XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 151

OPEN-SESAME

1.  Mrs N. Fisher (Stroud): To spread goes against the grain? Just have this, to go in and out at the right places! (open sesame; couture).

2.  Cdr H. H. L. Dickson (Fareham): The only way to defeat the slam when there is no means of entry in the hand (cryptic def.; bridge).

3.  J. Thompson (Stafford): Patent oil-producer may cause unemployment in key industry (open sesame).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley (S. Harrow): They make a charming entrée, plain sausage skins do (open + s, e + same; do³ = ditto).

C. A. Baker (Wishaw): Not the sort of bidding likely to result, in a grand slam (cryptic def.; bridge).

S. B. Green (NW10): ’Ee, some snap! Frame it in passe-partout! (anag.; frame = adopt).

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): Opening speech disclosed assets: company bemoaned oil-shares going to pot (cryptic def.; ref. Ali Baba, thieves in oil jars).

G. G. Lawrance (Harrow): Love, the French think, has such a charming way of laughing at locksmiths! (0 + pense (Fr.) + same; such, same = of like kind (C.); ref. proverb “love laughs at l.”).

T. W. Melluish (SE24): This Key to the Golden Treasury by literal analysis gives a poem sense (anag.; ref. Ali Baba, Palgrave).

D. P. M. Michael (Whitchurch): Translates into sense a poem once said to entrance! (anag.).

C. J. Morse (Oxford): Passepartout, perhaps, but this one went round the world in 1,001 nights (cryptic def.; ref. valet in ‘Around the World in 80 Days’, and Arabian Nights).

F. E. Newlove (SE9): There’s nothing, the French think, like charm: it gets you anywhere! (0 + pense (Fr.) + same).

A. P. O’Leary (Rugby): Might one see spam en ragoût make an entrée for the Forty? (anag.; ref. Ali Baba, F. thieves, and F. Club).

Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Recipe for entrée:—Take half a chop: add yolk of hen’s egg: continue as before ((ch)op + (h)en’s e(gg) + same).

E. J. Rackham (Totton): A poem with sense obscured, but gained admission to Golden Treasury (anag.; ref. Ali Baba, Palgrave).

H. Ingram Rees (Edgware): The Foreword to A Golden Treasury is, in a sense, a poem review (anag., i.e. re-view; ref. Ali Baba, Palgrave).

E. O. Seymour (Gerrards Cross): Opening bid which might have been followed by a take-out in Diamonds (cryptic def.; ref. Ali Baba, bridge).

W. K. M. Slimmings (New Malden): Scheherazade’s charm, passée with a thousand and one blemishes! (anag. incl. M; ref. Arabian Nights; blemish vb.).

J. F. N. Wedge (Sutton): Generous oil-plant combine gave free passages to travellers in oil-containers (open sesame; ref. Ali Baba, thieves in oil jars).

J. S. Young (Beckenham): Use this opening call if you want Diamonds and be on the look-out for a slam (cryptic def.; ref. Ali Baba, bridge).

COMMENTS.—232 correct and very few mistakes. The puzzle was difficult: very high proportion of unfamiliar words, and “pile” a cruel red herring for POTS—quite unintentional. A close competition: it may be of interest to give brief reasons why I liked the first three best. It is to be assumed that I liked the H.C.’s, very much, apart from points mentioned. N. F.—Much the most amusing double entendre, but I should prefer “use” to “have.” H. H. L. D.—Sound, neat, amusing straight clue. J. T.—Equally sound and neat: less amusing. E. S. A.—Sausage skins just a little hard to swallow! C. A. B.—I never like a negative clue quite so well as a positive one. S. B. G.—“ ’Ee” a little unnatural. L. J.—Second part amusing and clever, but makes too much of clue lead to word’s context rather than word itself. G. G. L.—“such” = “same”: I suggest that C. is using “like” in different senses. T. W. M.—Could mere “literal analysis” have that effect? D. P. M. M.—Syntax of true meaning a little too awkward without punctuation. C. J. M.—“Went … world” a little forced as applied to o.-s. F. E. N.—Definition a shade on the vague side. A. P. O’L.—I don’t quite like the whole of an anag. clue in unanswered interrogative form, when a statement is really meant. E. B. P.—“Yolk” clever, but shouldn’t it be central? All the same, I would put this one fourth or fifth. E. J. R.—Very sound: fourth or fifth. H. I. R.—Last part a little strained. E. O. S.—“In” not quite natural. W. K. M. S.—S. only the teller of stories: I don’t quite like “S.’s charm.” J. F. N. W.—Somewhat confuses order of events in story: they got no passages once they were in containers! Also “travellers” not quite appropriate. J. S. Y.—“Want” a little unnatural in bridge sense.
 
The last winner was almost universally popular: I expect rather less unanimity this time, but who knows?
 
RUNNERS-UP—A. H. Ashcroft, G. W. Bain, Maj P. S. Baines, Miss A. W. Baldy, R. L. Chambers, H. P. Chubb, F. A. Clark, F. L. Constable, J. H. Dingwall, T. N. Dowse, Mrs D. Fuller, Mrs J. O. Fuller, C. E. Gates, D. Hawson, L. R. Huxtable, C. V. Jones, J. P. Lloyd, M. Newman, G. Perry, E. G. Phillips, C. P. Rea, H. B. Ridley, W. O. Robertson, T. E. Sanders, G. A. Shoobridge, Miss A. C. Tatham, Miss D. W. Taylor, P. H. Taylor, H. D. Wakely.