Azed produces these every year or two and they are very clever and great fun, but when I saw that it was a P.D. my heart sank, as they take me a long time to do and I wasn’t sure that I’d finish in time. However, having done several of these over the years I’m probably finding them easier. Why it should be that they appeal to the majority of solvers goodness knows, but they do, and the names of the prizewinners in Azed’s lists are much the same names as in his regular crosswords. They divide opinion a bit, and a few don’t like them at all. Personally I enjoy them despite their difficulty: the moment of realisation when what was a slightly clunky and incomprehensible sentence reveals itself is very nice.
The instructions I find pretty incomprehensible and it’s only by learning from various other sources that I know what to do. Why Azed bothers to say ‘Preference is given to…’ I can’t understand, since all the clues that I’ve ever seen quoted have been ‘correct’. Should he not make it a rule?
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | INTER SE |
It’s an unfamiliar scene, the pat in his own garden (7, 2 words)
|
| It’s an unfamiliar scene the paINTER SEt in his own garden. For a while I thought the parsing of this was ‘It’s an unfamiliar scene, the PINTER SEat in his own garden’, thinking that my ignorance of Harold Pinter extended to ignorance of the fact that in one of his plays there was a seat in someone else’s garden, but I think the parsing I eventually tumbled to is the correct one. Anyway, either way the answer is the same. | ||
| 6 | HOPIS |
I began as a tradesman modestly – in my first sold newspapers (5)
|
| I began as a tradesman modestly — in my first sHOP I Sold newspapers | ||
| 11 | DIES |
When it comes to replying to invitations she’s certainly the tart (4)
|
| When it comes to repying to invitations she’s certainly the tarDIESt | ||
| 12 | LACERANT |
The prince losing his temper is in one of his pa’s (8)
|
| The prince losing his temper is in one of his paLACE RANTs | ||
| 13 | INSTABLE |
For soothing, pats offer limited relief (8)
|
| For soothing paINS, TABLEts offer limited relief | ||
| 15 | TRICHORD |
To feed your veg patch, be sure, that’s what you must apply (8)
|
| To feed your veg patch besT RICH ORDure: that’s what you must apply — initially I had TRIPE-MAN, which fits in the same way, but the down clues made me think again | ||
| 16 | TAMAL |
I’m very partial to a good Scotch, but this is not (5)
|
| I’m very partial to a good Scotch, but this is noT A MALt | ||
| 17 | NOMAD |
Expressing displeasure his voice carried very nasal whine (5)
|
| Expressing displeasure his voice carried veNOM, A Dry nasal whine | ||
| 19 | EMONGEST |
Such foul plans it’s possible dated over time! (8)
|
| Such foul plans it’s possible dEMON GESTated over time. | ||
| 22 | CRETONNE |
The minister revealed a shock, searing his retirement (8)
|
| The minister revealed a shock seCRET ON NEaring his retirement | ||
| 23 | ANGEL |
They’ve exchanged their house for a tent – it must be a striving (5)
|
| They’ve exchanged their house for a tent — it must be a strANGE Living | ||
| 25 | ANEAR |
For growing this, Beth must be rich and well-fed (5)
|
| For growing this beAN, EARth must be rich and well-fed | ||
| 28 | STOMATAL |
Following cue is told of how the tribe began (8)
|
| Folowing cuSTOM, A TALe is told of how the tribe began | ||
| 30 | MINISTER |
The only way of dealing with vermination (8)
|
| The only way of dealing with verMIN IS TERmination | ||
| 31 | IRONISED |
Forming part of their crest, sagged with heraldic devices (8)
|
| Forming part of their crests, a gIRON IS EDged with heraldic devices | ||
| 32 | IDLE |
Offered a better deal we pass (4)
|
| Offered a better deal we paID LEss | ||
| 33 | COSTA |
I had to ask for a cab to direct me to the lotion (5)
|
| I had to ask for a cab to direct me to the loCO STAtion — the term “loco station” makes me a bit doubtful | ||
| 34 | MEISTER |
One who’s permanently lamed, disabled (7)
|
| One who’s permanently laME IS TERmed “disabled” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | IDIST |
My response to his baking: ‘A long time to make’ (5)
|
| My response to his bID IS Taking a long time to make | ||
| 2 | NINJA |
With new evidence coming to light, the police plan to release mail (5)
|
| With new evidence coming to light, the police plan to release maN IN JAil | ||
| 3 | ESTRANGEMENT |
