A U S T B Cr world - Crossword Clubcrosswordclub.org/inc/data/crozworlds/Crozworld July 2014.pdf ·...
16
© 2014 The Australian Crossword Club Half 'n Half by Timid Terrier 3 Cryptic by Virgo 4 Cryptic by Manveru 5 AJ by Penobscot 6 Half 'n Half with a Mystery Letter by Crowsman 7 One-off AJ by Betelgeuse 8 Anniversary Quiz Results 9 Members' Comments 10 Results May 6 12 Spot the Theme by Flowerman 13 Quiz No 7/2014 14 Clue Writing Comp 16 page As sheer casual reading-matter I still find the English dictionary the most interesting book in the language. Albert Jay Nock, 1943, Memoirs of a Superfluous Man www.crosswordclub.org Cr world President Patrick Street 395 Canning St, North Carlton Vic 3054 Ph (03) 9347 1216 [email protected] Secretary Bev Cockburn 12 Norman St, Merrylands West NSW 2160 Ph (02) 9635 7802 [email protected] Puzzle Editor Ian Williams 12 Lindrum Cres, Holt ACT 2615 Ph (02) 6254 6860 [email protected] Puzzle No. 1 2 3 4 5 Total Entries received 120 117 106 115 106 564 Correct entries 94 98 86 92 89 459 Success rate (%) 78.3 83.8 81.1 80.0 84.0 81.4 Prizewinners Tony Dobele Dale McManus Roger Douglas Jeremy Barnes Jean Evans from 123 members |H|I|G|H|L|I|G|H|T|S| |L|E|A|D|I|N|G| |F|I|G|U|R|E|S| |L|E|A|D|I|N|G |L|I|G|H|T|S| |G|R|I|D|A|T|O|R|I|A|L| |F|R|O|M| |T|H|E| |A|D|J|U|D|I|C|A|T|O|R| |N|o.|2|9|1| |J|U|L|Y| |2|0|1|4| T H E A U S T R A L I A N C R O S S W O R D C L U B W.A. N.T. QLD S.A. N.S.W. Vic. Tas. I n our June 2014 Crozworld we introduced the ACC CruciverbaLimerick competition whereby we invited our brilliant members to invent original and richly- rewarding Limericks. Brian Symons has been our dynamic adjudicator of this interesting competition but says that he only has ten entries so far and would like to see more entries especially from "our younger brigade". We have decided to extend the closing CruciverbaLimerick date to 8 August 2014 so that will give members (especially the younger ones) plenty of time to put on their thinking caps and come up with some inventively award-winning Limericks. And there are prizes to be won too. So head down and start composing. Here's one from the 2004 Comp: When asked what they love some will burble, ‘Oh, a good cup of tea, something herbal’. While others will say They prefer the Earl Grey But I thirst for things cruciverbal. Our masterly Puzzle Editor, Ian Williams, has again selected a fascinating set of excellent puzzles and quiz for you this month. Our perennial favourites include Timid Terrier, Virgo and Manveru. Penobscot has compiled another masterly puzzle in Slot 4 and Crowsman's challenging Slot 5 puzzle is titled Half 'n Half with a Mystery Letter. In Slot 6 Betelgeuse has given us another superb Cryptic titled One-off AJ and Flowerman is featured in Slot 7 with an excellent cryptic puzzle called Spot the Theme. Also, we have another marvellous Quiz by the ACC Legend Virgo and Michael Kennedy has challenged members to enter the Clue Writing Competition by devising a clue for the word MORSEL (6) (See p16). Finally don't forget about our Christmas in July celebration on Sunday 27 July. See p7 for further exciting details. Hope you can join us! Best of Luck with your solving. —Patrick ACT A las, a rather un-exciting month for your humble adjudicators, who were hoping for some spectacular solecisms. Instead, most errors were the results of sloppy transcription. In the days before e-lodgment this adjudicator was a major culprit – I would happily spend an hour or two on a puzzle, but when it came to writing up the “good grids”, half a minute seemed too long! Result – lost dots and, no doubt, fewer prizes. Slot 1: No problems here. InGrid’s contribution was well accepted, though a few wished for a non-cryptic or Half ‘n’ Half. SOUTH NORTH EAST (!) and DRESSES for DEEPENS were submitted by several of our most experienced members. Slot 2: A good puzzle by Both Sides with a Biblical theme. A few ripples were generated by 5dn, whose cryptic solutions ABSOLEM or ABSOLOM could not be found in any English-language Bible as an alternative to ABSALOM. Accordingly, your assiduous adjudicators have ruled this line hors de combat – no solution for this clue being ruled out. Slot 3: Crowsman’s contribution this month (with its clever Nina) received accolades for clever clueing. REVEL for LEVER and REALISED for REARISEN were the chief errors. Slot 4: Most members enjoy a good AJ, and Isla’s, with its unconventional grid, was no exception. ZAPS for ZIPS. CARPENTERS LEVER? Sorry Jemmy! Slot 5: Few compilers attempt a Ximenean, and this one by Zythum was a marvel of construction, and with a grid as tight as this, opportunities for error were few. CELL for PALL were the few slips-up. A special “thank you” to those who put a special effort into making their “good grids” readable. A big thank you to all those who have contributed to the Club magazine with thoughtful comments and COTM nominations. Keep it up; and no need to cite clue number, just Slot number and Solution. COTM: MEDICO and ETIQUETTE in Slot 1; CHARM in Slot 2; GET ACROSS, RHUBARBS in Slot 3; DARNER and QUIZ SHOW in Slot 4 were all well received, but Crowsman (Len Colgan) headed the leader board with HEATHROW. Bravo Len! Queries to my email address, but please be patient as I can't reply until mid- July. —Doug Butler Prizewinner: June 2014 Slots 1-5: John Baylis. Congratulations!
Transcript of A U S T B Cr world - Crossword Clubcrosswordclub.org/inc/data/crozworlds/Crozworld July 2014.pdf ·...
© 2014 The Australian Crossword Club
Half 'n Half by Timid Terrier 3Cryptic by Virgo 4Cryptic by Manveru 5AJ by Penobscot 6Half 'n Half with a Mystery Letter by Crowsman 7One-off AJ by Betelgeuse 8Anniversary Quiz Results 9Members' Comments 10Results May 6 12Spot the Theme by Flowerman 13Quiz No 7/2014 14Clue Writing Comp 16
page
As sheer casual reading-matter I still fi nd the English dictionary the most interesting book in the language.
Albert Jay Nock, 1943, Memoirs of a Superfl uous Man
www.crosswordclub.org
Cr world
President Patrick Street 395 Canning St, North Carlton Vic 3054 Ph (03) 9347 1216 [email protected]
Secretary Bev Cockburn 12 Norman St, Merrylands West NSW 2160 Ph (02) 9635 7802 [email protected]
Puzzle Editor Ian Williams 12 Lindrum Cres, Holt ACT 2615 Ph (02) 6254 6860 [email protected]
Puzzle No. 1 2 3 4 5 TotalEntries received 120 117 106 115 106 564Correct entries 94 98 86 92 89 459Success rate (%) 78.3 83.8 81.1 80.0 84.0 81.4
Prizewinners TonyDobele
DaleMcManus
Roger Douglas Jeremy Barnes Jean Evans from 123
members
|H|I|G|H|L|I|G|H|T|S||L|E|A|D|I|N|G| |F|I|G|U|R|E|S|
|L|E|A|D|I|N|G |L|I|G|H|T|S|
|G|R|I|D|A|T|O|R|I|A|L| |F|R|O|M| |T|H|E| |A|D|J|U|D|I|C|A|T|O|R|
|N|o.|2|9|1| |J|U|L|Y| |2|0|1|4|
THE AUSTRALIAN CROSSWORD CLUB
W.A.
N.T.QLD
S.A.N.S.W.
Vic.
Tas.
In our June 2014 Crozworld we introduced the ACC CruciverbaLimerick competition whereby we invited our brilliant members to invent original and richly-
rewarding Limericks. Brian Symons has been our dynamic adjudicator of this interesting competition but says that he only has ten entries so far and would like to see more entries especially from "our younger brigade".
We have decided to extend the closing CruciverbaLimerick date to 8 August 2014 so that will give members (especially the younger ones) plenty of time to put on their thinking caps and come up with some inventively award-winning Limericks. And there are prizes to be won too. So head down and start composing.
Here's one from the 2004 Comp:When asked what they love some will burble,‘Oh, a good cup of tea, something herbal’.While others will say They prefer the Earl GreyBut I thirst for things cruciverbal.
Our masterly Puzzle Editor, Ian Williams, has again selected a fascinating set of excellent puzzles and quiz for you this month. Our perennial favourites include Timid Terrier, Virgo and Manveru. Penobscot has compiled another masterly puzzle in Slot 4 and Crowsman's challenging Slot 5 puzzle is titled Half 'n Half with a Mystery Letter. In Slot 6 Betelgeuse has given us another superb Cryptic titled One-off AJ and Flowerman is featured in Slot 7 with an excellent cryptic puzzle called Spot the Theme. Also, we have another marvellous Quiz by the ACC Legend Virgo and Michael Kennedy has challenged members to enter the Clue Writing Competition by devising a clue for the word MORSEL (6) (See p16).
Finally don't forget about our Christmas in July celebration on Sunday 27 July. See p7 for further exciting details. Hope you can join us! Best of Luck with your solving. —Patrick
ACT
Alas, a rather un-exciting month for your humble adjudicators, who were hoping for some spectacular solecisms. Instead, most errors were the results of sloppy transcription. In the days before e-lodgment this
adjudicator was a major culprit – I would happily spend an hour or two on a puzzle, but when it came to writing up the “good grids”, half a minute seemed too long! Result – lost dots and, no doubt, fewer prizes.
Slot 1: No problems here. InGrid’s contribution was well accepted, though a few wished for a non-cryptic or Half ‘n’ Half. SOUTH NORTH EAST (!) and DRESSES for DEEPENS were submitted by several of our most experienced members.
