A special from Azed this week where he gives us one of his ‘Right and Left’ puzzles.
The clue at 1 across holds everything together and determines the right and left entries. Before 1 across is solved the clues can be considered as forming two different puzzles.
This was illustrated to me as I entered PRIMAL, PAGODA and DOPPER in the left hand side of the grid and built from there until I had enough letters to help me solve 1 across and realise I had the two aides the wrong way round.
I found this puzzle to be at the easier of end of Azed difficulty with a large proportions of entries being words that could be found in national daily puzzles. Obviously there were a few more obscure entries, but not that many.
The top half fell much quicker for me than the bottom half.
A few of the splits between the clues were quite clear, but they rarely fell tight in the middle. The clue for 7 across for example split after just three words of twelve while 5 down was nine words (of fourteen) in before the second clue started.
The completed grid looked like this:
The detailed table below parses each part of the double clues and also indicates which entry is placed Left and which is placed Right.
Thanks to Azed for pleasant Sunday challenge.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Each of the following clues, maybe, a cheat (12) DOUBLE-DEALER (deceitful person; cheat) DOUBLE-DEALER (cryptic description of all the remaining clues in the puzzle that each deliver [deal] two [double] separate clues) DOUBLE-DEALER DOUBLE-DEALER |
| 6 |
Protective cases over boil perhaps including a medicine box: notice encroachment (6, 6) Protective cases over boil perhaps including a (6) OCREAE (sheathes [protective cases] formed of two stipules united round a stem) O (over) + (CREE [to soften by boiling or soaking; boil] containing [including] A) O CRE (A) E Medicine box: notice encroachment (6) INROAD (encroachment) INRO (small Japanese container for pills and medicines) + AD (advertisement; notice) INRO AD INROAD OCREA |
| 7 |
Mate gripping edge, original deed not so good, caught inside, turning back (6, 6) Mate gripping edge, original (6) PRIMAL (original) PAL (friend; mate) containing (gripping) RIM (edge) P (RIM) AL Deed not so good, caught inside, turning back (6) ESCROW (a deed in the hands of a third party, to take effect when a condition is fulfilled) (C [caught] contained in [inside] WORSE [not so good]) all reversed (turning back) (ES (C) ROW)< ESCROW PRIMAL |
| 8 |
The old man’s embracing a deity in temple layout Chams constructed with inbuilt energy (6, 6) The old man’s embracing a deity in temple (6) PAGODA (Eastern temple) PA (father; old man) containing (embracing) (A + GOD [deity]) P (A GOD) A Layout Chams constructed with inbuilt energy (6) SCHEMA (plan; layout) Anagram of (constructed) CHAMS containing (with inbuilt) E (energy) – the CHAMS are a people of South East Asia, particularly Vietnam and Cambodia) SCH (E) MA* SCHEMA PAGODA |
| 10 |
Low-grade paper on old actor: ‘Needs to be lambasted after line filmed for the silver screen’ (6, 6) Low-grade paper on old actor (6) RETREE (slightly damaged paper) RE (with reference to; about; on) + TREE (reference Sir Herbert Beerbohm TREE [1852 – 1917], English actor and theatre manager) RE TREE ‘Needs to be lambasted after line filmed for the silver screen’ (6) LENSED (shot a cinema film; filmed for the silver screen) L (line) + an anagram of (to be lambasted) NEEDS L ENSED* LENSED RETREE |
| 11 |
Tot, rather dull, rather substandard male taken in by first promise, formerly (6, 6) Tot, rather dull, rather substandard (6) SUMMAT (slang term [substandard] term for SOMEWHAT [rather]) SUM (add up; tot) + MATT (of a surface, dull, lustreless or roughened to eliminate gloss) using 3 of the 4 letters [rather] excluding the last T) SUM MAT Male taken in by first promise, formerly (6) BEHEST (obsolete [formerly] a word for promise) HE (male) contained in [taken in by] BEST [first] BE (HE) ST BEHEST SUMMAT |
| 15 |
Old crone in gathering for Indian curry dish may go crazy about recipe for fish (6, 6) Old crone in gathering for Indian curry dish (6) BHAGEE (in Indian cookery, an appetizer consisting of vegetables and spices deep-fried in batter) HAG (old crone) contained in (in) BEE (gathering of people, for example as sewing BEE) B (HAG) EE May go crazy about recipe for fish (6) MORGAY (small spotted dogfish) Anagram of (crazy) MAY GO containing (about) R (recipe) MO (R) GAY* BHAGEE MORGAY |
| 16 |
