XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 128

AMMETER (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  C. J. Morse (Norwich): A D/r. Inge vetoed the line, and repeated the error (Adam and Eve).

2.  D. Ashcroft (Fleetwood): Uncle, s/pout lay “Cheer fully three cheers for us!” (look out for an abbr.; European Recovery Programme (Marshall Aid)).

3.  G. T. Holden (Solihull): Into water put one gr/ebe. Never! Minnow here will be found (terebene, disinfectant).

H.C.

W. Ashworth (Willerby): Cost a heart-throb (s/ic) on the water-logged marsh (Sam Costa, Eric Barker, in radio comedies ‘Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh’ and ‘HMS Waterlogged’).

Mrs Caithness (Ambleside): If Uncle’s/ Nest be viny, our outlook might improve (Ernest Bevin, Foreign Secretary).

Maj P. H. Carey (Lancaster): Would one gr/ebe nest, O pray, upon an ailing sheep? (terebene, disinfectant).

F. A. Clark (Croydon): Bar h/as music—all that anachronistic nonsense (Barham, Erasmus).

D. M. Devine (St. Andrews): If I like the littlest, if fi/nest, new manor, some other times, man, I’d ridicule its columns! (Ernest Newman, music critic of the Sunday Times since 1920; stiff = good-for-nothing).

B. Franco (N7): Disinfectant recipe:—Into one pint lye, stir one gr/ebe nest and a minute toga in complete solution! (terebene).

J. E. Hobson (W5): The selectors discussed the next te/st, while players conferred and agreed (erstwhile).

L. Johnson (N. Harrow): To make their car look like a taxi, the raiders put ash/ on it.

C. H. Macmillan (Maidenhead): The valves of the cl/ean octopus foresaw its danger.

Lt Cdr W. G. Marshall (Rothesay): It must have been somewhere soggy (s/ic). A water-logged marsh, perhaps! (Sam Costa, Eric Barker, in radio comedies ‘Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh’ and ‘HMS Waterlogged’).

E. J. Meadon (W4): If he is him, then I’/m Ino, logically.

F. E. Newlove (SE9): No, Ma/son, taxis don’t stop at the red lights.

E. O. Seymour (Gerrards Cross): Seeing now I lead/, ring Eve in the garden.

G. A. Shoobridge (Cheam): Eve an’ Dad/ red! And we resent to till the Earth.

J. F. N. Wedge (Sutton): Where did Emily first see ’im s/in? Croynge? (Sam met ’er; characters and fictional town in radio comedy ‘Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh’).

COMMENTS—341 correct and many scattered mistakes in a fairly large and very enthusiastic entry. Both the puzzle and the word set were harder than last time (No. 104, “stare”), but solvers, including many who sent maiden efforts—a welcome to these—were undeterred. As before, many competitors concentrated too much on the naturalness and humour of the devilled version at the expense of the full version, e.g. “’Twas heat that chicken wanted, to improve the course” (’Twas he at Thatcham met Eric. Ken wanted, …). It is the full version which must be natural, preferably with an amusing surprise: if the devilled version is natural and amusing too, that is an added merit, but it is no use by itself. One other point:—if names are introduced, they should have some point: there were many pointless Sams and Ernests, all of whom I ruled out, though one or two of the neatest appear among the runners-up.
 
I must again thank many solvers for generous comments and also apologise for AMBITUS, which is not in Chambers. In this type of puzzle a non-Chambers word certainly ought to carry a hint to that effect. Fortunately it had one of the easier clues and no one got it wrong, though several were not unnaturally worried.
 
I have again served up the successful clues without indicating gaps [gaps are indicated in the Archive version]: I think the majority like this. If I get several requests for elucidation of any puzzling ones, I will reveal their secrets in the next slip.
 
RUNNERS-UP—E. S. Ainley, C. A. Baker, D. E. Barnard, C. A. Beechey, E. H. Campion, J. C. R. Clapham, G. H. Clarke, P. M. Coombs, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, T. H. East, L. E. Eyres, W. P. M. Field, J. H. Gawler, I. C. Gilchrist, P. G. W. Glare, P. Glennie-Smith, S. B. Green, Maj H. A. Hardy, H. J. Howells, J. Jones, G. G. Lawrance, B. M. Legg, Mrs E. K. Mumford, A. P. O’Leary, Miss A. Perry, N. J. Reed, H. B. Ridley, Rev E. G. Riley, W. O. Robertson, A. Robins, P. W. Rundle, C. R. Satterthwaite, Miss R. E. Speight, J. Talman, Miss A. C. Tatham, Miss D. W. Taylor, H. S. Tribe, H. D. Wakely.