XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 169

HOUSE

1.  E. J. Rackham: An unsatisfactory one, say Tories, till you put us in! (us in hoe; ref. House of Commons, Labour Govt. in 1951 [see comments]).

2.  L. R. Huxtable: A crack may bring it down. A split may keep it up (2 cryptic defs.; wisecrack in theatre, split in Parliament, & lit.).

3.  L. C. Tudor: Firm, but one good turn might bring it down (2 defs., one cryptic; good turn in theatre).

H.C.

J. H. Dingwall: Heavenly part for a star? Or simply a performance which takes the audience in? (3 defs.).

T. Dwyer: A family who use it without understanding should be well slated! (who use it minus wit + 2 defs. & lit.).

Mrs N. Fisher: A call to stand treat in the inn (ho¹ + use).

Miss A. B. Grindley: Clear the ground, put us in, and we’ll make it a home (us in hoe [see comments]).

A. J. Lyon: Demands your loyalty: it’s part of school custom ((sc)ho(ol) + use, & lit.; loyalty to school house).

R. C. Macfarlane: Duck wont after March rear a family ((Marc)h-0-use [see comments]).

C. J. Morse: One star’s not good enough for me: I like several, and I get thousands (3 mngs.; inn (star rating), audience, astrology).

F. E. Newlove: Kind yet firm: you’ll have to put up with it! (3 defs.; kindred, trading establishment, accommodate).

H. Rainger: “The Villa” put up a firm performance, a thing that’s scarce nowadays (5 defs.; ref. post-war housing shortage; Aston Villa FC).

E. O. Seymour: This rising might have become extensive, but Government forces soon had everything under control (cryptic def.; ref. precarious position of Attlee Govt. in 1951 Parliament; rising = end of session).

L. E. Thomas: If the audience loses interest completely, there’s nothing for the performance but stop! (house minus use = ho (stop) [see comments]).

RUNNERS-UP

E. S. Ainley, J. W. Bates, H. P. Chubb, D. L. Clements, Mrs M. T. H. Du Boulay, T. H. East, L. E. Eyres, Maj A. H. Giles, H. J. Godwin, Rev J. G. Graham, S. B. Green, F. H. W. Hawes, H. J. Howells, R. N. H. Hughman, Dr D. S. M. Imrie, C. Koop, Dr E. B. Kraus, P. W. W. Leach, Mrs Levick, R. Lumley, Lt Cdr W. G. Marshall, T. W. Melluish, W. L. Miron, M. Newman, L. C. Payman, Mrs J. Robertson, J. L. Ruddle, E. T. Smith, J. F. N. Wedge, G. M. Young.
 

COMMENTS—2l4 correct and many mistakes in a rather disappointing entry. For the first time, as far as I can remember, the commonest mistake was a sheer spelling mistake—“rareties.” This is, of course, very unlikely to happen unless (a) the “doubtful” letter is unchecked and (b) the clue is a straight one: both these conditions were fulfilled in this case. Of those who made this mistake about 27% were ladies: of the whole entry about 12% were ladies. Dare one make a deduction? Perish the thought—and my wife wouldn’t allow it! I tried to find a reason for the mistake in an interpretation of the clue leading to “rare-ties” but I couldn’t do it. All the clue meant was that rarities, which are “off the beaten track,” are called “sports” when they occur in garden plants. WADHURST also caused trouble, which an atlas, or even an A. A. book, would have prevented. Why should “Yadhurst” be right? The clue didn’t call for an anag. of the whole word “Thursday.” There were other scattered mistakes.
 
I thought HOUSE was a nice chance for straight clues, but I didn’t find the general standard particularly high. I was a little doubtful about Mr Rackham’s “till” = “hoe” for a time; but hoeing certainly produces a tilth, and a hoe is described as a “tillage instrument.” That was my only doubt about an otherwise excellent clue. Three H.C. clues would have been well in the running but for small weaknesses. I’m not quite happy about Miss Grindley’s “we”: I’m a little afraid she meant the same people as “us,” which would be unsound: but I hope she meant “we who write the word in.” Mr Macfarlane’s clue is just spoilt by absolutely necessary absence of the apostrophe in “wont,” which destroys the surprise. And I think Mr Thomas’s clue needs “this” for “the” in either one place or the other.
 
Don’t bother any more telling me your first and last word solved. It has been interesting for a few weeks, but I doubt now if really useful deductions can be made: this time the indications pointed nowhere in particular.
 
P.S. Post reasonably early: delays seem to be occurring and entries are apt to be late if you run it close.