over the course of the year (12 monthly comps and the Christmas special). A further 22 scored 3 points and a further 27 2 points. I am greatly indebted to RVD for carefully checking the results as they are announced and compiling most useful statistics to confirm and supplement my own calculations.
 
Two general points to conclude with. ‘How many solvers compete in the non-competition puzzles?’ I never actually see these, as the selection and checking is done at The Observer offices, but when I enquire from time to time I am told that the numbers are about the same, on average, for all types of puzzle, whatever the nature of the competition. And the average number of monthly competition entries this year has been 446, which I guess is slightly up on previous years. ‘Any chance of…running a clue-writing competition in parallel with the ordinary (? prosaical) plain Azed…?’ None whatever, I fear, if I am to be the judge. One a month and two in December take a lot of time to cope with properly and neither my sanity nor my marriage would stand the extra burden!