XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 175

HAIR-LINE

1.  Mrs J. H. C. Lawlor: Women make up to me, though I may be stringy and thin and a bit worn (2 mngs.).

2.  A. E. Smith: With the thin-faced type the slightest thing leads to a row (hair line; typography).

3.  Mrs A. M. Osmond: How an aspiration to publish a verse is achieved by a stroke of the pen! (h + air + line; aspirated consonant).

H.C.

A. C. Angel: Use of this uppish stroke may well result in a catch (2 mngs; fishing line).

J. P. Bowyer: If you’re worried because it’s receding, it may he kept in sight with a telescope (2 mngs.; gun-sight).

D. L. L. Clarke: HKLM: a tenuous clue? It depends on the angle (i.e. H airline; fishing line).

C. E. Gates: Hard to the boundary via the air! What the scribes might call an “uppish stroke”! (H air line).

S. B. Green: One of the near-Euclidean lines having common planes? (h-airline; i.e. common pron. of ‘airline’).

L. W. Jenkinson: Stroke looks very thin, but is not liable to catch crabs (2 mngs; fishing line, rowing).

E. W. Lee: It’s slightly marked; has it been used for playing darts? (2 mngs.; fishing line; darts = dace).

C. J. Morse: One wants a good fly on the end of this (i.e. ends with airline, & lit.; fishing line).

A. P. O’Leary: A fine stroke, W. G. excelled in it; Plum less so (2 mngs.; ref. cricketers W. G. Grace (bearded) and ‘Plum’ Warner (bald)).

E. J. Rackham: Providing a fine connection between two points is, of course, the aspiration of the Airways Co. (h-airline; i.e. aspirated pron. of ‘airline’).

J. H. Sleeman: I’m in a Dutch air liner giving a bearing for the Hook (hidden; fishing line; H. of Holland).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Spooner takes a catch from this uppish stroke, made very fine, by Parker (2 mngs.; angler using spoon bait, P. pen, cricketers Reggie S. and Charlie P.).

E. B. Stevens: Looks thin and drawn. Could it be the parting? (2 mngs.).

Miss D. W. Taylor: What to keep on to be cool by the equator; if you cast it, you may catch something! (hair + line; ‘keep your h. on’; fishing line).

RUNNERS-UP

J. A. Blair, M. L. Booker, M. Bowles, E. J. Brook, J. Burton-Page, Mrs Caithness, A. C. Chipperfield, J. H. Dingwall, 2 Lt L. E. Ellis, L. E. Eyres, R. Finlayson, B. Freedman, S. Goldie, Rev J. G. Graham, R. W. Hawes, Brig J. A. E. Hirst, C. Koop, G. G. Lawrance, A. F. Lerrigo, E. L. Mellersh, T. W. Melluish, F. E. Newlove, M. Newman, D. A. Nicholls, S. Ogden, W. H. Pearson, H. Rainger, D. W. Reeds, J. L. Ruddle, Mrs E. Shackleton, G. A. Shoobridge, R. Stewart, L. E. Thomas, J. Thompson.
 

COMMENTS—304 correct and not many mistakes—no common ones. It appears to have been to most solvers an easier puzzle than usual: it was certainly a harder word to clue than recent ones. Mr. Morse’s clue would be an excellent portmanteau but or the fact that 7 letters out of 8 make rather a large “end.” I will use the remaining space to comment, for a change, on some runners-up: there is not room, of course, to deal with all of them.
 
“It’s a slim way the Scots have taking in the Inland Revenue with a nil return.” Neat, but definition too vague.—” Something that’s bound to fly, and should ensure happy landings, catches herring without erring.” Ambitious and clever portmanteau, but “herring-erring” as indication of H is a bit obvious and cumbersome, and aren’t they always caught in nets? I’m no fisherman, so this may be unjust!—“Once held a sword, but demonstrates the finer attributes of the pen!” Such a vague ref. to Damocles is, think, too difficult.—“Where the cut-throat stops short is leaving girl headless in spite of the Apache.” (Fr. haine), Definitely too difficult.—“Put the rowlocks the other way round: I might catch a crab!” Very attractive and ingenious, but I prefer Mr. Jenkinson’s view on crab-catching!—“Don’t attach too much to this yarn; he’s a gas-bag and holds nothing back.” Very nearly an H.C., but I decided that the last part was just too difficult to follow.—“Might man join this to fly? ’E might!” Good portmanteau except that I don’t like an added H indicated by a dropped one.—“Sioux belt?” For hanging scalps on, presumably. Neat, but far too hard for a straight clue.—“A delicate stroke needs something to keep on going with the row.” Definition of “hair” just too vague: Miss Taylor’s “to be cool” makes all the difference. These comments, which will, no doubt, cause some disagreement, especially among the authors (!) may be helpful to the inexperienced.