A Spoonerisms puzzle for this month’s competition: the first for over a year
The last time Azed gave us a Spoonerisms puzzle was in July 2018, when by chance I was also on blogging duty. Here is the rubric in full
“Half the across and half the down clues lead in their definitions to Spoonerisms of the correct answers to be entered. Subsidiary indications in these clues lead to the correct answers themselves. In the remaining clues (except 21 down) the definitions have been distorted by one Spoonerism per clue. Subsidiary indications in these clues likewise lead to the correct answers. Competitors should submit with their solutions a clue of the latter type to replace the asterisked definition at 21 down. NB Spoonerisms may be either consonantal, e.g. WHITEBAIT/BITE (or BIGHT) WAIT (or WEIGHT) or vocalic, e.g. BUNTING/BIN TONGUE, and may be accompanied by changes of punctuation. Bracketed numbers after clues indicate the length of grid entries throughout.”
The first category, which I have designated A for the purposes of the blog, are harder to spot than the second kind. In both cases the clues lack a definition in the usual sense so greater reliance than usual has to be placed on the wordplay, with some reverse engineering required to work out what the Spoonerism is. Azed is unusual in allowing vocalic Spoonerisms, and they can be harder to spot than the conventional kind.
I didn’t work out some of the Spoonerisms until I came to write the blog, and I must acknowledge the help of Dr Watson from the andlit.org website for 25 down (his blog was published yesterday). Inevitably, some of them are painfully contrived but others flow very well. Constructing the puzzle must take Azed much longer than usual. Writing the blog took some time as well; for some reason it’s extremely easy to get confused between the two types of clue.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PLOUGHWRIGHT (A) | Lake with sails initially hoisted in part? Argument risk past (12) |
| LOUGH W RIG H(oisted) in PT. The Spoonerism is ROW PLIGHT. | ||
| 9 | RONTE (B) | Dormer filling half of roof, note, nothing less (5) |
| RO(of) N(o)TE. The definition is “former dilling” (a runt). | ||
| 11 | HAULIER (A) | Urial he butchered, indulgence as of old in these parts (7) |
| *(URIAL HE). The Spoonerism is LAW HERE. | ||
| 12 | OVERLAY (A) | Old cows moo? Jocks casual about one (7) |
| A in OVERLY (Scots for casual). Spoonerism is AVER (an old word for cattle) LOW. | ||
| 14 | MONAD (A) | Fellow, strange, crazy, on being interned (5) |
| ON in MAD. Spoonerism is MAN, ODD. | ||
| 15 | CLIP-ONS (A) | Hoof-beat encircles brass among steers (7) |
| LIP in CONS. Spoonerism is CLOP INS. | ||
| 17 | JALEBIS (B) | Keats after swarmer? Bee is seen beside John’s first beer (7) |
| J(ohn) ALE B IS. Definition is “sweets after korma”. | ||
| 18 | SPENDS (B) | Positive stern on board pows eight (6) |
| P END in SS. Definition is “pays out”. | ||
| 20 | ELEGY (B) | Lad signs on in English yeomanry (either end) (5) |
| LEG (“on” in cricket) in E Y. Definition is “sad lines”. | ||
| 21 | GISMO (A) | Wretched energy, part of yogism often (5) |
| Hidden in “yogism often”. Spoonerism is MIZ GO. | ||
| 23 | DELPHI (A) | River dropped, part of parchedness in Asian capital (6) |
| P in DELHI. Spoonerism is FELL DEE. | ||
| 26 | UNTILED (B) | One such maybe slacks late, up to time of education (7) |
| UNTIL ED. Definition is “lacks slate”. | ||
| 28 | DISLEAL (A) | Man, say, with backward son going round places in Hampshire and Kent (7) |
| ISLE (e.g. of Man) in LAD (rev). Spoonerism is LISS, DEAL. | ||
| 30 | ACINI (B) | Leaders of army corps in north Italy boot Fritz (5) |
