A non-standard puzzle this week
Azed puzzles published on the first Sunday of the month are competition puzzles. Often they are just plain puzzles, but on a few occasions each year, the puzzle takes a different form. This puzzle falls into the non-standard category. The preamble told us that: Down clues are normal. Each across entry consists of two words which ‘collide’, i.e. they overlap by one or more letters, the overlapping letters always appearing in their correct order. Across clues except 12, consist of definitions of each of the full overlapping words and subsidiary indications of each minus the overlapping letters. Definitions and subsidiary indications for one answer precede those for the other, but either may come first. Numbers in brackets indicate the length of complete entries
I’ve solved puzzles like this before where there is usually at least one word where there is only one letter that doesn’t overlap, so the subsidiary indication in that case is very basic.
In the blog below I have dealt with each across entry by splitting the clue into two separate lines for the clues to the separate overlapping words. I have kept the clue wording in order, but given the final entry in the correct order of words required in the grid.
I had a look at the Downs first to see if I could get some letters that might help with the more challenging Acrosses. REALTOR, SATE and SNORT went in quickly at 3, 4 and 5 down. 6 down was clearly one of Azed’s compound anagrams and that too fell quite quickly. AMAZON and RELENGTHENED were also quite accessible so there were a good few letters to help identify ACROSSICULAR, BANCOME and TRACTORMINAL. From the rest of the grid built up steadily.
In the acrosses I had most difficult sorting out LEOPARDONING, TRUMPETERMAN and MISSELE. It didn’t help that I was working on CONDONING rather than PARDONING for a while.
I thought this was an enjoyable challenge.
The filled grid looks like this.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Answer | Entry |
| 1 |
Wrecked car straddling
One dog – inside left area of small bones |
Anagram of (wrecked) CAR ACR* I (Roman numeral for 1) + ([L {left} + A {area}] contained in [inside] CUR [dog]) I CU (L A) R |
ACROSS (straddling)
OSSICULAR (of small bones) |
ACROSSICULAR |
| 10 |
Middle East – sudden flare-up
Reduced British standard money |
ME (Middle East) ME B (abbreviation for [reduced] British) B |
ANCOME (sudden inflammation)
BANCO (the standard money in which a bank keeps its accounts, as distinguished from the current money of the place) |
BANCOME |
| 12* |
Relating to stomach pains A motorized plough |
This is the entry that has to be clued for the monthly competition;, so there is no wordplay, only definitions |
TORMINAL (relating to gripes [painful stomach spasms]) TRACTOR (motorized plough) |
TRACTORMINAL |
| 13 |
Cable to stop short: Henry
I … and Eliza’s disturbed issue in bits |
HALT (stop) excluding the final letter (short) T; also HAL (Henry) giving two separate bits of wordplay leading to the same answer HAL
I + an anagram of (disturbed) ELIZA I ALIZE* |
HALSER (hawser; cable)
SERIALIZE (issue in parts) |
HALSERIALIZE |
| 14 |
Tons to savour
Herald’s dropped on lack of central column |
T (tons) T LYON (chief herald of Scotland) excluding (dropping) ON |
TASTE (savour)
ASTELY (absence of a central cylinder or stele; lack of central column) |
TASTELY |
| 17 |
Portion of ale? One beast
Letting off blasted ‘Noggin not good!’ |
LEO (hidden word in [portion of] ALE ONE) LEO Anagram of (blasted) NOGGIN excluding (not) a G [good] ONING* |
LEOPARD (beast)
PARDONING (letting off) |
LEOPARDONING |
| 19 |
Caught in shade, moved
Chickpea from the back borders |
C (caught) contained in (in) TINT (shade) TIN (C) T GRAM (chickpea) reversed (from the back) MARG< |
INSTINCT (moved)
MARGINS (borders) |
MARGINSTINCT |
| 24 |
I see elegant
Bronze ring, ring round the moon, luminous |
I + C (see [the third letter of the alphabet]) I C BR (bronze) + O (ring shaped letter) BR O |