Slot 2: A good puzzle by Both Sides with a Biblical theme. A few ripples were generated by 5dn, whose cryptic solutions ABSOLEM or ABSOLOM could not be found in any English-language Bible as an alternative to ABSALOM. Accordingly, your assiduous adjudicators have ruled this line hors de combat – no solution for this clue being ruled out.
Slot 3: Crowsman’s contribution this month (with its clever Nina) received accolades for clever clueing. REVEL for LEVER and REALISED for REARISEN were the chief errors.
Slot 4: Most members enjoy a good AJ, and Isla’s, with its unconventional grid, was no exception. ZAPS for ZIPS. CARPENTERS LEVER? Sorry Jemmy!
Slot 5: Few compilers attempt a Ximenean, and this one by Zythum was a marvel of construction, and with a grid as tight as this, opportunities for error were few. CELL for PALL were the few slips-up.
A special “thank you” to those who put a special effort into making their “good grids” readable. A big thank you to all those who have contributed to the Club magazine with thoughtful comments and COTM nominations. Keep it up; and no need to cite clue number, just Slot number and Solution.
COTM: MEDICO and ETIQUETTE in Slot 1; CHARM in Slot 2; GET ACROSS, RHUBARBS in Slot 3; DARNER and QUIZ SHOW in Slot 4 were all well received, but Crowsman (Len Colgan) headed the leader board with HEATHROW. Bravo Len!Queries to my email address, but please be patient as I can't reply until mid-July. —Doug Butler
Prizewinner: June 2014 Slots 1-5: John Baylis. Congratulations!
Cr world
ACC
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June 1-2014 June 2-2014 June 3-2014
June 4-2014 June 5-2014
MEMBERS RE SULTS FOR MAY Slot 6 & JUNE Slots 1-5
|P|A|G|E| |2|
MEMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6ABBOTT, Patricia •
ALLEN W • • • • • •
ANDERSON C • • • • • •
ARCHIBALD C • • • •
AXELSEN U • • • • • •
BARBOUR J • • • •
BARNES J • • • • • •
BARRETT A • • • • •
BAYLIS J • • • • • •
BENNETT D • • • •
BILKEY C •
BLAKE M • • • • • •
BUTLER D • • • • •
CAINE R • • • •
CALLAN A&D • • • • •
CAMERON H • • •
CARPENTER R • • • • • •
CARROLL L • • • • •
CHAMPION G • • • • •
COATES D • • • •
COCKBURN B • • • • •
COLE G •
COLGAN L • • • • • •
COLLINS M • • • • • •
COPLAND F • • • • •
COULTON L • • • • •
COWAN M • • • • • •
CROMER H • • •
DAVIS M • • • • •
DEARIE P • • • • • •
DE GRYS A • • • •
DENNIS M • • • •
DINHAM V •
DOBELE T • • • • •
DORRELL R •
DOUGLAS R • • • • • •
DUCKER R • • • • • •
DYER A • • •
EVANS Jean • • • • •
FOWLER J • • • • • •
FREELAND J • • • • •
MEMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6GARNER P • • • • • •
GLISSAN B • • • • •
GOODERICK R • • • • • •
GRAINGER D • • • •
GREENBERGER O •
GREENING D •
HAGAN B • • • •
HAMBLING C • • • • •
HARPER K • • • • • •
HEMSLEY D • • • • •
HEYES N • • •
HOCKING A • • •
HOWARD L • • • •
HOWARD V • • • • •
HOWAT S •
HOWELLS S • • • • •
IBBOTT B • • •
JARMAN L • • •
JONES C • •
JONES D • • • • • •
KENNEDY M • • • •
LEE C • • • •
LEE N • • • • •
LEEDS G • • • • • •
LEIGH J • • • • •
LEMON G • •
LLOYD G • •
LOBSEY V • •
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McADOO G •
McCLELLAND C • • • • • •
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McKENZIE I • • • • • •
McMANUS D • • • •
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MARTIN A • • • •
MARTIN F • • • • •
MASON I • • • •
MATTHEWS S • • • •
MAY S •
MEMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6MEEK D • • • • •
MERCER P • • •
MILES A • • • • • •
MOLINE R • • • • • •
NOBLE C • • • • • •
O'BRIEN E • • • • • •
PARSONS D • • • • •
PATTERSON A • • • • • •
PINDER S • • • •
POTTEN K • • • • •
POTTS M • • • • • •
PROCTER D • • • • • •
PROCTER M • • • • •
PYC M • • • •
QUINN C • • •
RAW M • • •
RENDELL A • •
ROBERTSON S • • • • • •
RODDICK M • • • • • •
ROLFE G • • •
ROULSTON S • • • • • •
RYAN W • • • • • •
SHIELD A • • • • •
SIEGMAN B • • • •
SIMONS A • • • • •
SIMS J • • •
SKINNER R • • • • •
SMITH J • • • •
STEINBERGER M • • • • •
STOREY N • • • • •
SYMONS B • • • • • •
TAYLOR R • • • • • •
TAYLOR S • • • •
THOMPSON I • • • • •
TICKLE B • • • • •
TOFONI B •
VILLIERS W • • • •
WAITES L • •
WALTER A • • • • • •
WATT K • • •
WILCOX C • • • • •
WIMBUSH R • • • • • •
WOOD J •
WOODFORD J • • •
YOUNG S • • • • •
May 6-2014
C H I C K E N H E A R T E DM A U N O S I EE Q U I P M O O N S C A P ED L P E D U R PI C E C A P S S U R F A C EC D H A NO V O I D I N G E N U O U S
F E N O C BU N F L E D G E D E C L A TS P P I EE L A P S E D A R R I V A LL D O I R I I LE T I Q U E T T E N O O S ES E T T N S U RS O U T H S O U T H E A S T
S A M S O N B A R A B B A SA E L P B N E AD I S C I P L E S C H A R MD S V A O E C UU T I L E G A L L S T O N EC A U O T N LE N H A N C E M A R YE S E A B C
S W A T D E L I L A HE E S H A A ES E N S A T I O N C O C O AT G G S I R K TH O U S E T H E R E F O R EE L N L L P U RR E F I T T E D V E S T R Y
T H E A U SB U S Y B O D Y M I N U E TN R S E E I L
U T M O S T C A N I S T E RI L S A I O N
L E V E R B R I T A N N I AA G E I T
C H A N C E L G E N T E E LE T M S E
D A L L Y A W A Y F U N G IT A C E S T R
R H U B A R B S P R O T E AR E O T E N B
O O D L E S R E A R I S E NW S S O R C
S O B G K UM A R X I S T L E N I N I S TV E P U A O U
D A R N E R F I R E W O R KG O E F L E
N E O P H Y T E I N J U R YL H D E UY E O M E N W R E N C H
B L T O EA P I E C E R E V I E W E RL P A A S L
Q U I Z S H O W L I Q U O RR I A L I U V
C A R P E N T E R S L E V E LL S T R E R
I N C I S I O N P A L LC U R M U D G E O N A AE D I C A L L O S I T YD E N Y B E I C Y D I WS C O W L S N O V E N AH E L M E T G N O S I SE L I J A H S C H I S TR E N A M E C O W R I EA R E L I R O O P A N TT A X I D E R M Y B G OO T V E S T I B U L A RN E O N T O A S T E R S
B O O N D O G G L E O M E NA W R I A O A UR A N G O O N D E N U D E DT G V S E E E GE L O P E L U N C H T I M EN A I O RD O L P H I N A R R E A R SE E G I G S UR E P E N T S G E E G E E S
U P R Y PP A N H A N D L E T H E M EO G R H G O B NM A E S T R O A P P L A U DM N Y T T E L EY E T I W I N E C E L L A R
Cr world
ACC
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Slots 1-5: David Grainger, 4/5 Walker Avenue, Hampton Vic 3188. e-mail: [email protected] mail date: Friday 25 July 2014. e-lodgment: [email protected] 6: Gillian Champion c/o Post Offi ce Metung Vic 3904. or by email to: [email protected] Closing mail date: Friday 8 August 2014
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Half 'n Halfby
Timid Terrier
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|S|E|N|D||S|O|L|U|T|I|O|N|S|
|T|O|:
Prize
Win!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31 32
33 34 35 36 37
38 39 40
41 42
43 44 45
Across 1 Anxiety, dread (4) 4 Lake (4) 7 A foot of two syllables (4) 10 A couple (4) 11 Window covering (6) 12 Exlamation apologising for mistake (4) 13 Title (4) 14 Phone (4) 15 Fencing sword (4) 17 Clever, smart (6) 19 Pests (9) 22 Crime (5) 24 Soon (7) 26 Extrememly stoutly (7) 29 Social outcast (5) 31 Sheep guardians (9) 33 Small trader (6) 36 Male deer (4) 38 Aloof (4) 39 Cipher (4) 40 A Malay boat (4) 41 South American rodent (6) 42 Carton, trunk (4) 43 Uncommon (4) 44 Small marine fi sh (4) 45 Watches (4)
Down 1 City girl (8) 2 Scrambled petit ape's craving (8) 3 Beginning of red snake fi le (4) 4 Net say bird (4) 5 New marble walk (6) 6 Some brewer's jug (4) 7 Move slowly on island (4) 8 Silver a set back for marbles (6) 9 A group of turtles initially eluding nearby whalebone (6) 16 Charmed woman grieved losing knight (9) 18 Grey monkey killed with ammunition (5,4) 20 Locks up head of criminals for years (5) 21 Second company win (5) 23 Cockney's cry for bird (3) 25 Roesti features small species of deer (3) 27 Garry Lee mashed tea (4,4) 28 Talks about strange sham veils (8) 29 The French brand Oriental sailor (6) 30 University discarded favourite tree (6) 32 Epic bird not new in charge (6) 34 Keenness initially evolved during game evaluation (4) 35 Performs revamped Cats (4) 36 Directions to court group (4) 37 Chimp outside second recess (4)
Cr world
ACC
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|P|A|G|E| |4|
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Crypticby