Seeking only the brain in the most superior colleges (12)
|
| Seeking only the bEST RANGE, MEN Train in the most superior colleges — I’m not quite sure what this means — “Seeking only the brainiEST RANGE, MEN Tn the most superior colleges” doesn’t work but perhaps there’s some slightly different parsing which will occur to me before I finish the blog (no: there is no word “rangemen”) — I’m pretty sure that ESTRANGEMENT is correct | ||
| 4 | SABRE |
I’m getting a pet my neighbour reared that’s very popular (5)
|
| I’m getting a pet — my neighbour rearS A BREed that’s very popular | ||
| 5 | ECLIPSE |
Regarding the show we’ve little to go on, just then on TV (7)
|
| Regarding the show we’ve little to go on, just thE CLIP SEen on TV | ||
| 7 | ORTHOTONESIS |
Asked to recommend a holiday, resaid: ‘Such I’d go for every time’ (12)
|
| Asked to recommend a holiday resORT — HOT ONES — I Said: ‘Such I’d go for every time’ — but this looks a bit wrong: ‘a’ holiday resort, yet ‘ones’ so perhaps it’s “Asked to recommend a holiday resORT — HOT ONE — SI Said: ‘Such I’d go for every time”, although I don’t know who Si is (Chinese snooker player?) [MunroMaiden@5 has what is I think the answer: Asked to recommend a holiday resORT, “HOT ONES,” I Said. “Such I’d go for every time” and this avoids the problem with a/ones, also Si] | ||
| 8 | PACO |
An alpaca (4)
|
| The word that we have to write a PD clue for. | ||
| 9 | INGRAIN |
Dodgy spells? We took refuge in the marquee (7)
|
| Dodgy, spellING RAINs: we took refuge in the marquee — I think it’s this and not INDRAWN, with something about raw weather, but I can’t quite make that work [It’s ‘DodgING RAINy spells, we took refuge in the marquee’, as WardL points out @1, thanks, much better; When they seem a bit doubtful there is often a quite simple way of doing it] | ||
| 10 | STADDLE |
In solving PDs, one mutters to each clue! (7)
|
| In solving PDs one muST ADD LEtters to each clue | ||
| 14 | SIMORG |
Avoiding what may spread, germanic in my gardening method (6)
|
| Avoiding what may spread germS, I’M ORGanic in my gardening method — my second one in | ||
| 18 | MANENT |
In Eurovision do the Austrians always vote for the Gerry? (6)
|
| In Eurovision do the Austrians always vote for the GerMAN ENTry? — this seemed the obvious answer but it confused me at first because MANENT doesn’t seem to be in Chambers: certainly it has no entry of its own, but it’s under the entry for MANET — MANET means “he or she remains on stage” and MANENT is just the plural | ||
| 19 | ELASTIC |
The cake’s nearly finished – who’s going to have thing on top? (7)
|
| The cake’s nearly finished — who’s going to have thE LAST ICing on top? | ||
| 20 | MONTERO |
In versions affecting lakeside areas of New England (7)
|
| In VerMONT, EROsion’s affecting lakeside areas of New England | ||
| 21 | EROTISM |
I like anything provided by the Taj Mahal but thy favourite (7)
|
| I like anything provided by the Taj Mahal but thE ROTI’S My favourite | ||
| 24 | RANEE |
Can you see the casing girders above the building site? (5)
|
| Can you see the cRANE Easing girders above the building site? | ||
| 26 | ABELE |
Are napkins the only way to stop baking everywhere? (5)
|
| Are napkins the only way to stop BABE LEaking everywhere? | ||
| 27 | RARER |
As the original show flopped, so Faun is not being planned (5)
|
| As the original show flopped, so faR A RERun is not being planned — my first one in (“Faun” gave it away) | ||
| 29 | OBOS |
Let’s give the home food if we can spare it (4)
|
| Let’s give the hOBO Some food if we can spare it |
9 Down is:
Dodgy spells? We took refuge in the marquee
DodgING RAINy spells, we took refuge in the marquee
Thanks for the blog, I agree with WardL for 9D .
For 7D I went with your second version, SI being short for Simon.
I thought STADDLE was the best clue.
I am firmly in the camp that does not like these, I admire the brilliance of the setting but they are just boring, the same idea for every clue. A normal puzzle has great variety in the clues and the word play can give you the answer even for very obscure words. For PD you have to check in Chambers as you go along , no back-up for obscure words.
The paper again has new entry rules (14/4) , solutions postmarked no later than Saturday to arrive by Wednesday week, this would imply that the blog returning to Sunday would be okay.
Roz, we are indeed planning to resume publishing Azed blogs on the Sunday.