CHIC (elegant)
BROCH (a luminous ring around the moon) |
BROCHIC |
| 26 |
Sailor’s bar standard
Oxygen in a beer fizzy? I’ll need no oxygen |
NORM (standard) NORM O (oxygen) contained in (in) an anagram of (fizzy) A BEER AER (O) BE* |
NORMAN (bar inserted in a windlass on which to fasten or veer a rope or cable; sailor’s bar)
ANAEROBE (an organism that lives in absence of free oxygen) |
NORMANAEROBE |
| 29 |
Liner, maybe? Thousand on one
Swan, belly fed with recipe |
M (Roman numeral for 1000) + AN (one) M AN TUM (stomach; belly) containing (fed with) R (recipe, Latin) T (R) UM |
PETERMAN (fisherman, one who uses a rod and line; liner)
TRUMPETER (reference a TRUMPETER swan, a black-billed American swan (Cygnus buccinator), the largest of the world’s swans.) |
TRUMPETERMAN |
| 30 |
Not here, sing away, thrush
It’s eastern season |
MISSING (not here) excluding (away) SING MIS E (Eastern) E |
MISSEL (reference MISSEL thrush)
SELE (season) |
MISSELE |
| 31 |
Rearing up, returning diploma
Confirmed USA crawling with Reds |
BAC (baccalaureate; diploma) reversed (returning) CAB< Anagram of (crawling with) USA and REDS ASSURED* |
CABRE (heraldic term for rearing)
REASSURED (confirmed) |
CABREASSURED |
| Down | ||||
| 1 | Parasiticide old buffoon swallows direct tin drunk (12) |
ANTIC (archaic [old] word for buffoon) containing (swallows) (HELM [direct] + an anagram of [drunk] TIN) ANT (HELM INT*) IC |
ANTHELMINTIC (a drug used for destroying or expelling worms, especially parasitic intestinal worms; parasiticide) |
ANTHELMINTIC |
| 2 | Wherein a bit of red is served in eatery (6) |
(A + R [first letter of {bit of}] RED) contained in (in) CAFE (eatery) C (A R) AFE |
CARAFE (water bottle or wine-flask for the table) |
CARAFE |
| 3 | Property agent stern about untidy lot (7) |
REAR (stern) containing (about) an anagram of (untidy) LOT REA (LTO*) R |
REALTOR (American term for an agent for the buying and selling of landed property) |
REALTOR |
| 4 | Slice of feta served up in barbecued dish (4) |
SATE (reversed [up; down clue] hidden word in [in] FETA SERVED) SATE< |
SATE (satay [a Malaysian dish of marinated meat barbecued on skewers]) |
SATE |
| 5 | Quick drink, kind taken about noon (5) |
SORT (kind) containing (taken about) N (noon) S (N) ORT |
SNORT (informal term for a quick drink) |
SNORT |
| 6 | Leafy crown? You might have found e.g. this simply given out in Olympic Games (4) |
COMA (OLYMPIC GAMES* is an anagram of EG COMA [this] and SIMPLY) COMA |
COMA (a crown of leaves on certain trees) | COMA |
| 7 | ‘Soft’ vocal sound I brought into contact? (5) |
I contained in (brought into) LENS (reference a contact LENS for the eye) LEN (I) S |
LENIS (a consonant) articulated with relatively little muscular effort and pressure of breath; soft vocal sound) |
LENIS |
| 8 | Formidable woman, cross when grabbed by a fellow (6) |
ZO (cross between a male yak and a common horned cow) contained in (when grabbed by) (A + MAN) A MA (ZO) N |
AMAZON (formidable woman) | AMAZON |
| 9 | Stretched out again, having left England subsequently in rush (12) |
(L [left] + ENG [England] + THEN [subsequently]) contained in (in) REED (water grass; rush) RE (L ENG THEN) ED |
RELENGTHENED (stretched out again) | RELENGTHENED |
| 11 | What’s king in throw of dice called? (5) |
R (Rex; king) contained in (in) an anagram of (throw of) DICE C (R) IED* |
CRIED (called) | CRIED |
| 15 | The taste of Scotch spread after a wee bit thereof (4) |
S (first letter of [wee bit of] SCOTCH + AIR (spread) S AIR |
SAIR (Scots form of savour [taste]) | SAIR |
| 16 | Fate when freed from enveloping company, once hateful (4) |
CLOTHO (the Fate that holds the distaff from which Lachesis spins the thread of life) excluding (freed from) the outer letters (enveloping) CO (company) LOTH |
LOTH (obsolete word for [once] hateful) | LOTH |
| 18 | New arrival from German, I’ll depart wealthy, after profit (7) |
INCOME (profit) + RICH (wealthy) excluding (depart) ICH (German for I) INCOME R |
