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Games and Puzzles Winter 1980 – solution

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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This is the website of Paul Henderson, who sets crosswords for The Independent (London) under the pseudonyms Phi, for the Daily Telegraph (London) under the pseudonym Kcit, and anonymously for The Times (London) amongst many other outlets. For a more detailed biography see the About Me page.

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