AZED CROSSWORD 972

Anagram of 28 letters (Anagram)

1.  D. E. Schlesinger & M. Wetherfield: Out, hell-bent Arab fanatic – enough! (ref. UN ultimatum to Saddam in Kuwait).

2.  R. I. Sutherland: Father to bag nil – hat (noun) be a clue (FH clue to boater/poater).

3.  B. Greer: Our fun at Noel (hat bit changeable).

3.  L. J. Osborne: Hat bit changeable – our fun at Noel!

VHC (extra prizes)

T. F. W. Benson: Each habitual bonnet gone. Artful!

C. J. & M. P. Butler: Beautiful! Another hat can belong.

N. A. Cooley: At Noel, hang a bauble on the cut fir.

J. R. du Parcq: Fun hat on bonce – laughable attire.

S. Gaskell: Oh, a brute? Not a bit – a fun challenge.

J. F. Grimshaw: Nobbut infernal hat catalogue, eh?

R. J. Hooper: Tea clobber: half-guinea hat on ‘nut’ (ref. Mad Hatter’s tea party).

R. Lawther: A change of hat: turn ‘able’ into ‘uble’

R. K. Lumsdon: Toil ere able to anag. fun-hat bunch.

D. F. Manley: After nice bang haul out noble hat.

H. W. Massingham: Hat, too laughable, can’t be funnier.

G. McStravick: Hat trouble can be a laugh – none fit!

C. J. Morse: A hit unfit? No trouble, changeable!

S. J. O’Boyle: A bit cheerful at Noel? Bung on a hat!

F. R. Palmer: UNO tough – hence final Arab battle?

T. E. Sanders: Laughable fun hat attire on bonce.

W. J. M. Scotland: Each hat bit – fun; Noel anag. – trouble!

R. G. Smith: If able at clue, bung on another hat.

D. G. Tallis: Fun challenge about hat ain’t bore.

R. C. Teuton: Turn ABLE into UBLE – a change of hat!

A. J. Wardrop: A change of hat: turn ‘able’ into ‘uble’

R. J. Whale: Noel brief: ‘hat’ anag. but no ‘hat’ clue.

M. Whiteoak: Far hut^†; not ben^† (obeli = anag., hat clue).

G. H. Willett: Noel hat-cluing fab – another beaut.

HC

R. Adams, M. J. Balfour, E. A. Beaulah, J. R. Beresford, G. T. Berryman, S. J. Best, Mrs K. Bissett, C. J. Brougham, Rev Canon C. M. Broun, E. J. Burge, Mrs J. Cansfield, E. A. Clarke, M. D. Cooke, F. H. Cripps, Mrs J. M. Critchley, D. B. Cross, D. A. Crossland, G. Cuthbert, D. J. Dare-Plumpton, P. Dendy, N. C. Dexter, M. G. Elliott, C. J. Feetenby, G. & J. Ferris, Dr I. S. Fletcher, R. P. C. Forman, B. Franco, H. Freeman, N. Gambier, F. D. Gardiner, S. Goldie, E. Gomersall, G. I. L. Grafton, R. R. Greenfield, G. S. Halse, Ms B. Harris, D. Harris, J. Henderson, P. F. Henderson, V. G. Henderson, J. Hetherington, G. B. Higgins, A. W. Hill, Dr N. B. Hodgkinson, K. W. Johnson, G. Johnstone, M. Jones, M. Kindred, F. P. N. Lake, J. D. Lockett, D. J. Mackay, J. R. C. Michie, Dr E. J. Miller, T. W. Mortimer, A. F. Mylward, G. M. Neighbour, S. L. Paton, M. J. Poulsom, D. Price Jones, A. J. Redstone, D. R. Robinson, W. K. M. Slimmings, M. C. Souster, P. L. Stone, J. B. Sweeting, E. Telesford, Dr I. Torbe, R. D. Vaughan Davies, G. Wallis.
 

COMMENTS
A splendid Christmas post-bag – exactly 600 entries and virtually no mistakes (though one or two who initially made the list above proved on inspection to have submitted inaccurate anagrams of the 28 letters). The level of difficulty in this new kind of special seems to have been about right for a Christmas puzzle, though one or two commented that.
 
I’d been extra-generous with the letter-mixtures included in every clue. It may be of interest to relate how the idea took shape. Completely new Christmas themes are increasingly hard to devise these days, with all the specialist crosswords around. When ‘Party Hats’ first occurred to me, I imagined every word having its initial letter replaced but I then realized that this would necessitate every initial letter being checked, an unnatural restriction in a normal grid. Only then did the idea of including a number of unclued thematic lights occur, and only then did I think of making them all hats. My next thought (having completed the grid) was to ask you to produce an anagram of the original hats, not the ‘funny’ ones, but I soon realized that this would be grossly unfair (only 4 vowels out of 28 letters). The funny hats were clearly a more likely bunch, despite the absences of S’s and D’s, but I still wanted some way of at least indicating (without necessarily requiring you to discover) the original words – hence the hidden jumbles, which many said they were grateful for though they added considerably to the difficulty of constructing sensible clues. Those of you with long memories may recall my using a similar technique in the special puzzle ‘Here is Wisdom’ (No. 666). Constructing long anagrams isn’t universally popular, but every now and then I think they can be fun and Christmas is as good an occasion as any. Besides, I couldn’t figure out a way of giving you a funny hat clue to do!
 
Anagrams submitted were broadly of five types: topical (especially about the Gulf war), Christmassy, self-referential (describing the puzzle itself), about hats in general, and non-specific (often nonsensical). In making my judgement (a long and unusually difficult process) I tended to concentrate on the first three of these types and then select those whose wording read most naturally and/or wittily. I hope the many who achieved perfectly respectable and sound anagrams but are not quoted above will understand my dilemma and accept my choice. The first prizewinner virtually chose itself and really needs no further comment. No. 2, though making little sense, I just found too ingenious to resist. The same can be said for Mr Whiteoak’s VHC, though his use of symbols is a little cheeky. In general you gave me a lot of fun. I hope you didn’t find the task too wearisome. If one comment from an enthusiastic competitor is anything to go by, it seems not. Running two anagrams together, she remarked. ‘Ah! Unforgettable Noel. Ta a bunch – I/celebrate – hang hat on bountiful “A”.’
 
In conclusion, two news items. I’m asked to tell you that although The Listener is now sadly no more, plans are well advanced for its crossword to continue (as ‘The Listener Crossword’) in the Times Saturday Review, where it is expected to start appearing towards the end of February, with the same vetting team as before. Secondly, Chambers will publish Observer Azed Crosswords, a further selection of my puzzles (100) from ten to fifteen years ago, in May this year. The Best of Azed (also Chambers) is still in print and is scheduled for a (corrected!) reprint later in the year.