Flowery harangue about new Oscar excited: money invested rebounds in the US (6, 6) Flowery harangue about new (6) ORNATE (elaborately decorated; flowery) ORATE (harangue) containing (about) N (new) OR (N) ATE Oscar excited: money invested rebounds in the US (6) CAROMS (US term for rebounds or ricochets) M (money as in M0, M1 financial indices) contained in (invested) an anagram of (excited) OSCAR CARO (M) S* CAROMS ORNATE |
| 17 |
Awfully miserly (almost), he looks pleased to arrange inside base misshapen bricks (6, 6) Awfully miserly (almost), he looks pleased (6) SMILER (one who looks pleased) Anagram of (awfully) MISERLY excluding the final letter (almost) Y SMILER* To arrange inside base misshapen bricks (6) ADOBES (sun dried mud bricks) DO (arrange) contained in (inside) an anagram of (misshapen) BASE A (DO) BES* ADOBES SMILER |
| 18 |
When circumambulating lake princes played lyre after it recalled whence shingles originate? (6, 6) When circumambulating lake princes (6) AMEERS (titles borne by certain Muslim princes) AS (when) containing (circumabulating; walking round about) MEER (alternative spelling of MERE [pool or lake]) A (MEER) S Played lyre after it recalled whence shingles originate? (6) TILERY (a place where TILEs are made. A SHINGLE is a thin tile) IT reversed (recalled) + an anagram of (played) LYRE TI< LERY* TILERY AMEERS |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Driver accommodating pope at large, strict churchman suffers sort of railway engine (6, 6) Driver accommodating pope at large, strict churchman (6) DOPPER (member of a strict and conservative denomination, an offshoot of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa) DR (driver) containing (accommodating) an anagram of (at large) POPE) D (OPPE*) R Suffers sort of railway engine (6) DIESEL (reference an engine that runs on DIESEL fuel) DIES (suffers) + EL (elevated railroad) DIES EL DIESEL DOPPER |
| 2 |
Wire cutter user manipulated with care applied to restricting new loose rock visible to viewers (8, 8) Wire cutter user manipulated with care (8) ECRASEUR (surgical instrument in the form of a wire or chain loop which cuts as it tightens) Anagram of (manipulated) USER and [with] CARE ECRASEUR* Applied to restricting new loose rock visible to viewers (8) ONSCREEN (visible to viewers) ON (applied to) containing (restricting) (N [new] + SCREE [loose rock]) O (N SCREE) N ONSCREEN ECRASEUR |
| 3 |
Naughty child caught in church inventory one with girth belted, as is just (6, 6) Naughty child caught in church inventory (6) URCHIN (mischievous child) URCHIN (hidden word in [caught in] CHURCH INVENTORY) URCHIN One with girth belted, as is just (6) ARIGHT (RIGHTLy; just) A [one] + an anagram of (belted) GIRTH A RIGHT* URCHIN ARIGHT |
| 4 |
Being listless about love generated disappointing affair admitted by single Monsieur (5, 5) Being listless about love generated (5) BORED (being listless) BRED (generated) containing (about) O [character representing zero [love score in tennis]) B (O) RED Disappointing affair admitted by single Monsieur (5) LEMON (disappointing affair) LEMON (hidden word in [admitted by] SINGLE MONSIEUR) LEMON BORED LEMON |
| 5 |
One of several kings that’s spread dread imprisoning wife – tell queen to cheer up (6, 6) One of several kings that’s spread dread imprisoning wife (6) EDWARD (name of several Kings, the United Kingdom got up to Edward VIII although he abdicated after 325 days before he was even crowned) Anagram of (spread) DREAD containing (imprisoning) W (wife) ED (W) ARD* Tell queen to cheer up (6) RELATE (tell) R (Regina; queen) + ELATE (cheer up) R ELATE EDWARD RELATE |
| 9 |
Sir Henry (no gent) suddenly appearing after queen, awe and tears being poured out in oceans (8, 8) Sir Henry (no gent) suddenly appearing after queen (8) BESSEMER (reference Sir Henry BESSEMER [1813 – 1898], English inventor whose steel-making process became the most important technique for making steel in the nineteenth century) BESS (reference Queen BESS, Queen Elizabeth I [1553 – 1603]) + EMERGENT (suddenly appearing) excluding (no) GENT BESS EMER Awe and tears being poured out in oceans (8) SEAWATER (content of the oceans) Anagram of (being poured out) AWE and TEARS SEAWATER* BESSEMER SEAWATER |
| 11 |
Lynx from Canadian province served in ship special stuffed in Pacific state savoury, spicy (6, 6) Lynx from Canadian province served in ship (6) BOBCAT (kind of lynx) BC (British Columbia; Canadian province) contained in (served in) BOAT (ship) BO (BC) AT Special stuffed in Pacific state savoury, spicy (6) SAMOSA (spicy savoury pastry turnover) S (special) contained in (stuffed in) SAMOA (Pacific island state) SAMO (S) A BOBCAT SAMOSA |
| 12 |