Virgo
GENERAL COMMENTS: • Not only my name 'up in lights' on the front cover, but a wonderful surprise in the mail as well! My thanks to you and all at the ACC for a most generous prize. Ian Mason• I have already said how much I enjoyed this slot and to receive a $75 prize was just the icing on the cake!!!. It was a great surprise and I am absolutely delighted. Please convey my thanks to the Prize Committee. John Baylis• Just a note to say how much I am enjoying Crozworld puzzles. They have helped to keep me sane during diffi cult times. So many thanks to you and all the compilers. Sue Robertson• A challenging set of puzzles, and very enjoyable; thank you to the compilers. Joan Smith• Enjoyed the puzzles this month … didn’t have a lot of trouble, so there must be some brain cells that didn’t go into hibernation! Eileen O’Brien• A great set of puzzles this month, but as usual don’t expect to have solved them all correctly. Catherine Jones• An enjoyable and entertaining set of puzzles all round. Peter C. Dearie• As always, a testing bunch. Bob Hagan• A mixed bag; some were more of a challenge than others. Carole Noble• Great to see my name appearing on page 1. Thanks for my Slot 4 prize. Alison Hocking• Another enjoyable set of puzzles. Maureen Blake• Thank you to all our magical compilers. Dale McManus
Prize$75
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8
9 10 11 12
13 14
15 16 17
18
19 20 21 22
23
24 25 26
27 28 29
30 31
Across 1 Sexy wild coterie detailed (6) 5 See about the weight of goblet material (6) 9 Mineral is mostly useless (5) 10 The Australian holder! (4-5) 13 Lay wrong cards, perhaps – mislead with a trick (7) 14 Problem about bird bone (7) 15 A major constellation! (4) 16 Managed cost to cattle ship of compact build (10) 19 Not a country bird! (10) 21 Soldier holding outside broadcast in desert (4) 24 Large animal, given wings, provides fast food (7) 26 A man doubled a crop of grass (7) 27 Troubled Rentlo men signing on (9) 29 The Russian symbol is well under par (5) 30 An expert in wordplay – French so to speak (6) 31 Red root as artist food (6)
Down 2 TV detective's taking Ecstasy to create mystery
puzzles (7) 3 This is a country bird! (6) 4 Painter of a small waterway? (9) 5 Hands over note and gives as security (5) 6 Set right it's a wire climber (8) 7 Neither partner is back, man! (3) 8 Out lumbers an invalid that can be overcome (12) 11 IX, a Rock Musical girl (5) 12 Outmoded tie cast off in a civilized manner (12) 17 A letter that displays personality (9) 18 The donkey was ill and got attacked (8) 20 Unreasonable fear of water biscuit (5) 22 Old boy Sigley drops a year, gets silly, and gives
pleasure (7) 23 Sin away to the rear (6) 25 Open across the West End (5) 28 Siesta back in Panama (3)
Cr world
ACC
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|P|A|G|E| |5|
Crypticby
Manveru
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|S|L|O|T| |3|
GENERAL COMMENTS continued from p4:• I really enjoyed the puzzles this month. Betty Siegman• I have managed to fi nish all fi ve for a change! Here’s hoping. Valerie Howard• I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity and sheer brilliance of our compilers, and selecting the COTM is a puzzle in itself. John Baylis• A wealth of long words in slots 1 & 4. I was unable to complete 3 & 5. Barb Ibbott• Once again a splendid array of puzzles. Many thanks to compilers, adjudicators and the whole committee for my ongoing mental health. Robyn Wimbush• As a general comment the puzzles all seemed a bit easier than usual. Perhaps, as per your discussion on entries etc, you will get a larger than usual turnout. Or, just maybe, I'm getting cleverer! Jim Fowler• Another month of excellent puzzles as usual. Catherine Hambling• Thanks for publishing the list compilers and their pseudonyms. I hope it can be done annually for the benefi t of new members and future new compilers. Nea Storey• Unfussily completed all crosswords without resort to aids – fi rst time ever – though needed a few post-solve dictionary checks for eg ULE, HIST, TAWS and NOVENA. Are you sure they're not getting easier, instead of harder? Rob Moline
Prize$75
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Across 1 Go to bed later or exercise? (3,2) 4 Entertainer who could be footing the bill? (3,6) 9 Everyone who arrives in Rome calls when lost (3-6) 10 Guidebook or anthology – the answer is found between
the covers! (5) 11 Escapes from crash in Erskineville with a bruise (6) 12 A source of power from love-god keen to
play around (8) 13 Mixed slit berries with topping of ice-cream is
tempting (12) 17 One getting the second degree after a road test with
pug goes awry (12) 20 Earlobe recklessly pierced with tip of paperclip can be
surgically repaired (8) 21 Polish umpire in England (6) 23 Australian politician joining Independent as a possible
defence (5) 24 Casually orientating, heedless of borders! (9) 25 It's presented after fast steeplechase's conclusion –
fl ower and European horse (6,3) 26 Thistle, originally a useless plant, is a
Scottish fl ower (5)
Down 1 Enterprise, for instance, that succeeded in recruiting
sailors (8) 2 They add up rows, including everything (8) 3 Make expert of independent salesperson travelling
around Italy (15) 4 Nervous, like a ballerina en pointe? (4) 5 Bum desperately tries to break being
poverty-stricken (9) 6 Dog kennel came with port, ultimately designed for
admission (15) 7 Perhaps Persian cat is swallowing rupees every now
and again (6) 8 Our main force is in contact with German soldier (6) 14 Somehow eats tip of lettuce, low in calories, yet one is
getting round? (9) 15 A pilot on a deadline? (8) 16 Barmy Army heading to Tasmania overwhelmed by
performance (8) 18 Spirit or more short beer? (6) 19 Extreme brightness from rising sun, for example,
captivates one (6) 22 Superfi cially wound and feel a sudden pain
internally (4)
Cr world
ACC
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AJby
Penobscot
Solutions begin with the given letter.
Place them in the grid, jigsaw-wise, where they fi t.
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Prize
Explanations to June Grids where provided by compilers, Thanks to Jean, Len, Rob and RogerSlot 1 InGrid. Across: 1 anag, 10 E + QUIP, 12 ICE + CAPS, 13 SURF+ACE, 14 O+VOID, 16 IN+GEN+U+hOUSe, 19 anag, 22 anag, 25 AR+RIVAL, 27 (br)ET+IQUETTE, 28 NO+OS+E, 29 DD. Down: 2 HA+ULE+DOFF, 3 CUP +PA, 4 EN+MESH+IN+G, 5 DD, 6 anag, 7 TrImAsReAl, 8 D(EPEE backwards)NS, 9 ME(x)DICO, 15 anag, 17 GOD+PARENT, 18 OB+LIV+IOUS, 19 USE+LESS, 21 DD, 23 A+DIEU, 24 DI(c)T(a)TO(r), 26 anag.
Slot 3 Crowsman. Across: 7 bu(s)y + bo(d)y; 9 minute with “t” delayed; 10 (h)ut + mo(i)st: 11 c + retsina(rev); 12 revel(rev); 13 anag; 15 chance + l; 17 gent + eel; 20 d(ally + a + w)ay; 22 fun + GI; 25 r + hu(bar)bs; 26 p(rot)ea; 27 (n)oodles; 28 rear + I + sen; Down: 1 tyro + lean; 2 dd; 3 ace(rev) inside Eyre; 4 anag + I + ties; 5 Unis + on; 6 anag; 8 (A)untie; 14 get a cross; 16 h + (d)eath row; 18 anag + tonic; 19 seam(rev) + tro(t); 21 l(Abel)s; 23 (ic)eberg (rev); 24 s + pear.
Slot 4 Isla. A PIECE, BLUFF + ED, C (SEVERAL PERCENT L)*, D (RAN RED)*, E (THE PLANE)*, FIRE + WORK, G (IL + RANG) rev + ER, HEEL + OVER, IN JURY, JUN (O) E SQUE, K WONK>, L Homoph of LICKER, MAR (XIS) T + L ENIN IST, N (ONE TYPE H)*, OS + PREY, P (R ALL UP)*, QUIt + Z + WHO'S)*, R + E (VIE) WER, S (GAVEL SAY)*, T WALTER* + R, U SURE R, VAL (IS) E, W (R ) ENCH, X (PHONE BOX)* + E, Y (E + MONEY)*, Z DD.
Slot 5 Zythum. Across: 1 INDECISION - (ca)DE(ts), 7 PA (L) L, 10 CUR + (GUN DEMO)*, 12 CALL + OS + IT + Y , 13 Hidden, 15 S + COW + L + S, 16 in NOV ((m)EN) A, 17 H + E + L + MET, 18 (S+ I + SONG)<, 19 DD, 22 S + C + HIST, 24 Hidden, 25 CO-WRI(t)E, 27 PA(i)NT, 29 (DYE MATRIX)*, 30 (RIB VAULT )* round ES, 31 NE(GATR)ON, 32 T(O)ASTERS. Down: 1 (D)ICED, 2 (LINEN + COIR)*, 3 SUitABLE - it, 4 IDLE + ST, 5 (D)OG + LING, 6 NEO (CO) N, 7 SOP< + Y , 8 I in (GAS LIT INN)* , 9 LAY + WASTE, 11 (si)DE + CELE(b)RATE, 14 (SEE RIBALD)*, 15 (ROAST HEN)*, 20 D in A MIST , 21 (s)ET in HERO, 22 C + O in AIRS<, 23 COO + MBS, 26 (A)LIEN(S), 28 (MEN)TORS.
