Sorry - not yet uploaded.  Will proceed as soon as it is available to me.

As nmsindy says in his Quixote report, this Sunday’s edition (8th June) will include a shortened version of Don Manley’s “Chambers Crossword Manual”. For UK solvers who don’t yet have a “how to solve cryptics” book and think it might help, this is a chance to get some very good advice cheaply.

Independent website page about the book: http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/article840232.ece

Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
ha = hidden answer
rev = reversed or reversal
cha = charade
ins = insertion

After my baptism of fire with The Master, I am equally blessed this week with my assignment, blogging Pasquale aka Don Manley, whose Crossword Guide (Chambers) was a trusted companion during my early crossword days. Quite an entertaining puzzle with some new words for me.

Across
8 CAMOMILE Cha of CAM (river/flower) O (old) MILE (lots of yards, 1760 to be exact)
9 TO A MAN Ins of A MA (a mother) in TON (fashion)
10 NARDOO Cha of NARD (aromatic plant) OO (ducks) I quite like the imagery of aquatic birds being drawn to an aromatic plant
11 RIGADOON Cha of RIGA (capital of Latvia) DO ON (party taking place)
12 EDGE dd
13 EPISTOLARY *(Italy prose)
15 FEBRILE Cha of FEB (month when it should be cold for the Northern Hemisphere) RILE (bother)
16 COLOGNE Ins of LOG (record) in CONE (something locking road) Could there possibly be a misprint and locking should be blocking?
18 OSTEOPATHS *(as the stoop)
19 CLEG Cha of C (circa/on) LEG (to dash away) Somehow I am uneasy with “at maximum speed” to indicate LEG
20 BANNERET Ins of ANN (girl) in BERET (hat)
22 REFUSE - referee use
23 CLOSET Ins of L (large) in CO (firm) + SET (group)
24 CONSERVE Cha of CON (Tory) SERVE (minister)

Down
1 SAN ANDREAS FAULT cd This earthquate-related geographic feature lies in the vicinity of Los Angeles where Hollywood is
2 COLDHEARTEDNESS What a clever and cheeky way to graphically show that C (cold) is in the middle of ICE
3 BIT ONES LIP Ins of I-TONES (one sounds) in BLIP (minor deviation) Devilishly clever clue that escaped me the first time …. this parsing due to collective wisdom of the community. Thank you.
4 GEORGIA This state anthem Georgia On My Mind was by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael. It was a huge hit for Ray Charles
5 STAG ha
6 DANDELION COFFEE *(no offence laddie) Is there really such a drink?
7 LABOUR-INTENSIVE Charade of LABOUR (party) IN (at home) ins of IV (4) in TENSE (nerve-racking)
14 TROUSERING How does one categorise this kind of clue? Punny definition? But I learned another meaning for ‘trouser’
17 STATICE Cha of STATIC (not going anywhere) E (energy)
21 ROTH Philip *(authors minus a us)

Mudd gave me a very satisfying challenge this week. I especially like 13A, 20A, 24A, 6D and 18D. I found 4A tricky; I guessed the answer quickly but took a while to figure out the word play.

Across
1. POTENT - TEN (figure) in POT (crucible)
4. SPLATTER - PS (rider) backwards + LATTER (second)
10. CABINET - double definition
11. OIL WELL - [t]OIL (heading from work) + WELL (fine)
12. LEEK - homophone
13. FAR EASTERN - FARE (food) + ASTERN (at the back)
15. CLIMAX - C (cold) + LIMA (capital city) + X (cross)
16. MONARCH - ON (on) in MARCH (Spring)
20. KETCHUP - KETCH (boat) + UP (finished)
21. LAUNCH - A (article) in LUNCH (eat)
24. LOCOMOTIVE - LOCO (illogical) + MOTIVE (reason)
26. ONUS - [b]ONUS (extra pay, although not originally bringing)
28. CRICKET - double definition
29. CHAGRIN - CHA (drink) + GRIN (something cheesy)
30. REPORTER - RE (on) + PORTER (booze)
31. PROMPT - double definition

Down
1. PICKLOCK - PICK (best) + LOCK (shut up)
2. TABLE WINE - BLEW IN (wasted) in anagram of TEA
3. NONE - NO (unknown???) + N (number) + E (ecstasy)
5. PHONE BOX - P (president) + HONE (better) + BOX (fight)
5. ABLE SEAMAN - anagram of MABEL + SEAN + A
7. THERE - double definition
8. RELENT - RE (about) + LENT (40 days)
9. STRAP - PARTS (bits) backwards
14. MATCHMAKER - MATCH (equal with) + MAKER (God)
17. CONUNDRUM - CO (fellow?) + NUN (sister) + DRUM (beat)
18. SUBTITLE - IT (it) in SUBTLE (faint)
19. CHESTNUT - double definition
22. SLICER - ICE (rocks) in SLR (camera)
23. EVICT - E (European) + VICT[or] (champion stripped of gold)
25. CHIMP - M (male) in CHIP (golf shot)
27. FAIR - double definition

This was a very enjoyable exercise in ‘thinking outside the box’.

Solvers were told that by disregarding convention they would discover three words, and were told further that given the position of any of these words, a puzzler’s maxim would be suggested. This maxim was to be exemplified by a non-word that had to be entered at one of the two unclued entries, which were 1 across and 39 across. The other unclued entry, which was stated to be a real word, was described as an arrangement of the non-word, and had to have a connection to the title of the puzzle.

The numbers in brackets at the end of each clue related to the length of grid entries, not necessarily equal to the length of answer to the clue.

There was a minor misprint in numbering the across clues, but it was fairly obvious that 2 across should have been 6 across. All clues were normal in that wordplay and definition led to the same word.

However, it fairly soon became apparent that there were a number of clues, twenty-one in all, that generated solutions that were one letter long than the space available. Crossing answers led to the deduction that these twenty-one answers had to be entered without either their first or last letters. It wasn’t immediately obvious, to me at least, what the logic was behind the dropping the first or last letters.

I have to admit that I had completed the grid before the penny finally dropped. I had been looking at the letters omitted in clue order and had looked at first letters and last letters separately. I noticed that REFLECT was nearly spelt out by the last letters and the word POND appeared within the first letters. It was the realisation that the all the answers with dropped letters abutted the edge of the grid that caused the penny dropping moment.

By ignoring convention and writing the missing letters in their ‘correct position’ outside the grid, the three words - PONDER, REFLECT and COGITATE - became apparent by reading clockwise round the outside of the grid, or box.  The maxim therefore was ‘think outside the box’.

An analysis of the checking letters available for 1 and 39 across showed that seven of the eight letters had to be EIMNORS.  This led to 39 across being INERMOUS which means unarmed and fits well with the title of ‘ARMLESS FUN.

This left only 1 across to be entered.  The word MUSE (meditate, ponder, be absorbed in thought) stood out from the eight available letters, leaving INRO (a small Japanese container [box] for pills or medicine) in the middle , leading to MUINROSE which could be interpreted as ‘think, outside the box’.

The surface reading of many clues was very well designed to mislead the solver.  A clear focus on the constituent parts of the clues was required to solve them.  Indeed one often had to think outside the box to solve the clues.