XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 1006

CHROME-PLATING

1.  C. O. Butcher: Shiny skin—a sorry plight no cream is good for (anag.).

2.  K. R. Jenkins: Method of treating metal, hoping Cr covers it (anag. & lit.).

3.  W. E. Green: Spray metal with Cr hoping for protection from rust (anag.).

V.H.C.

G. D. Bates: Putting on weather-proof cover disturbed Laver’s start in pro. match, for example (anag. incl. L, eg; ref. Rod L.).

R. S. Caffyn: Lamp right, once put in order—it shines beautifully (anag.).

J. O. Cashman: Disturbing plight—romance finishing in a cell (anag.; electrolysis).

Mrs F. Castle-Knight: I’m not phlegmatic nor unperturbed—I’m just putting on a bright face (anag.).

P. M. Coombs: Not exactly phlegmatic nor brilliant film producer (anag.).

F. E. Dixon: Producing a smooth finish, as does phlegm in actor (anag.).

R. P. C. Forman: Replacing rust and moth in R. V. (anag. of replacing moth; ref. Bible translations; RV = Revised Version; moth = corrosion).

A. L. Jeffery: Agitated mother placing protective cover on body (anag.).

J. R. Kirby: The finishing of articles by depositing or placing them in a dispersion (anag. & lit.).

L. F. Leason: What can make surface of hub cap glint more? (anag. incl. h, & lit.).

Mrs B. Lewis: Glossy cover for light romance, woven round Prince as central character (P in anag.).

D. P. M. Michael: Perhaps replacing moth or preventing rust? (anag.; moth = corrosion).

C. J. Morse: Open car might upset with learner in it—in which case this would suffer (L in anag.).

F. E. Newlove: Rust-supplanting? Moth-replacing? It could be (anag.; moth = corrosion).

J. R. E. Phillips: What will cure rust? “PRO-Clean” might, if properly mixed and applied (anag.).

T. E. Sanders: A brilliant film adapted from a light romance about a prince (P in anag.).

J. D. Walsh: I’m electrifying metal (Cr) hoping for a thin coating (anag. & lit.).

E. F. Watling: Beginner required to fill vacancy in complicated cinematograph (not “A”) film of great brilliance (L in anag. less A).

H.C.

D. B. J. Ambler, W. G. Arnott, F. D. H. Atkinson, Col P. S. Baines, C. Allen Baker, A. J. Barnard, J. W. Bates, R. A. Bates, P. F. Bauchop, T. E. Bell, Group Capt L. T. Card, E. Chalkley, D. P. Chappell, J. F. Coldwell, R. M. S. Cork, R. E. Crum, E. Davies, L. L. Dixon, Mrs W. Fearon, B. Franco, B. Freedman, H. R. Game, K. Gibson, S. Goldie, J. E. Harvey, Mrs S. Hewitt, A. Lawrie, Dr R. Macgillivray, Dr T. J. R. Maguire, D. Malcolm, Mrs E. McFee, F. E. Morgan, F. Moss, K. Neale, G. M. Neighbour, M. Newman, F. R. Palmer, L. S. Pearce, R. Postill, D. G. Putnam, Sir W. Slimmings, W. S. Smerdon, L. T. Stokes, F. B. Stubbs, J. B. Sweeting, D. J. Thorpe, A. Verdin, P. Wallace, J. F. N. Wedge, Rev C. D. Westbrook, J. E. Woodley.
 

COMMENTS:—Nearly 500 entries and very few mistakes. Some said the code-word was very difficult to find, but rather more said it was easier to find than usual. Naturally, with a long and adaptable word, there was a very high proportion of anagrams—I should say at least 80%. The word wasn’t easy to treat effectively otherwise. Though many other forms of unsoundness are becoming very rare, there is still a lot of looseness in the words used to indicate anagrams; I do insist on something which can fairly be interpreted, without too much strain, as leading to letter-mixture. I will quote here a few of many which I rejected at once on this score:— “… not grim chapel either”: “cling to hamper containing: “right, mop clean all over…”: “… the girl can mop round it”: “being phlegmatic, Ron…”: “… pale coin might answer”: “… instead of phlegmonic tar”: “chap with more glint used…”: “long chapter I’m having rewritten…” And there were dozens more, some of them not as bad as these but hardly justifiable. This point is worth serious consideration. I’ll quote one more unsound clue in full, as it contains three of my pet aversions:—“Open car might be this if taken to pieces and put together again with special finish.” (1) What the writer means is “Open car might might be this”, and he hasn’t said it; “might” can’t do double duty. (2) “Special finish” does not mean “the finish, or last letter, of special”. It doesn’t say it and it can’t mean it. (3) What does “with” mean? All it does to me is to conceal that “special finish” is meant to be a definition. Redundant words are not fair. I hope these points also may be helpful.
 
Finally I will answer two questions:—(1) “What do you think of initial letter clues?” I think they are as a rule too easy to solve, especially when the actual word “initially” is used. If the device can be cunningly concealed, and the clue is neat, it may pass muster, especially when one is clueing an especially in tractable word; but I don’t use it often or like it, as a rule, very much. (2) “In judging, how far are you influenced by difficulty in clues?” This is hard to answer precisely. I allow plenty of latitude, because in all puzzles there should be some easy and some difficult clues. But I try in judging to preserve the same limits in both directions that I impose on myself; I do sometimes rule out a clue as too easy and, more often, I think, rule one out as too difficult; but the latter happens more often because of something I think unfair than because of difficulty in itself. That’s the nearest I can get to an answer.