| Initial letters. Definition is “fruit bits”. | ||
| 31 | RELATES (B) | Earl set on the wrong track takes a male (7) |
| *(EARL SET). Definition is “makes a tale”. | ||
| 32 | LEISTER (A) | One lifting plough round shire’s rear (7) |
| (shir)E in LISTER (American plough). Spoonerism is STEALER. | ||
| 33 | ENACT (B) | Rue dole of each cent, number limited (5) |
| N(umber) in EA CT. Definition is “do role”. | ||
| 34 | EXPRESS TERMS (B) | Very fast running master (not amateur) – such may get a lead in Greece (12, 2 words) |
| EXPRESS *M(a)STER. Definition is: “may get agreed in lease”. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PROMOS (A) | Cut dull stuff gypsy planted in pots (6) |
| ROM in POS. Spoonerism is “MOW PROSE”. | ||
| 2 | ON END (B) | Awfully done in? Not I – with go naps intermittently (5, 2 words) |
| *(DONE IN) less I. Definition is “with no gaps”. | ||
| 3 | GELDED (A) | Some faded legends turning up, breather finished (6) |
| Hidden and reversed in “faded legends”. Spoonerism is GILL DEAD. | ||
| 4 | WAYLAID (A) | Face deviation when climbing? Bet considered carefully (7) |
| DIAL YAW (all rev). Spoonerism is LAY WEIGHED. | ||
| 5 | RUTILE (A) | It’s put up, breaking regulation, excessively to irritate (6) |
| IT (rev) in RULE. Spoonerism is TOO RILE. | ||
| 6 | GIRO (A) | Mocking ordinary fellow right inside creek (4) |
| R in GIO. Spoonerism is WRY JOE. | ||
| 7 | HEN NIGHT (A) | Acute difficulty nearly within grasp, as before (8, 2 words) |
| NIGH in HENT. I think the Spoonerism is HIGH NET, but I’m not entirely convinced that equates to “acute difficulty”. | ||
| 8 | TRESSY (B) | Tyre’s damaged around start of service, showing bumbling trades (6) |
| S(ervice) in *TRYRES. Definition is “tumbling braids”. | ||
| 10 | TRAIN MILE (A) | Principal test the French applied to cocktail of martini (9, 2 words) |
| *MARTINI, LE. Spoonerism is MAIN TRIAL. | ||
| 13 | SPELLICAN (A) | Driller’s pipe? Pair is briefly left inside alembic (9) |
| S, L in PELICAN (an alembic). Spoonerism is KELLY SPAN. A Kelly is a a driller’s pipe and a span can mean a pair of horses. | ||
| 16 | SPINIFEX (A) | Glasses with e.g. stabilizers to hold down if amid love-making (8) |
| PIN IF in SEX. Spoonerism is FINNY SPECS. | ||
| 19 | STEARES (B) | Knowing, greets as of old fixed looks loaded with ecstasy (7) |
| E in STARES. Definition is “growing neats”. | ||
| *21 | GUDDLE | A mess (6) |
| The competition word. | ||
| 22 | OLEATE (B) | Miller’s trench, in Old English – it’s sound among faults (6) |
| LEAT in OE. Definition is “found among salts”. | ||
| 24 | EYALET (B) | Tome for nerks? It reveals mythical beast in Egypt (6) |
| YALE (mythical beast) in ET. Definition is “nome for Turks”. | ||
| 25 | IDISTS (B) | What seaway few understand? It’s circling the underworld (6) |
| DIS in ITS. Definition is “what we say”. | ||
| 27 | SITAR (B) | Take a seat, Arabian, whereupon you’ll witness rum sagas (5) |
| SIT AR. Definition is “some ragas”. | ||
| 29 | SKIP (B) | A bit of height lopping among damask I prune (4) |
| Hidden in “damask I prune”. Definition is “a bit of light hopping”. | ||
*anagram
Thanks bridgesong, a big job well done.
I needed the parsing of DISLEAL explaining, I was thinking the ISLE was the place in both counties (Isle of Wight, Isle of Thanet maybe).
Re 7d, Chambers has ‘a difficulty’ for ‘net’, and ‘acute’ for ‘high’ seems OK.
23 is odd, as ‘river dropped’ gives ‘dee fell’ not ‘fell dee’ most naturally.
Awesome work from Azed.
For me, Azed’s Spoonerism puzzles are great fun, but a swine to get started on. The hiddens helped get me going.