Prize$75
A Finished with the dishes in the rack (3,6,2)B This should not be eaten when immersed (4,3)C Shell-like objector? (6)D Eaters in cheap eateries (6)E Load the astronauts. Succinctly? (11)F Container for the price of a journey (7)G Challenge thrown down to construct Gaul tent (8)H Fool! - what's found with hashes and helms? (4)I Beard put in danger around 1st of August (8)J More fortunate to conserve mass? That's right! (7)K Riotous party for Mother Brown? (5-2)L Fish on Great Lake. Smalls as they used to say (8)M Threatened chaps not making court returns (7)N Donned or downed before retiring (8)O Is older than when powerless? (7)
P Mrs Lord. Unequalled when First Lady departs (7)Q Brooks imbibes the fi rst of espressos after square
dances (10)R American bird a street ahead of athlete. Even a "wily"
one? (10)S Not much time for runner-up (6)T Fear of rubbish coming up about sin (6)U Bats like a sliding door (8)V Thin disguise for archdeacon, ever poetic (6)W Brace of cats responsible for possible accident
outcome (8)X Eleven males take English soprano to
classical setter (7)Y Ascetic practitioner gives greeting to soldier (4)Z Plant hormone. No takeaway after the 26th! (6)
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All of the Across answers contain the mystery letter at least once, and are not defi ned. Each Across clue defi nes another word which, when the single mystery letter is added, provides the answer. For example, suppose the mystery letter is M (which it is not!). Then ‘Fishing (7+1)’ would give MANGLING, ‘Frolics (6+1)’ would be CAMPERS, ‘Disgraced (6+1)’ would be SHAMMED. Down clues are normal cryptic clues.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Down 1 Can, held up in Indian Ocean Islands, has edible arums (8) 2 It is found in derelict places (5) 3 Guides withdraw heroin for druggies (5) 4 Air cut off brings retardation in eloquence (14) 5 Sensors record inside prominent church positions (9) 6 Great ruler caught fi sh (9) 7 Antecede, without pterosaur at last having feet (6) 8 Wicked person stayed up with native hiding vehicle (5,9) 14 Fellow oversees fi sherman in English borough (9) 15 Anxious if going across, not being of high birth (9) 17 Supports fi rst of ex-partners (8) 20 Tree from Jamaica cannot be raised (6) 22 Where to hide 100 Yen? (5) 23 Wipe out times table at last (5)
Across 1 Turn-on (7+1) 5 Gather (4+1) 9 Part of ring containing the jewel (6+1) 10 Left (6+1) 11 Thick coated animals (4+1) 12 Having the biggest hips (8+1) 13 Relating to an average (6+1) 16 Relating to a classic architectural style (5+1) 18 Gusset (5+1) 19 Flowers (6+1) 21 One who hurries up (8+1) 22 Carry out again (4+1) 24 Mammals (6+1) 25 Orientals (6+1) 26 Greek God of War (4+1) 27 Machines for sowing (7+1)
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Half 'n Half with a Mystery Letter
by Crowsman
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Prize:
Autographed by DA
Win!
CROSSMAS CRUCIVERBAL 2014: Our Annual Victorian Christmas in July Get-together this year will be Christmas in July to be held at noon-4pm on Sunday 27 July at the Royal Oak Hotel, 442 Nicholson Street, North Fitzroy. We already have a good number attending but we need quite a few more. Help! Please. Pay on the day. Bookings and enquiries to Patrick Street, ph (03) 9347 1216 or email: [email protected] anytime now please.
We are thrilled to welcome some of our distinguished members not only from Country areas but also from interstate. There will be two exciting Crosswords (including a new compiler whose composition should provide plenty of enjoyment for you), a fabulous Quiz and plenty of prizes!
The Main Courses are: Roast Lamb with roast vegetables, peas, and topped with a rich gravy sauce OR Fresh Red Snapper with rocket pear and parmesan salad, wedges and topped with fresh mint salad OR Grilled Moroccan spiced Chicken Breast served on a bed of pumpkin and cashew couscous with honey-roasted Dutch carrots. How taste-tempting does that sound? And excellent wines free of charge!! Come along and join in the merriment! We look forward to renewing acquaintances!
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One-off AJby
Betelgeuse
Send Solution
to:
Gillian Championc/o Post Offi ce Metung Vic 3904. or by email to: [email protected] Closing mail date: Friday 8 August 2014.
Prize:
Prize$75
A A long time for Herb! (7)B General description of this puzzle – fi lleted? (3,4) Least fresh and least likely to change (7)C Laugh and dance (2-2) # Assumes control of business in hides (5,4)D Very bad cut (6)E Scores of the composer (6)F One out of condition (4) Island girl (4) Settles historical tumults (6) Brave lacking appendages (7)G Capturing a Himalayan antelope (5)H One who pretends to be smarter (5)I One who rescues taste (6) DNA sequence found in legendary bottle (4) J Took part in a tournament and was removed (6)K Causing offence by stripping off the cover (7) Cleaner coke (4)L Ballet step as defensive measure (9) An old vehicle for farmer, perhaps (6)M Northern porridge stick with protection for the fi nger (6) Transparent fat (5)N Hall for old salt (6)
O Contained in the veins of a star (5)P What a cream éclair could do to an old overcoat? (7)Q Look askance at perspiration mark on wool (5)R Brief notices for travels around the world (5) Up for the wine (4)S Mosslike and slimy (6)T Kindred from birth (9)U One who abominates arrogance (5) #V Take delight in dance (4)W Tan farm animal that becomes a wild one (6) #X For ever on the outer (9)Y Describing scar of attachment to an old saint (5)Z Lean composer (4)
Each clue leads to two solutions, one before and the other after removal of the specifi ed letter: the latter is to be entered in the grid. The two solutions are in no specifi c order within each clue. As an example, if the L clue was “Step to a location (4)” location gives PLACE: removing the specifi ed L we fi nd PACE, which refl ects step and which would be entered in the grid. It will be clear from this example that either solution may begin with any letter. In clues marked (#) the longer solution contains two of the specifi ed letters both of which have been removed. Solutions should be entered in the grid wherever they will fi t.
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New Member: Patricia Weston from Beasonsfi eld WA. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Crozworlding, Patricia.
Corrigenda for July issue of CrozworldThe following dots were gained in the May puzzles but omitted from the results published in the June issue. Greg McAdoo gained dots for slots 1, 3 and 4. Barbara Morris gained a dot for slot 1, Dave Parsons and Mike Potts gained dots for slots 1 to 4 inc and Jan Wood gained dots for slots 1, 3 and 5. Please accept our apologies.
As the result of a successful appeal, Warren Allen is awarded a dot for May Slot 5 with a solution for line 8 of GAMBLE - GROUSE. As a consequence, Fay Copland and Paula Mercer also gained that dot.__________________________________________________________________
Vale John Martin from Busselton WA. We were saddened to hear of the death of our long-term member on 13 May 2014. We send our sincere condolences to John's loving family.__________________________________________________________________
A Note from our Puzzle Editor Ian Williams:We note that Barb Ibbott has expressed some regret that Slot 1 in July was a straight cryptic. Unfortunately we can only publish the puzzles that members provide. We have absolutely no Half 'n Half puzzles on the books for Slot 1, so have to select from the available, more straightforward cryptics. We’d welcome replenishment of the Half 'n Half stock and in particular we’d welcome contributions from new compilers. Starting your compiling career with a Half 'n Half means only half the work in developing cryptic clues: assistance and feedback will be given willingly at any stage in the compilation process. So why not give it a go? —Puzzle Editor__________________________________________________________________
Puzzle Comments from Drew MeekSlot 1: In 4dn both emmeshing and enmeshing are valid words which satisfy the clue. Slot 2: I’m hoping that 25ac is COCOA based on a ‘light brown colour’; However, the Cacao/Cocoa tree, while coming from the tropics, is not a palm.[The COCO (palm) + A gives the construction of the clue – Adj] Slot 5: Many clues with great surface readings, so hard to decide on a COTM. Eventually picked E(lephant) for my vote.
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Results of Quiz No 4/2014. 24th Anniversary Quiz by Bill Bennett and Bev Cockburn.Entries received: 29.Winner: Eileen O’Brien. Congratulations!Results: 24. M. Blake, J. Fowler, P. Garner, S. Howells, D. Jones, A. Miles, C. Noble, E. O’Brien, M. Potts, M. Steinberger, B. Symons, K. Watt, J. Wenham, C. Wilcox and R. Wimbush. 23.5: W. Allen and G. Leeds. 23: G. Cole, R. Gooderick, B. Ibbott, J. Leigh, D. Meek and R. Skinner. 22.5: G. Lemon and P. Lord. 22: A Walter.
Answers: 1. X 2. Order of the Garter 3. Kiefer Sutherland 4. Backgammon 5. XXIV 6. Chromium 7. Omega 8. 99.9% 9. Grover Cleveland 10. Sing a Song of Sixpence 11. 576 12. Christmas Eve 13. 1,2,3,4,6,8,12,24. 14. A day 15. Musical instrument 16. Paul Keating 17. Tulsa 18. 75.2 19. ABC News 24 20. Humphrey Bogart 21. An American in Paris. 22. Missouri 23. 59 24. Jeremiah.
Setters’ Comments: Alternatives were accepted for Grover Cleveland (William McKinley) and Paul Keating (John Gorton) depending on your interpretation of the question. Half a mark was lost if 24 was left out of the factors. ‘Tables’ was accepted for No. 4. 100% was accepted for No 8. Thank you for your complimentary remarks and comments. I’m sure Bill would have been delighted. —Bev Cockburn
Solvers' Comments:• A pleasant and unstressful way to wish Bill farewell. Pat Garner• I always learn something from yours and Bill's anniversary quizzes. Andrew Miles• I was sorry to hear about Bill's death. You have both put together an interesting quiz, so many thanks. Robyn Wimbush
• I was very sad to hear of Bill's death. I hope I've done justice to Bill's memory with my answers to this quiz. Jenny Wenham• Good quiz and I'm sure Bill would have been looking forward to the response. Let's hope we did him proud. Richard Skinner• Please fi nd my offering to Bill's quiz. Many thanks. Julie Leigh• Many thanks to both you and Bill Bennett for this 24th Anniversary Quiz. Bill is remembered as one of our original members of the ACC. Alan Walter• Many thanks for this quiz – a good mix of hard thinking and research. Mike Potts• I am not at all confi dent about this quiz as there seems to be a number of alternative answers to some of the questions...but here goes. Susan Howells• Nice one, Bev, but I must admit to consulting dear old Google for a few. Eileen O'Brien• Thanks for an interesting puzzle...I am crossing my fi ngers that my answers and yours agree! Maureen Blake• It is quite remarkable that Croz has been going now for 24 years. I have a hard copy of every edition of the magazine starting at No 1 (and including the precursor Crossworder) and hope it continues for another 24. It may or may not be nice to think that I will still be around to see it! Jim Fowler• Enjoyable quiz, thank you. Joan Smith• I learned many things from this quiz: now all I have to do is remember them. Carole Noble• As usual there are a few long shots. A very thought-provoking test. I am looking forward to seeing the offi cial answers. Gary Lemon• Thank you Bev and Bill for this interesting quiz. Some answers needed a bit of tracking down. The internet comes in handy sometimes. Gabrielle Leeds• Thank you for your very topical quiz. Doreen Jones
Whistle-blowerMeaning: A person who tries to raise the alarm about a problem and publicises it inside and/or outside of his/her organisation.