It’s decades since I tried a puzzle like this, and I know I don’t really have the skill to complete them. I gave this one a go, but I didn’t really enjoy trying to solve it (I struggled particularly with clues whose solutions were words that I don’t know), but it was worth the effort, for two reasons: I am now sure that this kind of puzzle is not for me, and, on a more positive note, I could see, both during and after working on this puzzle, how skilfully Azed had created some clues that could give solvers a hint at the missing word. This puzzle was in that way superior to the only other one of its kind that I still remember after solving it long ago, which was by Ximenes and was published in his 1966 book.
I ended up uncertain of four of my answers (all of them guesses), but two of them turned out to be correct. I missed out only on IRONISED and MONTERO – the former because I did not find ‘ironise’ in Chambers.
Thanks to Azed anyway and to John for the blog.
Re 7dn, I parsed it as: Asked to recommend a holiday resort, “Hot ones,” I said. “Such I’d go for every time.” That avoids introducing the mysterious Si. Agreed that ‘ones’ is plural and ‘resort’ singular, but if someone asked you for a recommendation, you probably wouldn’t stop at one. I took ages to get this, as I couldn’t tear my mind away from Orthogenesis, even though that didn’t parse at all. For 33ac, I first thought it was going to be ‘local’ something, but obviously CALSTA wouldn’t have fitted (apart from not being a word). ‘Loco station’ is a bit doubtful, I agree. 3dn: I think the undevilled version is Seeking only the best range, men train in the most superior colleges.
I’m sure I could solve these when I was younger but since coming back to Azed, I haven’t finished a single one. I got all of six answers in the first two days of attempting this and then gave up. Too much other stuff to do. (For comparison, I competed this week’s Azed by 19:00 on Sunday.)
Hello all! Thanks to Azed and John for the blog.
Had to scan and blow up the puzzle- numbers of clues have shrunk day by day.
I appear to be unique in really enjoying P.D. puzzles. Re-jigging a 94-yearold brain is a rare joy. Perhaps it’s because I won my only Prize for PD.
I did not find this a hard solve- there is always a powerful hint of the sphere referred to.
I especially recall Mr Lance’s ERATHEM (used by Azed later- the ultimate compliment) “In Mozart’s op/era the m/inion Figaro …”
I dread the next Playfair- shall I be able to crack it? The last one took a week. Michael Frayn’s recent “Book of the Week” seemed very relevant.
Thank you Andrew@3 far more civilized.
Keith@7 try using Scrabble tiles for the Playfair square , makes it much easier.
Keith@7: My current policy is not to attempt puzzles when I am away from home on their day of publication, and I missed this one as a result. A pity, because P.D. has been my favourite type of special ever since I first encountered them in the 1970s. I too dislike Playfair: I simply do not find any pleasure in the effort needed to crack the Playfair code. When a Playfair appears, I treat it as a reduced size puzzle with some extra unchecked letters in some of the answers. Fortunately for me, the “Definition and Letter Mixture” seems to have vanished. I could never get on with that type: far too many redundant words in the clues.
It isn’t that I don’t like Playfairs. I’m just a bit tested by them.
As regards Specials my first was a Theme and Variations was in 1956 on a train journey. Ximenes’s theme words were the five Test venues: Nottingham (variations- lace-making cities), Lords (ladies & gentlemen), Leeds (castles), Manchester (cotton towns- I think) and Oval (shapes).
Laker wiped out the Aussies.
Keith isn’t unique: I enjoy PD puzzles as well, although I do find composing a clue to be much harder than usual. I’ve no idea how Azed manages to set a whole puzzle’s worth!
My difficulty with this puzzle was that MANENT, which had to be correct, doesn’t appear in the Chambers app as a word in its own right. It took me ages to find it hiding under MANET.
I actually thought MANENT was the easiest clue, fairly easy to find in Chambers 93 , only a few words starting MANE and it was in bold type.
I never enter clues but I would find this type impossible and like Bridgesong @11 I cannot imagine how Azed does it for so many clues.
I admire the PD puzzles but find them a chore because of the lack of variety.
Keith@10: Sorry to have misinterpreted your comment. Please will readers mentally replace “too” by something like “certainly”.
While I am back in, I see that my statement of support for PD is an almost exact repeat of what I wrote last time (Azed 2539). I found that while looking for the following extract from the Azed slip on that puzzle:
“A few of you (to judge from comments) remain unenthusiastic about PD puzzles (‘not proper clues’; ‘a bit like Marmite’), but the great majority clearly enjoy them and would happily have more. Given the length of time it takes me to set one, this is unlikely to happen.”
For one dread moment, I thought the final sentence quoted meant that Azed was not planning to give us any more PD puzzles. I am glad to see that he was merely ruling out an increase in frequency of them.
“Grass with frost on told day’s dawning”
“Professional Standards brought in to stopper leaking files”