Must admit DELPHI didn’t give me pause, but I see Gonzo’s point.
Best clue was the John Keats one.
I was happy to come up with a passable (parsable?) competition clue, but with Spoonerisms there’s always the expectation that others have found the same idea.
Thanks to Azed and bridgesong.
Gonzo @1: thanks for explaining 7d.
I saw that Dr Watson had DEE FELL at 23; it fits the definition better, but instead of the initial sound being swapped, it’s the rest of the word.
Nila @2: I’m hoping for a range of ideas on display in the competition, given that GUDDLE has more than one meaning.
I enjoy a good Spoonerism in a clue, but when you have a puzzle full of them there are bound to be a few feeble ones. I’m not sure DELPHI works as it surely rhymes with SELFIE, which doesn’t fit vocally with DEE FELL. Of course Spoonerisms are meant to be groanworthy puns and it’s silly to be too po-faced about them, but the question is how much latitude can be allowed before the attraction wears off. I quite enjoyed this and admire Azed’s perseverance in finding a Spoonerism for each clue, but TBH I’d had enough by the end.
In 2D ‘go’ is missing from your clue.
I was a bit puzzled by the inclusion of ‘intermittently’ in the clue as it doesn’t seem to be needed for the definition: Azed is usually careful not to include unnecessary words. I came to the conclusion that ‘intermittently’ is only there to make the clue scan properly.
Steve @5: I’ve corrected that error, thank you. I suspect that Azed relaxes his normal rules a little when composing Spoonerisms.
Not quite there as it should be ‘with go naps’ which then reads as ‘with go’ followed by ‘naps intermittently’
I’d forgotten the puzzle from July 2018, but I checked back here and found I’d commented on it. One comment that echoes my experience last week: quite a few I got the answer from the wordplay but couldn’t work out the Spoonerism.
As I said last week, amusing to see my real surname in the clue to 9ac as I share a birthday with Dr Spooner.
It is fascinating to see (hear) that people do pronounce words with slight variations, regional and other. I couldn’t get GELDED, which I would pronounce Gell Dead. I suppose the second “e” is a bit squeezed.
I always recall moving to the North-West in my twenties and being married to a Yorkshire-woman, noticing the three different pronunciations for the (now defunct) 3p piece. Londoners said Thrupenny, North-Westerners Thripenny, Norh-Easterners Threpenny. And that was before the Opie’s book “Lore & Language of Schoolchildren”
I really enjoyed this. Many thanks to Azed and to bridgesong for a bit of clarification
In the south, namely Portsmouth, the 3d was pronunced ‘thrup-pence’.
I’m with you, Keith. I can’t see (hear?) how GELDED could become spoonerised as GILL DEAD. Both vowel sounds are the same in my head.
I think my accent is more or less RP, and I pronounce Gelded as GEL DID, so no complaints here. (Similarly, I’d say Gilded as GIL DID.)
Bridgesong @3, as to the different meanings of guddle, I went through quite a lot of different fish before I gave up and tried something else!
Dormouse @11 (and Keith @ 10): I think Azed takes the view that the second syllable of GELDED is in fact pronounced as if it were spelled with an “i”. But I agree that it’s a fine distinction.
Sauf London meself, but I grew up in the north-east (Co. Durham) so I might have the occasional northern vowel sound.
Dormouse, so you say ‘fill-em’ instead of ‘film’?
I think of that more as an Irish pronunciation.
But even my own mother used to laugh at my pronunciation of “flower”. I seem to put two vowel sounds into it – fl-OW-er.
I wasted a lot of time looking for a word that means “slakes with ales” for 1ac.
The preamble to this one made it clear that Spoonerisms should be either consonantal or vocalic, and Azed himself reinforces this in the final paragraph of his comments with reference to SCOUT TROOP for SCOOP TROUT. 23a would therefore also seem to be in clear breach of this ‘rule’.
Regarding Azed’s preference for received pronunciation rather than dialectic variations, it seems odd that he has commended a couple of clues that include SUNDAY’s MASS for SANDY’S MUSS, as to pronounce SUNDAY as ‘SUNDEE’ seems distinctly regional.