Origin: If the number of phrases that make direct reference to whistles is anything to go by, whistling looms large in the consciousness of the English-speaking peoples. Examples are: As clean as a whistle, Bells and whistles, Not just whistling Dixie, Pig and Whistle, Wet one's whistle, Whistle and fl ute, Whistle down the wind, Whistling in a graveyard, Wolf whistle, You can whistle for it. Similar activities, for instance humming, produce a much shorter list.
'Whistle-blowers' are people who attempt to draw their superiors' attention to something they believe to be wrong and, if they fail in that attempt and if they feel strongly enough about the matter, go public. Such folk may have been around for a long time but it is only recently that they have been given a name.
The expression 'whistle blower' was used literally well before it gained its current fi gurative meaning. Lots of people blew whistles; hunters were said to 'whistle down the wind' when they let their falcons loose to fl y. Sailors, when needing a wind to free a becalmed ship, would 'whistle for it'. The fi rst profession to be labelled as 'whistle blowers' were the US police, who blew whistles to attract attention to wrongdoing. An early example comes from the newspaper The Janesville Gazette, June 1883, in a story about a policeman who woke half the town in order to forestall a riot:
"Quiet was restored upon the arrival of the regular police force, and ere the town clock had struck the midnight hour all had returned to their homes. [Continued on p14]
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Members' Comments continued pp9 & 15 |P|A|G|E| |1|0|
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June 1-2014: Cryptic by InGrid (Jean Barbour)• 8dn: “back” as reversal indicator is better used in Across clues; “up” is better for Down clues. 24dn: Tyrant loses CAR components not VEHICLE components. (Agreed, but precision can sometimes spoil a good fair clue – dB) George Rolfe• Half 'n Half puzzle missing! Thanks InGrid for your challenging Slot 1 cryptic. Alan Walter• Fairly straightforward, although I am disappointed to see this slot becoming a cryptic. Barb Ibbott• A gentle “warm-up” puzzle. Margaret Davis• I stormed into MEDICO, then was misled by “country” and changed to MEXICO ... fortunately my guardian angel (AKA Robyn) tapped me on the shoulder. Dale McManus• Once again, I found this hard to solve. 2 & 3dn were the last fi nished. Some good clues. Anne Simons• All the puzzles were good, and I appreciate the work of setters in presenting them to us. Norma Heyes• Liked UNFLEDGED and ENMESHING, with MEDICO for COTM. Max Roddick• The quirkiness of 29ac SOUTH SOUTH EAST won the day for my COTM. Onya InGrid. Richard Skinner• Clue of the month: 24dn DITTO, something new – though I'm not sure I entirely approve of the clue! Rob Moline• Nothing too diffi cult in this – a nice introduction to the month. Andrew Patterson• My COTM goes to Slot 1 21dn TELLER. Deceptively simple. Michael Kennedy• I liked ETIQUETTE and SOUTH-SOUTH-EAST. Tony de Grys• A nice starter for the month. Almost expected a movie reference for 29ac (S’S’W): Point, point, point, point opposing Alfred Hitchcock's point? Alan Dyer
June 2-2014: Cryptic by Both Sides (Nea Storey & Anne Simons)• 5dn presented a dilemma – word play suggests ABSOLOM (AB=sailor, SOLO=lonely, M=married) and defi nition suggests ABSALOM. Decided to go with the former as there may be an alternative spelling for David’s son. Ulla Axelsen• A friend’s reference book gave ABSOLOM so I hope I have made the right choice. Jean Evans• I enjoyed the challenge once I caught on to the theme – BARABBAS in particular. Norma Heyes• So many Biblical references; had me casting my mind back to Sunday School days. I chose CHARM as my COTM; I had never looked at the word on that way before. Betty Siegman • Like being in Bible Class again! DANIEL and DELILAH were too easy, but the rest were a delight. Liked CHARM, SENSATION, REFITTED and BLACKOUT. And CHEATERY was a gem! Max Roddick• Biblical proportions! I’m glad I’ve been paying attention during sermons. An enjoyable puzzle. Barb Ibbott• A fascinating and testing puzzle; dare I say it, one of biblical proportions. Ian Thompson• Flute as a reed instrument? Or did I miss something? Rob Moline• 16ac I take to be MARY but if this is correct there is no cryptic component that I can see. Presumably it refers to the two (or more) different women of that name in the Gospels. Roger Douglas• Really enjoyed the theme here – the Book of Books! Stephen Young• Might have been titled Buy the Book, judging by a dozen clues with a biblical or church theme. Tony de Grys• I had to confi rm a couple of names in this one – but at least they were not obscure! Alan Dyer
June 3-2014: Cryptic by Crowsman (Len Colgan)• Another brain-teaser, with lots of clever clues, including 16dn, my COTM – last one completed. Loved the Nina – THE AUSTRALIAN CROSSWORD CLUB. Anne Simons• Nice Nina, shame about the boatrace. William “Raoul” Ryan• Thanks for your clever puzzle Crowsman. Much liked 11ac C+ANISTER & 14dn GET ACROSS. Alan Walter• I spotted the Nina this time. This month’s puzzles feature quite a few clues in which letters were subtracted or substituted. My favourite was 16dn where the D in DEATH ROW was replaced with an H to make “where one can take fl ight”. Brian Tickle• Gave COTM to GET ACROSS – a clever play on words. Ulla Axelsen • I spent more time on Slot 3 than all the others put together (and nominate GET ACROSS as my COTM). Hope I made the right decision about LEVER/REVEL. Bev Cockburn• It’s so long since I’ve seen “bar” used in this sense; it pipped at the post my other contender (HEATHROW) for COTM. Dale McManus• A good but diffi cult puzzle. I don’t understand 28ac and have agonised over REALISED or REALIZED – I hope “one small” indicates “IS”. Jill Freeland • Two solutions evaded me. I fi nd Crowsman, one of my favourite compilers, a challenge – he defeated me this month. Cheryl Wilcox
• I liked several of Crowsman’s clues, but settled for 14dn GET ACROSS as my COTM. Carole Noble• I found this the hardest of the bunch, and as usual Len had me chewing the end of my pencil for quite some time. But I made it, and am reasonably happy with the result. Nothing like a good challenge. Betty Siegman• Beautifully constructed puzzle again. Left lower quadrant slowed me down. Took a while to get DEATH ROW → HEATHROW (my COTM). Roy Taylor• I nominate HEATHROW as COTM because the clue is so cleverly phrased and because it made me chuckle. John Baylis• Loved REARISEN – an un-intuitive dissection of a word. My COTM. Denis Coates• Liked CANISTER, RHUBARBS, HOSTS and CLEVER (which was clever!) And spent ages deciding on 20ac. Hope I was right. Max Roddick• I found this the most diffi cult this month, not helped by thinking the answer to 20ac was WHILE AWAY. And no 15-letter words from Crowsman this time. Margaret Davis• Crowsman’s ability to get the words “The Australian Crossword Club” appearing around the border of Slot 3 deserves a special mention. Ron Carpenter• Liked 8dn (untie) in slot 3. Richard Skinner• It doesn't matter what Slot Crowsman is in, he always has something special in store – this time the lovely Nina THE AUSTRALIAN CROSSWORD CLUB. I liked the clues for Tyrolean, Get across, and Protea. Nea Storey• HEATHROW/DEATH ROW a good spot. Rob Moline• If there were no 15-letter words, there had to be something else – and there was. Andrew Patterson• Excellent – Crowsman’s usual high standard. It was only while entering my solution in AxWord that I noticed the cunning hidden message. Roger Douglas• In 14dn, isn’t “are” redundant? It seems to indicate an unnamed subject in the plural. Tony de Grys• A good challenge, took me a little while to get to HEATHROW and the MAESTRO did not jump out at me either! Alan Dyer
June 4-2014: AJ by Isla (Rob Moline)• I love a good Slot 4 – thanks Isla. Raoul• D: Very clever misleading use of “sewer”. George Rolfe• G: GNAR + LI + ER: Why the need for “little”? This word should have been deleted. Alan Walter• Always my favourite, with some splendid solutions. Dale McManus • AJ’s are always fun and a challenge; this was no exception. Unsure of B & K. Anne Simons• “Cant of loathsome man” made me immediately think of “hate mail”, but the rest of the clue just wouldn’t fi t! Very enjoyable. Ulla Axelsen• The AJ is probably my favourite each month, and I happily look for the familiar 11x11 cross in the centre. But sadly not so this time. Good clues; I liked ELEPHANT, which almost gained by COTM, my second favourite. Betty Siegman• I don’t think I’ve seen this grid used for an AJ before. P and Z were my favourites. Brian Tickle• A different grid again for the AJ. As always I enjoyed it. Devising the clue for GNARLIER must have been quite knotty – oops, sorry! Margaret Davis• Too many excellent clues to choose from. Especially liked NEOPHYTE and PLURAL. Max Roddick• My favourite, the AJ. The long words were a challenge and I’ve chosen M as my COTM. Barb Ibbott• No problems here. Q was a nice effort for a diffi cult answer. Andrew Patterson• Some excellent clues complemented a friendly grid. Best was MARXIST-LENINIST. Len Colgan• In the “K” clue I do not understand retired policymaker. Tony de Grys• Always like a good AJ and this was no exception. Alan Dyer
June 5-2014: Cryptic by Zythum (Roger Douglas)• I like the barred grids almost as much as the AJ’s. A very enjoyable puzzle. Brian Tickle• Nice to see a Ximenean grid again. I do like the word CURMUDGEON – so expressive! Margaret Davis• An excellent Slot 5 – we need more SMUT – Thanks Zythum. Raoul• 31: What constitutes the core of a word? Fifty percent seems a very big core. George Rolfe• A good cryptic; thanks Zythum. 3dn SU(IT)ABLE; 28dn (MEN)TORS; 25ac COWRI(T)E. Some deceptive clues with clever answers. Alan Walter• I was so relieved to discover “vestibular” is a word. Dale McManus• I fi nd this format diffi cult, but fi nally fi lled in all the squares. 25ac (COWRIE) took ages. Anne Simons• Some clever deletion clues. I am impressed with the number of fairly long words that Zythum has managed to fi t into this puzzle. Surely these must take some time to compile. Well done; more please. Betty Siegman
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NAME...............................