INCOMER (new arrival) | INCOMER |
| 20 | Doubt over choice in the air gripping chamber (6) |
ARIA (air or melody) containing (gripping) PO (chamberpot, can also be referred to simply as chamber) A (PO) RIA |
APORIA (a professed doubt of what to say or to choose |
APORIA |
| 21 | Day in Rome, not at all special (5) |
NONE (not at all) + S (special) NONE S |
NONES (in the Roman calendar, the ninth day before the Ides) |
NONES |
| 22 | Particular interest formerly in stimulus identifying body’s content? (6) |
BAG (old slang for a person’s particular interest) contained in (in) CUE (stimulus that produces a response) CU (BAG) E |
CUBAGE (the act or process of finding the solid or cubic content of a body and/or the result thus found) |
CUBAGE |
| 23 | Useless fellow caught punch, losing final round (5) |
C (caught) + RUMBO (rum punch) excluding (losing) the last letter (final) O (a round shape) C RUMB |
CRUMB (slang for worthless or contemptible person) |
CRUMB |
| 25 | Dropping by, one known for his intriguing canapés once (7) |
CATESBY (reference Robert CATESBY [1572 – 1605],leader excluding (dropping) BY of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators; intriguing fellow) CATES |
CATES (archaic [once] word dainties or delicacies; canapés once) | CATES |
| 27 | Orbital point in space that varies (not constant) (4) |
Anagram of (that varies) SPACE excluding (not) C (constant) APSE* |
APSE (apsis [in an orbit, the point of greatest or least distance from the central body])
|
APSE |
| 28 | Fish in Scotland furtive when rising from below (4) |
SLEE (Scottish word for sly [furtive]) reversed (when rising from below; down clue) EELS< |
EELS (fish) | EELS |
Yes, a satisfying challenge after a few of the “easier” Azeds recently. I could have helped myself if I’d read the instructions properly. I had leopard/pardoning early but I wondered what I had to do to fit leo/oning into a twelve-letter space. I had a few like that and eventually put the puzzle aside. A careful reading later and the lightbulb came on.
I think there’s been some comment in the past about indicators such as “inside” (1 Acr). Does “One dog – inside left area” indicate licura/lacura or icular? Or both?
And, “that’s not my bag” was something we said in the 60s. If both Azed and duncanshiell think it’s former or old, I bow.
No complaints from me about either the puzzle or references to my age.
Stefan
Thanks Azed and duncanshiell
It normally takes me what feels like half a day just to understand the instructions on a non plain Azed, but I surprised myself by getting stuck in and eventually finishing this – the first time I have completed one.
Most enjoyable and satisfying.
LEOPARDONING was clever, and COMA an ingenious composite anagram. Mind you, all composite anagrams look ingenious to me – when I look at how often they take the clue-writing prizes, I realise I’m unlikely to come up with one myself.
Is there any difference between Collisions as a competition-type, and the archived Overlaps puzzles?
Nila@3: looking at the description on the andlit website, there doesn’t seem to be much difference – http://andlit.org.uk/azed/listcompct.php?series=B&ctype=21
I think it’s also worth mentioning the grid in this puzzle, which is unusually generous, with four-letter worlds havingno unchecked letters.
Ah, I see the difference now.
Thank you for the link – the andlit site is a wellspring of interesting information. Had no idea about that section for all the fiendish clue types.
This was a treat until it got to the question of creating a clue worthy to send. The end bits in the original ran from six letters down to one and must have cost Azed a few hours.
As with “Left & Right” trying to pack two clues into a sensible space was a beast.
I seem to recall some other versions of this idea which created several weird, incongruous portmanteau words but these were fairly normal. AZ doesn’t seem to fade.
Many thanks to him and to duncanshiell for the excellent blog.