In retrospect, do I like this puzzle? No, I do not! With the hindsight of 30 years, I think I can honestly say that this squeezed into publication because it contained a degree of promise rather than for any actual achievement or quality. There are one or two decent clues, though in typing them up I didn’t actually think ‘Yes, that wasn’t bad’ until 30 down. There are some good ideas too, but a good idea isn’t enough – you have to work it into something with a modicum of style. My fingers certainly itched to make tweaks here, as well as to ditch one or two of the more egregious solecisms. But I haven’t – again the only changes I have made have been to amend word lengths to reflect later editions of Chambers Dictionary.
This doesn’t reflect on Mike Laws and his decision to publish. Mike was a great character and editor, and, as I suggested above, this puzzle squeaks into publishability because of one or two glints of potential competence. Were I in the editorial seat, I doubt I’d be as brave.
ACROSS
1 PYRALIDAE; anag. in anag. + e
11 DECORUM; cor in Deum
12 RETENE; eten in re
13 BETE; B ete(n)
14 AROMAS; 0 in arm as
15 DEIST; cf. desist
16 ZENITH SECTOR; zenith + sector
17 PRECIS; anag. – t + e
20 BINE; in in be(d)
21 ISMY; is my
23 TURGID; anag.
25 CHASSE-CROISE; anag. in (dan)ce & lit.
28 ARGOL;
29 PATOIS; at 0 in pi’s
31 MITY; (Walter) Mi(t)ty
32 UNTUCK; un-Tuck
33 AVESTAN; ave Stan
34 VENEERING; en in veering
DOWN
1 PARA; 2 mngs.
2 YFERE; y fere
3 ANEMIC; comp. anag.
4 LUNATIC; anag.
5 DEAD-SET; dead set
6 ACKEE; ke(y) in ace
7 PRESTIGIOUS; I in rest I go in pus
8 MUTTON; mutt on
9 SMEARED; me in anag. – p
10 STONE MARTEN; one mart in sten
17 PICAMAR; pica mar
18 SPELEAN; Pele in san(s)
19 SURANCE; sura n(I)ce
22 SHAIVA; sh! + I in ava
24 ROTTER; (t)rotter
26 SOOTE; soot e
27 SICAN; is (rev.) + Can(berra)
30 SKUG; last letters
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