Post entries for puzzles 1-5 to David Grainger, 4/5 Walker Ave, Hampton Vic 3188.The closing mail date for puzzles 1 to 5 is Friday 26 July 2014.
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May 6-2014: A tour in dipsomania by Raoul (William Ryan)Entries 78; Correct 77; Success rate 98.7%. Prizes: "There were 77 correct entries – I laid them all out in the beer garden and waited until the fi rst two bird droppings of the morning." Winner of cash prize: Susan Howells. Ian McKenzie won the bottle of Chateau Rene Pogel 1962 which will come disguised as a Prince Albert Pinot Noir Geelong 1991 [rrp >$99.99] and kindly donated by William Ryan.Many Congratulations to our winners!
Compiler comments: Thank you all for the well-wishing, beautiful cards, threats, dead things. I missed getting an entry from my old mate, Bill Bennett. —(Raoul) William Ryan
Explanations: Across: 1 BOON + DOG + LEG*, 6 cryptic defi nition - no men, 10 RAN + GOON, 11 DE (DUN>) ED, 12 Cryptic defi nition, 14 (UNPOLISHED - SUE)*, 16 cryptic defi nition, 18 behind one horse!, 19 RE + (ST (N) EP)>, 21 cryptic defi nition , 23 PAN + HANDLE, 25 THE real ME, 26 anag, 27 A + PP + DUAL>, 28 YET + I. Down: 1 BART + ENDER, 2 cryptic defi nition, 3 DROVEr, 4 GIN + SLINGS, 5 LA + DEN, 7 DD, 8 ref to n n w w, 9 one gee-gee, 15 cryptic defi nition, 16 anag, 17 DD, 20 pun on pun gent, 22 ref to .05, 23 PO + M + MY, 24 homoph DOH + TI, 25 decidedly cryptic.
Solvers’ comments (expurgated due to space, profanity and libel laws):• Have you stopped taking the tablets? A puzzle as quirky and entertaining as ever and one that took a bit of lateral thinking. Loved BARTENDER in particular but it was no orphan. Keep it up. Richard Skinner• Enclosed fi nd my attempt at your puzzle, which I solved under the ‘affl uence of inkahol!’ Peter Dearie• Another fi ne example from the Raoulian school of cryptic compiling – Ximeneans and Libertarians seem otherwise dull. (The Nina was your best yet!). If COTM extended to Slot 6, TOPEE would be it. zinzan• Thanks for another fun workout. Susan Howells• Thanks for another entertaining puzzle! My favourite was the cheeky TOPEE. Keep up the good work. (Incidentally, exactly what do you get up to at lunchtime?) Mike Potts • Always appreciate your alternate view on life and crosswords. Glad to read the bonus prize is coming from the bowels of the HPH and not yours! Dave Parsons• More like a tour in paronomasia than dipsomania, but fun either way. Manveru• I always enjoy your humorous approach. Loved the alcohol and racecourse references. Many thanks. Tony Dobele• Thanks for composing this little gem – a good tussle and very satisfying to complete – with a few laughs along the way. Kind regards and keep up the good work! Pat Garner• Loved BARTENDER and DROVE. But I went through most of ELLA FITZGERALD's song titles before the penny dropped! Max Roddick• This was very challenging, but there were some great clues! My favourites were BOONDOGGLE, ELOPE, OWN GOAL, HEN PARTY and PUNGENT! Nea Storey• I loved TOPEE: in fact will vote it COM. Mind you it was a close run between that and SUSPENDER. Julie Leigh • Thanks for your enjoyable and somewhat challenging Slot 6. Lots of interesting clues. I thought having interdependent clues for ONE HORSE and GEE-GEES was a little risque; however, ultimately, it added to the challenge. Ian Thompson• Thank you for the entertaining puzzle. Cheers! Sam Howat• You must have some interesting hen-parties chez vous! May the fun continue and inspire more puzzles like this. Kath Harper• PUNGENT, indeed. Clever and very amusing clues and answers. Many of them COTM worthiness. TOPEE took the biscuit. Maurice Cowan• I so wanted PUNGENT to be COTM! Dale McManus
• I seem to have developed a liking for Slot 6. Your tippler’s tour was most enjoyable. Odette Greenberger• I liked TOPEE, PUNGENT and OMEN; made me laugh. Ulla Axelsen• Very entertaining clues – loved TOPEE. Roy Taylor• You’ve over-indulged again! As always, it takes a bit before the penny drops – but you can have some great clues – a bit different – but clever. Bob Hagan• Did enjoy this very clever puzzle. Cheryl Wilcox• Great fun, as always! Sonia Roulston• I always approach your puzzles with some trepidation. I liked the title. PUNGENT, very apt. Jill Freeland• Thought ELOPE a very fi ne clue. Most of the rest of it was more OUTRE for your OEUVRE. Andrew Miles• Loved it! – Especially OMEN and TOPEE. Betty Siegman• WINE CELLAR, BARTENDER and TOPEE particularly gave me a good laugh and brightened my day. Robyn Caine• You are a MAESTRO. This was not a BOONDOGGLE. Hopefully, if I am successful, I will get something from your WINE CELLAR or at least a MADEIRA or a couple of GIN-SLINGS from your BARTENDER the next time I am in Glebe. Cheers! Warren Allen • Thanks for a delightful puzzle. Innovative, clever and amusing. That must be worth a free pot as, when and if we ever get round to visiting Sydney. Is a 10oz beer a pot in NSW? Liked TOPEE. Jim Fowler• I'm sure you'll get a great response as I fear your theme targets our membership all too well! I particularly liked OMEN, MADEIRA, AGGREGATE and PUNGENT. Thanks, as always, for a puzzle that highlights the fun aspects of the art of setting. Jeremy Barnes• Thanks for a fun puzzle – I particularly liked PUNGENT. Ron Carpenter• I enjoyed my tour in Dipsomania and did not consider it a BOONDOGGLE especially when I raid the WINE-CELLAR! Interesting that both Slots 6 and 7 had horsey connections! Bev Cockburn• Really enjoyed solving your puzzle and, of course, enjoying a beer when I fi nished it! Graeme Cole• I found this a very enjoyable exercise although I took some time to complete it. TOPEE caused a smile! Maureen Blake• Some very amusing clues. Loved TOPEE. Carole Noble• Thank you for your usual, witty, high-standard puzzle. Doreen Jones• Thank you for a real brain-teaser of a puzzle. I felt the need to give a NUDGE to the GIN-SLINGS by the time I had fi nished! But I did enjoy it, in a strange way. I think, perhaps, the members of the ACC are all a bit strange anyway, don’t you!? Margaret Davis• Did enjoy this, thank you, lots of COTMs there – pity not eligible! Particularly taken with TOPEE – when the penny dropped! Eileen O’Brien• Loved PUNGENT but it can’t be COTM unfortunately. All in all, good fun. Sounds a nice place, Dipsomania. Robyn Wimbush• Thanks for an interesting and entertaining Slot 6. John Baylis• GEE-GEES particularly amused me. I am enjoying all ACC crosswords immensely. Norma Heyes• Really enjoyed this crossword – some very clever clues – ELOPE, WINE CELLAR and TOPEE. Marian Procter• Many thanks for an enjoyable challenge which I hope we’ve mastered. Dave & Al Callan• I thoroughly enjoyed your very amusing puzzle: TOPEE and PUNGENT in particular. Jan Wood• A good puzzle – I enjoyed it. Valerie Howard• Thank you for your enjoyable Tour of Dipsomania. Jean Evans• Your ‘Tour in Dipsomania’ was quite humorous. We need more puzzles like this. Alan Walter• Very challenging puzzle with some tricky clues. A glass of red helped to ease the frustration. Favourite clues BARTENDER, OMEN, RANGOON and WINE-CELLAR. Joan Smith
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Spot the Theme
by Flowerman
Post solution to:Ian Thompson
1904 Malvern RoadMalvern East Vic 3145.
email:[email protected]
Closing mail date: 8 August 2014.
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GOOD COPY - Name ..............................ROUGH COPY
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Prize$75
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9
10 11
12 13
14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21
22 23 24
25
26 27
28 29
Across 1 Nicking off with green item (4) 3 Physical stuff maintained in remarkable fi rst half (10) 10 Page put half of us at the front (7) 11 Three coins I tossed (7) 12 Made certain of eliminating chlorine then slowly proceeded (6) 13 Vessels supply Eritrea with RPGs fi nally (8) 14 Aware of non-white upset about Klan’s leader (2,3,4) 16 Jagger fi nally plugging Stones comeback (5) 18 New boat docking fi rst night in Hamburg (5) 20 What atomic bomb does proves a catastrophe around islands (9) 22 Perverted Queen’s representative once put inside (8) 24 The fi rst unpleasant beheading's quite emotional (6) 26 Fly south before the end of autumn (7) 27 Criticise detailed body imaging technique (7) 28 In the past, head got behind unknowns guarding compound (10) 29 Treated to drinks, shouted in a way (4)
Down 1 Local star accepting if foreign movie brought in nothing (9) 2 Will current city outskirts escape being banned? (7) 4 Look me in the eye to be transformed (4) 5 To drink around sailors is to make a serious mistake (2,5,2) 6 Secrete high achiever up in central keep (5) 7 Scratching of head in smaller or in greater amounts, if this? (7) 8 Asian fl ower releasing scent essentially conjures up associations (5) 9 Sticking by supporter (8) 15 Star may cry "Yippee" at fi rst sign of business (2,7) 16 Cutting edge couples excluded from his Draconian changes (8) 17 Mail-out followed (9) 19 Churchmen remove seconds from top and bottom of root vegetable then start to slice (7) 21 Disorganised fool possibly not content to accept credit (7) 22 Bold Schutzstaffel invades state (5) 23 Defer in favour of missing scoundrel (5) 25 A state’s highest peak yields doctor’s bones (4)
Nine solutions follow a theme, and their clues
lack a defi nition.
