AZED CROSSWORD 917

HOOLIGANISM

1.  M. Barley: Trouble Italy has looming? (anag. incl. I, & lit; ref. forthcoming World Cup in Italy).

2.  F. R. Palmer: With introduction of identification, Moynihan’s goal is crushing any —— (comp. anag. incl. i, & lit.; ref. sports minister).

3.  V. G. Henderson: Bovver ‘slo-mo’ing’? Ah, I need rotary action (anag.; ref. lawnmower ads).

VHC

H. J. Bradbury: Beginning to hurl toilet rolls and then aiming broken bottles is, briefly, soccer for some (h + loo (rev.) + ’s in anag.).

C. J. Brougham: Wreckage is, encompassed by rampaging mohocks chucking half-bricks (ligan is in anag. less (bri)cks, & lit.).

M. D. Cooke: Stop right from moralising about bad behaviour (ho + anag. less r).

D. B. Cross: Any —— may ruin Moynihan’s goal (and Italy!) (comp. anag. incl. I, & lit.; ref. sports minister, forthcoming World Cup).

R. Dean: Mongolia-ish misbehaving? (anag. & lit.; ref. Mongol hordes).

R. V. Dearden: Daft gang —— could result in damaging saloon fight (comp. anag. & lit.).

N. C. Dexter: What, with no goals for English, sailing home could occasion (anag. with 0 for E, & lit.).

Dr I. S. Fletcher: Product of bad schooling am I? See truant there? (anag. less c, & lit.).

N. C. Goddard: With time spent in disorderly saloon, might one find this? (anag. less t incl. I, & lit.).

R. Hooper: Rough behaviour, shaming game, involves representatives of FA and League in meeting (0 0 l i’ in anag.; FA = Fanny Adams).

A. Logan: —— can only ruin Colin Moynihan’s goal (comp. anag. & lit.; ref. sports minister).

R. K. Lumsdon: What generates this? Saloon bar time might, I suspect (anag. less t, & lit.).

D. F. Manley: School aiming for discipline – something recurrent in soccer banned here? (anag. less c, & lit.).

T. J. Moorey: Ted’s game? Working on his one goal, Maggie’s scalp! (anag. incl. I + M; i.e. Teddy boy; ref. Heath, Thatcher).

H. B. Morton: Drunk neat, this leads to slight oenomania; what a shocking way to carry on (comp. anag.).

R. A. Mostyn: I’m lashing out about no-score draw – a feature of soccer crowd behaviour (0-0 in anag.).

P. J. Peters: Mini souped up with gasohol could give devastating performance (anag.).

A. J. Shields: Reforming characters involved in any —— is Moynihan’s one goal (comp. anag. incl. I, & lit.; ref. sports minister).

Dr I. Torbe: Something seen at Luton is laming foul and fans rampaging (Hoo + anag.; ref. Luton Town FC and stately home).

HC

D. W. Arthur, E. A. Beaulah, R. C. Bell, S. J. Best, Mrs K. Bissett, A. Brash, B. W. Brook, S. Butterworth, D. A. Campbell, E. Chalkley, C. A. Clarke, M. Clarke, T. Clement, M. Coates, E. Dawid, Dr V. G. I. Deshmukh, H. Freeman, M. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, D. A. Ginger, R. R. Greenfield, J. F. Grimshaw, E. W. Grogan, P. F. Henderson, R. Jacks, M. Jones, A. Lawrie, J. P. Lester, P. Long, H. W. Massingham, J. R. C. Michie, C. G. Millin, C. J. Morse, R. F. Naish, R. J. Palmer, S. L. Paton, C. Pearson, Mrs M. Pepin, G. Perry, R. Phillips, D. Price Jones, Rev E. H. Pyle, C. P. Rea, Mrs E. J. Shields, W. K. M. Slimmings, P. A. Stephenson, G. A. Tomlinson, D. H. Tompsett, B. D. Wesson, D. Williamson, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS
394 entries, a fair number showing ALFRED (or some other alternative) for ALL-RED. I thought very hard before disallowing ALFRED, though one or two argued that it was a possible answer (plumping nevertheless for ALL-RED in every case!) The clue was ‘Old king making change (unchecked), appealing to chauvinists?’ It strikes me as perverse to claim that this could be read to indicate: ‘Old king who, if he were to make a change (unchecked), would be appealing to chauvinists.’ I dislike, and try to avoid, clues of the type ‘X reversed Y’ where the word ‘reversed’ can be read as referring either to X or to Y, making X or Y equally possible solutions. In the clue in question I consciously framed the wording to eliminate this ambiguity. I didn’t, unfortunately, notice that BLARES would satisfy the clue to BLORES (though had I been cluing BLARES I would certainly have indicated the fact that LARE is a dialect word). But I didn’t disqualify any who had BLARES. To complete the catalogue of minor grumbles this month, I also concede that the TUMPY clue was weak, leading as it could to (C)HUMPY and (C)LUMPY as well as the only solution which fitted with the rest. I’m sorry if this caused frustrating delays and recourse to the Tippex bottle!
 
These blemishes apart, most found it an easier competition than some of late (and a lot easier than the brute of a Misprints puzzle I gave you recently, which I admit was made unfairly tough by the overdose of unches in one or two solutions – not my favourite type of special, Misprints). The clue word was a friendly one, too, allowing many the opportunity to vent their indignation at the depressing frequency with which hooliganism of one sort or another hits the headlines these days. The winner encapsulates this brilliantly and with splendid economy. I hope my choice will be seen as consistent with my remarks on the use of abbreviations in anagrams in the recent VOETGANGER slip. One or two solvers have expressed misgivings about the use of IVR abbreviations, especially those rarely encountered on cars in Europe, but this one is surely common and familiar.