XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 111

PLEASANT

1.  R. O’Donoghue (Westcliff): ‘Winning’ mount passes the post (2 mngs.; ref. Mount P. sorting office, London).

2.  T. H. East (Greenford): Gratifying after-effect of a run round the fields (leas in pant).

3.  F. E. Smyth (NW6): It’s cheering to see old has-not back in the queue (nas (rev.) in pleat (= plait)).

H.C.

G. W. Bain (Repton): There’s lots of excuses for a hard worker making merry (pleas ant).

C. A. Baker (Wishaw): I’ve got slim with all-round exercise—as for the waistline, it’s quite gratifying! (as in lean in PT).

E. A. C. Bennett (SE21): Nice and sociable in a queue—never was back in the old days (nas (rev.) in pleat (= plait)).

T. Bolton (Wigan): What a jumble-sale! It’ll be nice to get a short breath outside (anag. of sale in pant).

F. L. Constable (Bridgnorth): Facetious excuses are not accepted here (pleas an’t).

A. G. G. Cooper (Beckenham): Popular mount for large scale philately (cryptic def.; ref. Mount P. sorting office, London).

F. S. Danks (Oxford): It’s nice when a worker on the Sabbath has an excuse beforehand (plea + S + ant).

L. E. Eyres (Bath): Excuses aren’t acceptable (pleas an’t).

Mrs N. Fisher (Stroud): Gratifying result of appeals to the worker (pleas ant).

P. Glennie-Smith (Kingston): Get out of breath running round the fields, but it’s nice (leas in pant).

E. L. Hayward (Swindon): Addressing earnest prayers to the worker may have gratifying results, but production needs a set plan (pleas ant, anag.).

L. W. Jenkinson (Skipton): Field in ragged trousers? Jolly rotten lapse for a beginner (lea in anag. of pants, begins with anag.).

Mrs D. J. MacDowell (N14): Nice to get a worker after all the excuses (pleas ant).

Maj R. P. C. Mutter (Kenton): Excuses are not, in short, agreeable (pleas an’t).

J. Nicholl-Carne (SW15): Cheerful countryman with about two pints inside him (l (= litre) in peasant).

G. H. Podmore (Altrincham): Nice excuses are not, in short, required (pleas an’t).

A. R. Read (Sidcup): Facetious excuses are not in order (pleas an’t).

A. Robins (Manchester): Facetious action by Father Christmas—left without a present! (plea + Sant(a)).

P. H. Taylor (Newbold): Apologies aren’t accepted? Fair enough! (pleas an’t).

D. L. Tuckett (N4): Apologies are not acceptable (pleas an’t).

S. A. Wayland (Eastcote): Attractive underwear reduced! Jumble sale within! (anag. in pant(s)).

L. C. Wright (Selby): Nicely disposed suits lead to a no-trump contract (pleas + a NT).

J. S. Young (SE21): Excuses are not acceptable (pleas an’t).

COMMENTS.—405 correct in a large entry. “It was much simpler! But ‘heat’ nearly ‘beat’ me,” wrote one competitor, and a good many, less discreet than she was, actually did succumb. It is obviously vital that the clue should be selective in these cases—usually 4-letter words—where the unchecked letter offers several possibilities. In this case I think it was: HEAT is both “feeling flush and “one course” (of a race). As for “beat” it fIts “one course” and it would also fit “flush” (to rouse birds); but I don’t think it fits “feeling flush.” “Meat” also fits “one course” but seems to me totally inadequate for “feeling flush”: “leat” is weaker still. So no alternatives were allowed, but I’m sorry that “beat” (quite unintentionally) came so near to filling the bill. There was no other common mistake.
 
A hearty welcome to many new competitors! I will repeat here, for the sake of some of them, that anagrams, “hidden” word, etc., must be indicated in some way, and that at least a hint of the meaning of the whole word must be included. “It’s gay at Naples” is not, by our standards, a clue: nor is “Get out of breath running round the fields.”
 
RUNNERS-UP.—D. Ambler, Maj P. S. Baines, H. W. Brister, J. C. R. Clapham, Miss L. M. Collins, D. Connell, J. H. Dingwall, Brig W. E. Duncan, Mrs Forsyth, D. L. Gregory, J. Harding, A. Hodgkinson, J. R. Homa, Mrs L. Jarman, J. Jones, A. F. Lerrigo, R. Leslie, Mrs E. M. Lucas, D. P. M. Michael, Miss K. C. Morrah, W. D. Oliver, J. D. P. O’Leary, Rev E. B. Peel, R. Postill, G. W. Pugh, E. J. Rackham, H. R. Read, N. Roles, F. Rose, E. T. Ruddle, J. L. Ruddle, A. A. Russell, M. R. Sampford, Rev H. M. Springbett, Mrs D. F. Sumner, J. O. Tapper, R. G. Tate, C. A. Thorogood, H. S. Tribe, H. T. R. Twyford, Capt C. Tyers, J. Walton, J. E. Whelan, T. Wilson, Mrs D. Winsor, plus all those who sent versions of the neat but alas! too obvious “Nice? Change at Naples.”