Comments on: Azed 1901: Jigsaw

By: Richard Heald

Richard Heald — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:17:31 +0000

Re ANCON, I agree that ‘One’s’ is the weak link of the clue, but if one interprets it as ‘One has’ in the cryptic reading, I think it just about passes muster.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:06:18 +0000

I rather agree with Robin. Strictly speaking it isn’t quite an &lit. But it’s something like one – a semi &lit.?

By: Robin Gilbert

Robin Gilbert — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:28:31 +0000

On 3, “One’s” is, I suppose, required to make the definition work, but I still don’t see what part it legitimately plays in the wordplay / subsidiary indication. Surely, in a true &lit, every word should play a part simultaneously in both definition and subsidiary indication?

By: Peter Biddlecombe

Peter Biddlecombe — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:32:27 +0000

I found this really tough, and had about 3 goes at fitting in answers before doing so correctly. My preferred method for jigsaws is to solve most (or ideally all) of the clues of a particular word-length which intersect – such as the 8s in this grid. Alternatively, if you get two answers with a rare letter like X, you can gamble that they intersect at that letter.

By: George

George — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:01:16 +0000

I haven’t been trying Azed for very long, but this was a really fun solve. I had only about half of the answers before starting on the jigsaw part (and was worried that half the grid was going to start with C making it difficult). CAPOTTED, TWINAXIS and EXITANCE got me started and helped narrow down the other possibilities.

By: bridgesong

bridgesong — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:13:22 +0000

Jane

I also had difficulty explaining ANCON and TROUT, so additional thanks to Richard for his explanations.

I’m due, I think, to blog this week’s puzzle, so just a note that there is at present no link to it from the crossword index page on the Guardian website, but you can reach it by using the search facility and entering Azed 1902.

By: Richard Heald

Richard Heald — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:54:57 +0000

Clue 23 was my favourite too, highlighting Azed’s ability to choose exactly the right anagrind for the job.

By: Richard Heald

Richard Heald — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:45:06 +0000

3 is indeed an & lit., playing on the phrase ‘crook the elbow’, which in Chambers means ‘to drink alcohol, esp to excess’. This is an exceptionally clever clue, I think, with both ‘crooked’ and ‘inebriate’ having different pronunciations in surface and cryptic readings – indeed, it won F.R. Palmer 2nd prize in Azed Competition No. 161.

The wordplay in 24 is simply PRO (on the side of) + A (it).

The reasoning behind 33 is ‘a litre’ with tr out = ‘a lie’.