XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 1076

NEFAST (Misprints)

1.  E. M. Hornby: Stocking is not old and unlikely to run (shocking; ne fast).

2.  J. Crowther: Wicket’s providing a feast for spinners after the end of the rain (wicked; (rai)n + anag.).

3.  Flt Sgt J. Dromey: Nicked initial n as in newt (wicked; n, + as in eft¹).

V.H.C.

Miss V. K. Abrahams: Nile is sure to rise in the middle of winter (vile; safe (rev.) in (wi)nt(er)).

E. S. Ainley: In recurrent riots, a Fenian’s hideout (hideous; hidden rev.; ref. Irish troubles 1969).

F. D. H. Atkinson: Not in fashion before—extravagant, exciting hats (hate; ne fast).

C. O. Butcher: Not very old libertine makes exciting mate (hate; ne fast).

Mrs M. P. Craine: Not old-fashioned? Eager to flirt? Then sure to be dated (hated; ne fast).

N. C. Dexter: Kicked a full-back’s head—sent off (wicked; anag. incl. a f(ull-back)).

J. Forster: It’s torrid—set fan astir (horrid; anag.).

F. G. Illingworth: Switch set fan revolving (revolting; anag.).

L. W. Jenkinson: Born in Paris and flirtatious, revealing more than stocking (shocking; né (Fr.) fast).

J. D. H. Mackintosh: Hideout for the aged not wanting excitement (hideous; ne fast).

E. J. Miller: Here a person gives nothing away and has fixed earning rate (hate; (O)ne + fast).

C. J. Morse: Leaders of nudist experiment must have secure hideout (hideous; n, e, fast).

J. A. Sever: Awakening late—not once before time (hate; ne fast).

Rev L. M. Styler: Scottish lapse in home fixture—licked (wicked; fa’ in nest).

J. B. Sweeting: Revolving fan set spinning (revolting; anag.).

E. F. Watling: Stocking should be tight below middle of knee (shocking; (k)ne(e) fast).

G. H. Willett: How you can call someone reeking of gin and French not tight! (sin; né (Fr.) fast).

C. W. Willink: A semi-Fenian rising: Stormont’s leaders licked (wicked; a Fen(ian) (rev.) + St(ormont); ref. Irish troubles 1969).

H.C.

M. J. Balfour, T. E. Bell, A. J. Bisset, C. L. Bodkin, R. Brain, B. W. Brook, Rev C. M. Broun, R. S. Caffyn, R. N. Chignell, Mrs N. Fisher, R. B. Harling, Mrs S. Hewitt, J. P. H. Hirst, G. Johnstone, R. E. Kimmons, A. Lawrie, Mrs B. Lewis, H. W. Lewis, N. A. Longmore, Mrs S. M. Macpherson, Mrs E. McFee, E. McNeal, F. E. Newlove, B. G. Palmer, M. L. Perkins, G. J. S. Ross, T. E. Sanders, N. E. Sharp, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, J. R. Stocks, F. B. Stubbs, H. G. Tattersall, D. H. Tompsett, F. T. Walton, H. G. Way, Rev C. D. Westbrook, G. W. Whitehead, Dr E. Young.
 

COMMENTS:—Just over 350 entries, about 50 incorrect. As usual a difficult task, suited to the tigers. A vital point, whose disregard upset many, is that eventually an equal number of across and down clues (and answers) must contain misprints. It is also vital to make sure whether each clue contains a misprint or not; this point should have ruled out “annateo” at 27 across, implying a misprint in “annates.” For this to be right, there should be no misprint in the clue; but “towards grange” then becomes quite pointless—there must be a misprint, “grange” for “orange,” the answer, correctly printed, being ANNAT-TO. I hope the notes with the solution will make everything clear to those who went wrong elsewhere.
 
There were some very neat clues and a big majority of sound ones, but some competitors disregarded the rule that the misprint must occur in the definition part of the clue, not in the subsidiary part; this was a pity after so much hard work. Our capital letter custom was also sometimes ignored; Close, the cricketer, certainly won’t do, with a capital (except at the beginning of the sentence) for the adjective “close.” This device is occasionally allowable with nouns, certainly not with adjectives.
 
Finally I must apologise for the outrageous mistake in my clue to PTARMIC in No. 1073: I blindly read RATP backwards as RAPT—very careless and most regrettable. One tries not to do these things, but they will happen occasionally, it seems. Not again soon, I hope.