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Quiz No 7/2014. It’s All Greek to Me by Virgo. Answers all have something in common and are in alphabetical order. Send your entries to Alison Shield/Alison Martin 290 Essex St, West Footscray Vic 3012 or by email to [email protected] Closing mail date: 8 August 2014. $75 prize.
Quiz No 7/2014
by Virgo
Results of Quiz 5/2014: Trees by Brian Symons
Winner: Richard Skinner. Congratulations! 23: W Allen, U Axelsen, J Baylis, R Caine, B Cockburn, G Cole, J Fowler, P Garner, B Glissan, R Gooderick, B Hagan, K Harper, S Howells, J Leigh, A Martin, D Meek, A Miles, C Noble, M Potts, B Siegman, A Simons, R Skinner, M Steinberger, N Storey, I Thompson, C Wilcox and J Woodford. 22.5: B Ibbott, S Roulston and W Ryan. 22: G Leeds, G Lemon, C McClelland, E O'Brien and A Walter. 21: K Watt.
Solutions: 1 Apple 2 Ash 3 Aspen 4 Birch 5 Cedar 6 Chestnut 7 Cinchona 8 Coolibah/Coolabah 9 Cypress 10 Ghost Gum 11 Hawthorn 12 Holly 13 Laurel 14 Linden 15 Maple 16 Mulberry 17 Oak 18 Olive 19 Orange 20 Pine 21 Plane 22 Sequoia 23 Willow.
Adjudicator’s Comments:It was great to get such a good response. It was pointed out to me that Nepal is no longer a republic. The cinchona tree is the source of the fi rst antimalarial, quinine. Cognac is always matured in oak barrels. Hawthorn was the source of the crown of thorns. I could fi nd no defi nitive information on the cross material. Joshua for laurel was too obscure to warrant a full mark. Apparently there is a poem entitled Royal by a poet whose fi rst name is Joshua! Variant spellings of coolibah were accepted though the preferred spelling is the one in the song. —Brian Symons
Members’ Comments: • I prefer the quiz requiring some thinking and reasoning. Bob Hagan• It's amazing how you come up with such a variety of quizzes. Graeme Cole• Not requiring too much research, making it more enjoyable. Carole Noble• I knew cinchona as I spent a couple of nights in the Spanish town of Cinchon & remembered the connection. John Baylis• A bit different from the usual defi nition style of quiz. Mike Potts• I enjoyed dredging my brain for associations rather than defi nitions. Pat Garner• Thanks for an enjoyable and different quiz. Jim Fowler• I am amazed at the broad associations trees have — showing the important part they play in our lives. Kath Harper_____________________________________________________
[WHISTLE-BLOWER cont'd from p9]But the crowd of people were all willing to bet that McGinley was the champion whistle blower in America."
More recently, football referees have also been called 'whistle blowers'. The association with the blowing of whistles and the drawing of attention to a misdemeanour has now been extended into fi gurative use.
The new use of the expression began in the 1960s and the earliest examples of its use are found in journalistic reports of the My Lai massacre in the Vietnam War, in which several hundred civilians were murdered. Such a report, which was made at the stage that newspapers were still reporting My Lai as an 'incident' and 'alleged massacre', was printed in the Lawton Constitutional, December 1969. This dismissed Ronald Ridenhour, the GI that brought the story to the public's attention, as a fortune hunter with a vested interest:
"This "whistle-blower" has turned out to be a clever member of the anti-war faction which has been using the alleged misconduct of a few GIs to slander the American Army."
In the 19th century we had 'whistle blowers', in the 20th we had 'whistle-blowers' and now we have 'whistleblowers'. This changing of an expression into a word, with the intervening hyphenated phase, is one of the most common ways we form new words.
There are many examples, from Shakespeare's coinages 'birthplace', 'bloodstained' and 'barefaced' (using just the Bs), to more modern-day examples like 'beancounter' and 'bombshell' (and how long before 'modern-day' becomes 'modernday'?).
Search engines seem to have caught on to this mutation of phrases into words very quickly. A Google image search for "whistle blower" brings up pictures of people blowing whistles. A search for "whistleblower" retrieves pictures of Bradley (a.k.a. Chelsea) Manning.
[The ACC thanks A Phrase A Week at www.phrases.org.uk for permission to publish this article.]_______________________________________________________
1 A region of Cambodia (6)2 An Asian Capital (7)3 Former Aussie cleaning products entrepreneur and TV advertiser with the catchphrase, “I’m excited!” (3,3)4 Non-tactile osculating (7,6)5 Mascot of the Australian Olympic Team (6,8)6 Insecticide (3,6)7 Former Chinese leader (6,3-4)
8 A pooch’s garden shelter (3,6)9 Playing with toys on strings (6,5)
10 Maidenhair tree (6)11 Actor star of “Little Miss Sunshine” (4,7)12 Author of “The Father Brown Mysteries” (1,1,10)13 Bearing young, or going frantic (6,7)14 Lymphoma (7’1,7)
15 An Asian territorial entity (4,4)16 A 1920’s monster movie with Fay Wray (4,4)17 A Registrar or Ship’s Captain? (3,6)18 A cutting tool (6,5)19 1996 Action thriller starring Geena Davis (3,4,4,9)20 A kitchen appliance (9,6)
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May 7-2014. Cryptic by zinzan (Andrew Patterson)Entries 35. Correct 18. Success rate 51.4%. Prizewinner: Michael Kennedy. Congratulations!Correct: Bev Cockburn, Len Colgan, Tony Dobele, Roger Douglas, Jim Fowler, Bob Hagan, Michael Kennedy, Pat Lord, Ian Mason, Claire McClelland, Andrew Miles, Rob Molins, Mike Potts, David Procter, George Rolfe, Brian Symons, Ian Thompson and Alan Walter.
Adjudicator’s Comments: It seems this puzzle wasn’t enjoyed so much. The grid probably didn’t help but it did provide unique clue numbers. Being a big fan of the setter Brendan, I tried for something similar – different uses of a theme answer. FORD could be any of the referenced answers – they are the defi nition. The numbers look like marks awarded (for something). FORD is ‘F or D’ – a marker may award a test paper an F or D. ‘Scorer’ could’ve also been used, in a musical sense. Yes, GOODS relates to the Gs of ‘gelding’. Many solvers had FILAGREED which doesn’t suit the clue. Many again couldn’t get past TREX, even noting it should have been (1,3) – the defi nition is ‘3’, so ‘TREY’ (and TREZ it seems). While I don’t set out to be diffi cult, I do try to use less obvious answers and constructions. And I do try to have a justifi able answer each time. I can’t wait to see how my next puzzle goes . . . . —zinzan (Andrew Patterson)
Solvers’ Comments:• This was a tough one! Great clues, though – especially 20ac! Roger Douglas• A most challenging Slot 7. A few new words for the vocab. An enjoyable exercise. Bob Hagan• Thanks for an awesome puzzle. I do not fully understand HARRISON. Brian Symons• To be frank, there at least two answers we still aren’t absolutely sure of but we think we’re thinking along your lines.Time will tell. Richard Skinner• You can have no idea how long we have battled over Clue 28ac in your crossword! We have thought of Bonds, Goods, Fords, Golds and others...but cannot work out the total clue. I fear we have failed, plumping in the end for Goods because of the Gs at the beginning and end of Gelding. Julie Leigh• Thanks for a testing puzzle. Several great clues, as usual. I enjoyed the way your theme of FORD was presented, and the way you created misdirections via the use of numbers in the clues. There were some fairly obscure defi nitions for me with TAURUS, CAPSULE and TREY, but that just made the puzzle more interesting. Among my favourite clues were 17ac GELDING and the linked 28ac GOODS. Ian Thompson• A toughie but doable, although not sure all my answers are correct. Thanks for a good challenge. Ulla Axelsen• This took some hard thinking! DIRECTOR was a clever clue. I thought TREY clue referred to 3dn but it just means ‘three’. Roy Taylor• I am not too sure about some answers, VIVAS, TREX, BETTY. I would award BETTY the Raw Prawn trophy. Doreen Jones• Thanks for the puzzle. As always there were a couple of cracking clues – ANTSY and ADHERE brought a smile to my face. There was a handful with which I really struggled – FILAGREES, DIRECTOR (dire = in poor health?), TREY (maybe a reference to another unknown), BETTY (had on = bet?) and TAURUS. I enjoyed the theme but I am not sure that F or D would be a likely dilemma – C or D, yes. Andrew Miles• I enjoyed your connections with FORD especially the clue for BETTY. I hope GOODS is correct – my reasoning was ‘good’ twice equals ‘goods’. Bev Cockburn• Thanks for your very challenging puzzle, but I am not confi dent. It took some research to discover that VIVAS are examinations. 28ac is a guess. Look forward to explanations. Loved your clues for FORD and ORIENT. Jan Wood• Thank you for your very innovative and cleverly deceptive puzzle incorporating the FORD theme. Loved 23dn TREY. Tony Dobele• Thoroughly enjoyed your puzzle. I found it decidedly tricky
but fair, clever and sort of gratifying when a solution was found. Still of small concern is 28ac which I assume is g,g being the ends of 17ac. g = good so, ergo, therefore Goods – last one in. Good stuff indeed – thank you. Jim Fowler• Is it just me, or was this a stinker? The last 8 or 9 words took me a week of spare time to solve. When 20ac FORD fell into place, several others became clearer, but were still only solved by “reverse engineering”. Still, a great sense of satisfaction when completed. Favourite clues were GELDING, ASTI, TREY and BETTY. Michael Potts• Enjoyed OWED, reminiscent of bullying English teachers. GELDING beautifully crafted, brought tears to my eyes (though for the other reason, which included a refl ex crossing of the legs). FORD very clever; DELIVERS a great surface; ASTI a nice &lit. I'd thought "Rock star" a bit loose for ASTEROID, until the dictionary showed it was two separate, accurate defi nitions. Rob Moline• I am absolutely certain that your brain and mine are not wired with the same circuitry; it always takes me some considerable time to fi nd my way onto your wave length – clever, devious and inventive as it is. 20ac is the sort of diabolical clue that I look at blankly, before pulling myself together and tackling its component parts – such an ingenious use of Ford-related clues! Susan Howells
