The Stickler Weekly 159 Solution

I’ve written a number of things in this spot about anagrams. First, I like them. Possibly seen as a setter’s lazy option, I’m convinced that a well-disguised anagram is one of the best forms of cryptic clue. It’s easy to understand for all, newbies and experienced solvers, and its nature offers a huge amount of variety, as it can be used standalone or in combination with other devices. There are more anagram indicators than for any other device, allowing a setter great scope. Second, not all anagrams are equal. Some anagrams are so obvious that in certain publications no anagram indicator is used; some anagrams use such obscure or tangential indicators that it’s almost in hindsight that the solver realises an anagram is in play; others are created with care and use contextual indicators in well-crafted wordplay and so they don’t fall into the bleeding obvious category. In the Stickler Weekly I try not to use more than two full anagrams (anagrams that result in the entire answer), but have no concerns about using partial anagrams if they suit the clues. I’m always aware of the total number of anagrams but consider a clue that uses multiple devices including an anagram to be far more difficult than one that’s a full anagram. As someone who tries to subscribe to the no etymology crossover rule, I have less to work with in wordplays and rely on the use of anagrams in its many forms to add variety to wordplays.