◀  No. 151 Clue list 29 Oct 1950 Slip image No. 153  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 152

SEA-LION

1.  I. A. H. Munro (Glasgow): A lone little island upset this cross-Channel time-table (anag. incl. Is; ref. Operation S., planned German invasion of England, 1940).

2.  C. Koop (Ferring): His essay on fish would go with a roar (anag. of Elia’s + on; see Elia’s on hash).

3.  A. Robins (Manchester): Owner of bark with one sail negotiates globe skilfully (anag.; balances ball).

H.C.

Mrs Caithness (Ambleside): South east England nearly underwent invasion (SE Al(b)ion; ref. Operation S., planned German invasion of England, 1940).

J. H. Dingwall (N12): Abortive operation consequent on a lesion with complications (anag.; ref. Operation S., planned German invasion of England, 1940).

E. G. Durham (Liverpool): Diet and tricks indicate Pisces and Libra for horoscope. Name shows Leo is an obvious alternative (anag.; i.e. diet of fish and balancing tricks).

C. E. Gates (Kettering): The brute makes a horrible noise about nearly everything (al(l) in anag., & lit.).

S. B. Green (NW10): Unsuccessful corporal operation to reduce a lesion (anag.; r. = arrange; ref. Operation S., planned German invasion of England, 1940).

Miss K. A. Howarth (Cambridge): Barker—popular submarine personage (i.e. lion below sea; ref. Eric B., in radio comedy ‘HMS Waterlogged’).

B. J. Iliffe (Westcliff-on-Sea): The South Eastern Amateur League are leading 1—0 against the North: hear the Barking Roars (SE A l I-0 N; B. in SE London).

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): This sleek performer has the flappers’ support, even in his biggest flops (cryptic def.).

R. C. Macfarlane (Edinburgh): Submarine hero portrayed by Barker! (i.e. lion below sea; ref. Eric B., in radio comedy ‘HMS Waterlogged’).

P. J. Meade (Whyteleafe): One sail ruined Hitler’s plan for invasion (anag.; ref. Operation S., planned German invasion of England, 1940).

D. P. M. Michael (Whitchurch): Lies on a rocky, salt-water, much sought after eminence (anag., sea lion, & lit.).

W. B. O’Hanlon (Wembley): For The Great Barker Jumble Sale, First—On—Right! (anag. + I on; Barkers of Kensington dept. store).

Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Total immersion makes me thrive: I should get on after baptism (seal I on).

E. R. Prentice (Clifton): Fed up with fish and salt water, I can be seen somewhere in the North half of London (sea + I in Lon(don); ref. London Zoo).

 

COMMENTS—200 correct and few mistakes—a very fine effort! Special congratulations to those who didn’t use p. 9! On this type of crossword I can’t do better than quote Torquemada in Torquemada Puzzle Book (Gollancz): “There is, I have found, a sharp division of opinion about crosswords of this kind. Some people, after a single glance, put them aside at once, and wait for next week; others, though you may not believe it, merely mark time between their appearances.” The last part of what he says may be an exaggeration, but I have no doubt at all that in general he was right. To the many devotees I offer thanks for their kind and enthusiastic comments: to their opponents I offer regrets, but would point out that it is for their sakes that such puzzles appear at very wide intervals: the last one was over a year ago. I would also ask them to note the size of the entry, in spite of the fact that this was easily the hardest puzzle of its type so far.
 
Were red herrings intentional? No: why should they be? In this kind of puzzle shoals of them appear automatically, and I certainly didn’t seek them, My object, on the other hand, was to make the puzzle soluble in spite of its stiff conditions—hence STREETCARS to set the ball rolling. There was one possible alternative, used by two solvers, pointed out by a few others and passed by me as correct:—GOER (super-slick performer) for DOER (performer). Two good clues on the “lesion” theme were ruled out by slips in solutions.
 
A few brief criticisms of some H.C.s—Mrs. C.—“Invasion” barely adequate definition: “nearly” a bit vague for letter omitted internally: most ingenious. E. G. D.—Length not quite justified by amount of “meat.” C. E. G.—Definition sense a little vague. S. B. G.—I don’t quite like “corporal” either as adj. in “Hitler” sense or as medical epithet. B. J. I.—“A.L.” too unfamiliar abbr. D. P. M. M.—“Eminence” too abstract for “lion”: otherwise extremely good. I should put Mrs. J.’s clue fourth: hers and the others not mentioned were all sound and in varying degrees attractive.
 
There are two more puzzles to go before Consolation Prizes: I made a mistake in counting in my last note about this.
 
RUNNERS-UP—C. A. Baker, J. W. Bates, F. A. Clark, J. Coleby, Cdr Dickson, L. E. Eyres, Mrs Fisher, B. Franco, Mrs J. Fuller, Mrs Graham, W. E. Green (Beverley), P. A. Harrow, Dr Hartigan, L. W. Jenkinson, A. F. Lerrigo, F. E. Newlove, L. Pirouet, R. Postill, N. J. Reed, D. W. Reeds, Miss Ridler, T. E. Sanders, J. C. Saunders, Miss Speight, J. Thomas, L. E. Thomas, J. Thompson, J. F. N. Wedge, J. S. Young.
 

 
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