What I’m served in pub maybe contains grand spider – slip off, begone! (6, 6) What I’m served in pub maybe contains grand spider (6) MYGALE (American bird-catching spider) MY ALE (what I am served in a pub) containing (contains) G ( grand) MY (G) ALE Slip off, begone! (6) ENGOBE (slip applied to ceramics before the glaze) Anagram of (off) BEGONE ENGOBE* ENGOBE MYGALE |
| 13 |
Wry set drunkenly spouts extract from songstress, young, long-haired (6, 6) Wry set drunkenly spouts (6) TWYERS (nozzles for blasts of air; spouts) Anagram of (drunkenly) WRY SET TWYERS* Extract from songstress, young, long-haired (6) TRESSY (long-haired) TRESSY (hidden word in [extract from] SONGSTRESS YOUNG) TRESSY TRESSY TWYERS |
| 14 |
Musical delivery man, picker of winners to sing part of barcarole (5, 5) Musical delivery man, picker of winners (5) ERNIE (reference ERNIE the fastest milkman of the west, hero of a song by Benny Hill [1924 – 1992] that topped the charts in 1971) ERNIE (name given to the computer that picks Premium Bond prize winners) double definition ERNIE To sing part of barcarole (5) CAROL (sing) CAROL (hidden word in [part of] BARCAROLE) CAROL CAROL ERNIE |
I found the top half straightforward and going well I only had the answers to 11 (L/R) to fit in but they wouldnt !!
I had put all of my bottom half ‘left’ answers in the ‘right’ side and vice versa – once I changed them 11 (L/R) slotted in.
Many thanks for the blog and lucid explanations – AZED continues to challenge me
I guessed 1ac would be DOUBLE something, with DEALER a possibility, so that helped get the top half in quite easily. Initially I put SEAWATER on the wrong side and the next few clues I solved all fitted…. until I came to CAROMS, but a quick swap and all fell into place. A bit of fun.
Thanks to Azed and to duncanshiell for the colourful blog. Shall have to be careful not to ramble after Marmitesmuggler’s comments last month. Thoroughly enjoyed this and did find the clues very straightforward. As spelt out above I too put one word (SMILER) on the wrong side. The lower half was harder with links being two E’s (unhelpful) on row 10 and E/U on row 11. Without the latter the two sides could have been swapped!
At Ximenes’s 750th there was a raffle based on R/L for which the prizes were small bottles of cherry brandy (Red/Right) and Chartreuse (Green/Left). Sybil won the former (after a helpful hint from a waiter) which I still have. (sorry stefan more ramblings)
I printed off the pdf first so I had something to fall back on when I worked out which side went where.
I guessed 1ac quickly, having heard of the Congreve play of that name. Still managed to start with DEALER DOUBLE in the top row. Apart from that, quite a quick solve – for an Azed.
My point, Mr Thomas, was that you may “ramble”, to our delight, as much as you wish. I too remember Ximenes, but not his 750th.
It is correct that we are seeing new names in the forum and pleasing so. I’d especially like to welcome some of them. Azed, in my opinion, has been very kind to solvers for some weeks now. It doesn’t bother me. This Right and Left was quite straightforward. If new crossword solvers are intimidated by a barred diagram, they should not be. If they are even further intimidated by an Azed “Special”, they should not be. Azed is (nearly) always very fair.
Azed, I think, was winking at us, yet again, in this puzzle. Surely most of us got DOUBLE-DEALER. DIESEL and DOPPER too leapt out. But which side? I had SCHEMA and PAGODA but you still can’t fit them in. It took me ESCROW and URCHIN to get things going. And, as duncanshiell has said, you could fit in the top half but, with two places for SEAWATER, it was as if you had to do two separate crosswords.
I thought this was a simple, but still a totally brilliant Azed.
Stefan Wozowczyk
Thanks for the blog, INROAD and ON SCREEN got me into the top correctly.
BEHEST very helpful for the bottom with the E sticking out on the left, it put SEAWATER on the right.
Seemed very friendly, maybe the split clues lead to less deception for each, also every six letter word had five letters checked.
LENSED not in my Chambers93 , LENS not shown as a verb at all.
Marvellous fun. Like others, the top half went in reasonably easily but the bottom was another story.
Then again deciding MORNAY was a recipe for fish didn’t help. I really must read things thoroughly. Sorted in the end though.
Thanks Azed and Duncan.
As an AZED beginner this was a treat to solve. Although I did need to print out 4 copies of the grid before I got everything correctly located!
Many thanks to setter and blogger. Also to welcoming comments for new contributors above.