XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 229

MASCOT

1.  C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): Up in the morning with the sun and early bed is said to bring good fortune (a.m. (rev.) + S + cot).

2.  Mrs E. M. Simmonds (Cookham Dean): Endless stomach disorder may be the outcome of Christmas pudding! (anag. less h; gifts hidden in C. p.).

3.  S. Goldie (Enfield): Causes endless stomach trouble—unlike Jonah! (anag. less h; ref. J. and the whale).

H.C.

J. A. Blair (NW9): I’m jolly lucky to have the master’s crib! (MA’s cot).

B. G. H. Clegg (Liverpool): The charm of an afternoon fashion parade (m. + Ascot; i.e. after noon).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson (Fareham): I’m nuts about the Colonel and the regiment is nuts about me (CO in mast²).

C. E. Gates (Kettering): It’s all “nuts” about the Colonel being the image of the regimental goat! (CO in mast²).

C. P. Grant (Harrow): I’m nuts about the Colonel—the idol of the regiment (CO in mast²).

C. R. Haigh (Cambridge): ‘Amulet’ might be clued as an animal at the head of the troops (2 mngs.; i.e. amulet = a mule t).

J. Hardie Keir (Galashiels): “The Daughter of the Regiment”—and obviously “nuts” about the Colonel (CO in mast²; ref. Donizetti opera).

S. L. Paton (Plymouth): May augment student’s chance of taking “Firsts”! (initial letters, & lit.).

A. Redstone (Eastbourne): I am lucky—it’s a thousand to one meeting with Royalty! (M a scot (= payment)).

J. D. Wallace (Milltimber, Aberdeenshire): ‘It will always bring the goods’ is what one said about the Service Corps in the first World War (ASC in mot; not then RASC).

RUNNERS-UP

E. S. Ainley, F. D. H. Atkinson, J. W. Bates, Miss L. M. Collins, P. M. Coombs, T. R. H. Davenport, R. M. Grace, S. B. Green, Dr G. P. Hartigan, D. Hawson, E. L. Hillman, H. T. E. Hone, B. J. Iliffe, C. J. Lowe, T. W. Melluish, C. J. Morse, F. E. Newlove, A. P. O’Leary, R. Postill, E. J. Rackham, E. W. Richart, J. S. Rioch, A. Robins, W. K. M. Slimmings, J. A. L. Sturrock, J. A. Watson, J. F. N. Wedge, Mrs S. E. Wilson, M. Winterbottom.
 

COMMENTS—186 correct and few mistakes, chiefly caused by REUS. The astonishing double anagram of “supersonic” was pointed out to me by a solver apropos of No. 213 last January, the puzzle which drew a record entry. This was not so very long ago: I thought solvers’ memories would be long enough to enable them to smell a rat! But besides the many regulars there is a considerable body of “floating” solvers: and, of course, to those who didn’t do No. 213 this was an extremely red herring! The solver who sent me the second anagram must take the blame and the credit: I couldn’t possibly resist the temptation to use it and am entirely innocent! This was, no doubt, what made the entry a smallish one. I hasten to assure you that I know of no other anag. of “supersonic”—at any rate at the moment: perhaps someone will send me one!
 
There were some very good clues sent in but not, I thought, again, very many of them. I will illustrate this time an unsuccessful type that often crops up—there were several in this entry. This is the type in which there is a good, clear definition but the subsidiary part is so obscure as to be almost certainly useless to the solver. He may well get the answer from the definition; the clue is often, strictly speaking, sound; but most of it is just wasted. This result may emerge, with a certain number of solvers, from many perfectly good clues, because they just don’t happen to see the point; but at least the point ought to be such that anyone might see it! Two examples this time were: “Lucky, but with love might be blind.” (scotoma). None of this clue except the single word “lucky” would be of any use to anyone; and incidentally the clue isn’t even sound: “scotoma” is a noun. “Good fortune follows me to Court, Sir, as there’s a design to dub me.” (to-C.-M.-as). This is not quite so obscure as the other, but in this case too the anagram is over-camouflaged—“C.” and “M” are not readily enough suggested by “Court, Sir.”
 
May I repeat what I have said before several times, that when I quote unsuccessful clues, I do so not to hand wooden spoons to the authors—often they are by no means the worst clues sent in—but to help not only the authors but other competitors, especially newcomers.