XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 158

RATING

1.  T. Bilsborough: Scolding at being included in call-up (at in ring & lit.).

2.  F. A. Clark: Taxing a man that sometimes finds it a job to pay (2 mngs.; pay²).

3.  H. B. Ridley: When the old beggar is stuffed with money, it’s no wonder he can afford taxis (tin in rag¹; taxis, sing. noun).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley: One can get one through larking about … one can! (tin in rag² & lit.).

J. A. Blair: I partake in baccarat in gaming-houses and sweep the deck! (hidden).

A. Carr: Storm at sea (2 mngs.).

H. P. Chubb: Cursing like a bo’s’n can in a tramp (tin in rag¹; 2 defs.; tramp steamer).

A. N. Clark: Railing occasionally seen running round the deck (2 mngs.).

J. Duffill: To growl about Income Tax returns won’t alter one’s assessment (I.T. in gnar¹ (all rev.)).

T. Dwyer: Making a beggar go without money is just class distinction (tin in rag¹).

L. E. Eyres: Fault-finding, wherein a fastidious girl takes delight (2 defs.; ref. song “Ship Ahoy”; “All the nice girls love a sailor”).

C. E. Gates: After a train smash there’s little good in sorting out the different classes! (anag. of train + g).

C. P. Grant: Do householders appreciate this estimation of their worth? On the contrary; growl about it (it in gnar¹ (all rev.); rateable value).

S. B. Green: It’s ’opeless working for this Borough Council concern—I’ve joined the Navy! ((ope)rating, 2 defs.; Rating Authority).

G. G. Lawrance: Standing allowed only on the lower deck (2 mngs.).

A. R. McInroy: A man with a rolling gait—Royal Navy, obviously (anag. of gait, RN & lit.).

E. L. Mellersh: There’s money in a bit of the old mattress cover: take the ticking off (tin in rag¹; tick³).

F. E. Newlove: There’s money in scrap: what’s this railing worth? (tin in rag¹, 2 defs.).

Rev E. B. Peel: A good dressing-down for the class at sea (2 mngs.).

E. J. Rackham: The way they puts on the taxes, it seems to make working ’opeless ((ope)rating; pl. of taxis).

A. Robins: One of many sailors taken back in the Reserve (tar (rev.) + in, +“G” & lit.; post-war reserve category for the RNR).

B. Rowbotham: Initial suggestions of the Royal Navy, coupled with a peculiar gait, should give a hand (anag. of R N gait).

M. R. Sampford: Size group? O.S., like Kate (3 mngs; Ordinary Seaman; ref. Taming of the Shrew, i.e. scalding).

H. G. Tattersall: He has the rolling R.N. gait (anag.).

Miss D. W. Taylor: What the Captain of the Pinafore gave his daughter when she fancied one (2 defs.; ref. Josephine & Ralph, H.M.S. Pinafore).

RUNNERS-UP

Mrs W. I. Anderson, C. A. Baker, S Cdr A. S. Birt, Sgt C. M. Brown, R. W. H. Brunswick, Miss E. Bullough, D. L. L. Clarke, D. Connell, H. F. Dixon, S. Doidge, Dr J. N. Fell, Mrs N. Fisher, M. S. Y. Fowler, Mrs J. O. Fuller, A. B. Gardner, Mrs N. Gill, Rev J. G. Graham, Mrs K. N. Graham, F. H. W. Hawes, H. C. Hills, A. H. Iliffe, B. J. Iliffe, A. Y. Jessiman, Miss W. H. Johnston, R. D. Jones, Capt G. Langham, A. F. Lerrigo, R. Lumley, Maj L. McGowan, C. C. McInroy, D. P. M. Michael, C. J. Morse, Mrs S. Murdoch, R. Nolan, R. Postill, N. J. Reed, W. Rennie, S. G. Rose, T. E. Sanders, A. J. C. Saunders, E. T. Smith, O. Carlton Smith, Miss R. E. Speight, A. Sutherland, P. H. Taylor, L. E. Thomas, J. Thompson, E. W. Tulloch, Capt C. Tyers, W. H. Victory, P. Walton, D. W. H. Watson.
 

COMMENTS—464 correct in the largest entry for over a year, the puzzle being intentionally easier in view of a feature of No. 159 (see below). The only mistake that was at all common was “dendracnate” for DENDRACHATE. Solvers who failed to see that “the Ace after shuffling” was HATE would hardly all (except one) guess alike, and I was puzzled till I thought of the possibility of the top part of the “h” being omitted through a printing fault in some edition of Chambers’s. Very bad luck, if that was the reason: I should be interested to hear. Thanks for much approval of my clue to SPINSTER—apparently the most popular one for some time.
 
A tractable word—many good clues—long lists—little room for comments. “R.N. gait,” the commonest motif, is represented by its best versions in both lists.
 
I wonder how you’ve been getting on with anagramless No. 159? Last time I tried this, to show solvers how much they relied on anags. for a start, they found it hard, but many didn’t realise why: has history repeated itself?
 
Few pencilled notes this time—puzzles on two consecutive Sundays! I’ll try to answer later any burning questions now passed over.