Solution to Cryptic by zinzan
F H P E A AV I V A S P R E S I D E N TL R A O C H T
T A U R U S T R A V E R S EG I T E L R Y
C R O S S I N G O W E DE O E P A
H E R N I A S G E L D I N GS U C I TF O R D A S T E R O I D
B R I P R E TD E L I V E R S E S C O R TT E N U Y T A
S T O N E C O L D G O O D SY T E E R E
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June 5-2014: Cryptic by Zythum (Roger Douglas) cont'd:• Always a pleasure to get to grips with a good Ximenean; let there be many more! Max Roddick• Very enjoyable, precise cluing, and no obscure words with obscure clues – all guessable without aids. Rob Moline• It was no mean feat constructing that grid, symmetric in all four directions. I particularly liked the clues for 25ac and 11dn. Len Colgan• These are my favourite grids and Zythum delivered a beauty. Stephen Young• 1ac. is unintelligible, Although the checked letters indicate the answer is “incision”. “Pen joint effort, without tedious introduction” remains a mystery. [See Explanations, page 6 – Adj]. In 25ac the checked letters indicate “cowrie” which is indeed confi rmed to be “old money”. Tony de Grys• When I solve puzzles I put a question mark next to words to verify later. I think this puzzle has the record with 8 queries needing to be checked out! Tony Dobele• A good challenge. The clever use of “co-write” and the diverting use of “joint” in the clue (instead of some other word like “together”) earned it my COTM – that and it hark back to my high school lessons on economics. Alan Dyer
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|J|U|L|Y| |2|0|1|4|Results of the Clue Writing Competition No 3/2014Write a clue for CHIMERA (7)Adjudicated by Michael Kennedy
Defi nition of CHIMERA from Chambers (12th Edition)n (sometimes with cap) any idle or wild fancy; an organism (plant or animal) made up of two genetically different tissues (biol); a DNA molecule with sequences from more than one organism (biol); a fabled fi re-spouting monster, with a lion’s head, a serpent’s tail, and a goat’s body (Gr myth); a picture or representation of an animal having its parts made up of various animals. [L, from Gr chimaera a she-goat]
Chimera is one of those enticing words that offer many options for the compiler. There were some innovative ideas with this round of 17 clues, although several stretched the boundaries of fair play. For comparison, I’ve included a Times clue I came across for this word as well. After much cogitating over the top four entries, the winner by a whisker is Roger Douglas with his well-constructed and topical clue. Grotesque image of beginning of horrors in breakdown of Crimea (7)
The clues are listed in alphabetical order and the defi nitions, where appropriate, are italicised.
A lion’s head, a goat’s body, a serpent’s tail, a Greek character, the compiler and an Egyptian deity ***This charade clue is chimeric in its actual parsing. It works by combining CHI with ME and RA. This defi nition, and by far the longest one this month, makes up the fi rst half of the clue. While I do admire the fabular inventory, the defi nition is lacking a singularity to bring the three animal parts together. A chimera is a creature with all these parts.
A pain in my lip disturbed my reverie *The surface reading works very well, but you would be doing very well to solve it. The problem is not one, but two indirect anagrams (ache for pain, and rim for lip), with disturbed serving as the indicator. Indirect anagrams are generally not allowed, as the solver is required to take two steps (synonym followed by anagram) to get to the answer. The defi nition doesn’t make the clue any easier.
Clock perhaps a fi gment of the imagination You like it? This is taken from The Times Cryptic Crossword published on the 21st April. I thought it would be worth showing how the ‘professionals’ do it. As you can see there are no superfl uous words and the surface reading makes sense. A clock can be a chimer, hence perhaps. The addition of a is done seamlessly.
Echidna's offspring starts to claw holes in mud eating routed ants ***½This takes the initial letters from all the words after ‘to’. Some of you may be wondering how Echidna’s offspring is a chimera. In Greek mythology, Echidna is a Goddess who gave birth to many monsters, one of them being a Chimera. Note how the compiler has placed the proper name – Echidna, at the front of the clue to disguise it. The surface reading also cleverly misdirects the solver (I’m no monotremologist [?], but the puggle lives off its mother’s milk for around 200 days before it turns to ants etc.). A comma after mud wouldn’t have gone astray but otherwise this is a fi ne clue.
Fancy a fi re-breathing monster? You'll fi nd him in the Carbon Age ***This works by placing HIM between C Carbon and ERA Age. The defi nition(s) is interesting as there seem to be two – fancy and monster. This is unorthodox but seems to work in this instance due to the ‘would you like’ surface defi nition of fancy. There is of course no geological time period called the Carbon Age. However, the fantasy notion of a fi re-breathing monster fi ts the idea nicely.
Fancy! It’s an ape almost ahead of time ***This is CHIM(p) on ERA (time). I think one would prefer to say ‘ahead of its time’, but of course this wouldn’t work with the secondary indicators as they stand. Still, a satisfactory use of the chimp/era charade.
Fantasy of a rebel with one arm **The compiler may be surprised to learn that no one else thought of using a limbless rebel. Rebel is CHE, which, when combined with I ARM will give you chimera. Unfortunately, rebel runs into the indirect anagram minefi eld. Fantasy would also have to be doing double duty, but as a noun it doesn’t quite work as an anagram indicator. As to fantasising about a mutinous amputee, I have no comment.
French sea in country with no name is fl ight of fancy ***This places MER French sea inside CHI(n)A. Logically, one would
conjecture that a French sea would be found in France, but I guess the defi nition leaves the compiler at liberty to be as illogical as one desires. I would have placed ‘a’ before the defi nition for a smoother reading.
Grotesque image of beginning of horrors in breakdown of Crimea ****This topical clue places H inside an anagram of Crimea. An architectural chimera is similar to a gargoyle or a grotesque, hence the defi nition. The secondary indicators are spot on. While the surface reading makes perfect sense, using of twice in quick succession is a little jarring. Perhaps shows could have replaced the fi rst of. Otherwise a great clue!
Ham rice cooked by Fiery Dragon ***½This short clue is a real gem. It’s a simple anagram of ham and rice, but what makes this special is the link with the defi nition, brilliantly disguised as the name of a restaurant (There’s one by this name in Edinburgh if you happen to be visiting). With such a terrifi c premise, it’s a shame the serving wasn’t garnished some. ‘Ham cooked with rice...’; ‘Fried rice with ham…’
Have crime fantasy without WW2 triumph *This is an anagram of have crime without VE (WW2 triumph). Fantasy is loosely serving as both the anagram indicator and defi nition. This isn’t ideal as it is, but having the defi nition in the middle of the clue is less than helpful. It’s universally accepted that the defi nition must be found at either end of a clue (except with an &lit). While you don’t have the luxury of an editor, if possible, asking a friend to have a crack at solving it fi rst may prove useful.
Idle fancy that is concocted with charm ***½A well-parsed and accurate anagram of IE and CHARM. It has a whimsical surface reading that is in keeping with the magical aspect of a chimera. Technically, that is (IE) is being used as an indirect anagram, but common two-letter acronyms like this and others, such as chemical symbols, are acceptable.
It’s Charmaine in disguise – not an illusion! ****This is an excellent subtraction anagram where AN is removed from an anagram of Charmaine, as indicated by in disguise. Nicely worked in a perfectly sensible clue.
Monster starts with camel’s head, Indian monkey ears, really a wild fancy **To get to chimera, you must take the initial letters from camel through to really, with the letter a fi nishing it off. This is accurately indicated by starts with, although it’s not well disguised. The compiler has taken the idea of a chimera one step further by essentially making it two-headed with a defi nition at either end of the clue. While it may have been necessary to make the clue sensible, this unfairly confuses the solver.
This creature needs a long period of time to track tailless monkey ***This is ERA after CHIM(p). A well-thought-out clue that fl ows without losing any accuracy in the indications. A monkey without a tail is generally not a monkey at all – it’s an ape. Possibly explains why it takes the creature such a long period of time to fi nd one.
Ring God! What a crazy idea! ****There’s always one clue that brings a smile to my face. It’s a simple charade with CHIME ring and RA God. The defi nition fi ts the clue’s theme well. It was well in the running for the top prize.
Unexpectedly, Michael changes sides in a wild fantasy ****It’s taken nearly a score of clue writing competitions, but someone has fi nally seen the wisdom of incorporating my name (and spelling it correctly!) into the clue as premium anagram fodder. It works by rearranging Michael with R replacing L (changes sides). This is a fi ne clue to fi nish with.
Scoring SystemPoor Proper Perfect
Defi nition 0 1 2Secondaries 0 1 2Fairness 0 1 2Surface Reading 0 1 2x-factor 0 1 2
Star Rating: No star; 1-2 *; 3-4 **; 5-7 ***; 8-9 ****; 10 *****_________________________________________________________________________
Clue Writing Competition No 4/2014For the next competition, please write a clue for MORSEL (6) complete with explanation. Note: only one clue per person. Send your clue and explanation to the adjudicator Michael Kennedy, 27 Hennessy Lane, Figtree NSW 2525 or by email to: [email protected] Closing mail date: Friday 8 August 2014. Book prize.
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