XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 243

LODESTAR

1.  C. E. Gates: Leader of the Magi, subtly portrayed by del Sarto (anag.; ref. Andrea d. S., Renaissance painter).

2.  W. Rodgers: The guide pointed to “The Madonna,” del Sarto’s composition (anag.; ref. Andrea d. S., Renaissance painter).

3.  H. Walsham: A seam specialist, not likely to shine on Australian wickets (lode star).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley: Makes bearings comprehensible by rough old mariner (anag. + E, S + tar, & lit.).

F. D. H. Atkinson: A man learning songs needs the pitch for a guide (L odes tar).

J. A. Blair: It may give a lead to disheartened ramblers (anag. incl. r(ambler)s, & lit.).

V. E. Brooke: Relied on for centuries when things looked black in Lord’s tea-break (anag.).

J. A. Fincken: See what leads to your destiny, mariner! (lo des(tiny) tar, & lit.).

E. Gomersall: Oldest arrangement, before the inception of arithmetic, used as an aid to navigation (a in anag., & lit.).

C. R. Haigh: Guided by this light the wise men were excitedly led to journey’s end before a King (anag. incl. s. + a R, & lit.).

H. Heath: A sign in the heavens lots read when in trouble (anag. & lit.).

P. Holtby: Because it’s short Dior’s latest creation is the cynosure of all eyes (anag. less it’s).

J. P. Lloyd: Ditches a sailor? But it shouldn’t! (lodes tar, & lit.).

W. L. Miron: This may guide a mariner with narrow waters ahead (lodes + tar, & lit.).

A. Robins: Pilot to Pilot: Watch trade winds bearing South (lo + s in anag.; winds, vb.).

T. E. Sanders: See Shiner playing a leading part as a sailor for ha-has (lodes tar; ref. 1953 play ‘Seagulls Over Sorrento’ and comic actor Ronald S.; ha-ha = ditch).

A. J. C. Saunders: Navigational aid for a sailor when he comes to the open waters (lodes + tar, & lit.).

Mrs E. M. Simmonds: Heavenly guidance for a Saint in a terrible ordeal (St. in anag.).

O. Carlton Smith: An oldster, having strayed from the North, could get a new reading from this (anag. less N, & lit.).

I. Young: Here’s a certain way of getting lost—read the Traveller’s Guide! (anag.).

R. F. Zobel: The scintillating ball is produced by a combination of seam and shine (lode star; ref. cricket).

RUNNERS-UP

C. Allen Baker, H. Barnard, J. W. Bates, T. E. Bell, C. M. Brown, W. C. Cartner, A. J. Croft, G. H. Dickson, F. E. Dixon, Brig W. E. Duncan, W. A. Easson, W. Eite, H. H. Elliott, Mrs C. de B. Fleming, J. A. Flood, A. L. Freeman, Mrs J. O. Fuller, D. J. Furley, Maj A. H. Giles, D. Godden, R. M. Grace, J. A. Maxtone Graham, C. P. Grant, R. R. Greenfield, J. P. Hancox, D. P. Hendrie, F. N. Hoddell, J. J. Holloway, B. J. Iliffe, F. G. Illingworth, L. Johnson, J. Hardie Keir, S. Leekie, A. W. Maddocks, D. P. M. Michael, C. J. Morse, F. E. Newlove, A. Newnham, D. A. Nicholls, A. C. Norfolk, Sgt L. W. G. Oxley, F. R. Palmer, L. C. Payman, L. S. Pearce, T. C. Perks, F. J. Philbrick, A. J. Polson, E. R. Prentice, H. Rainger, J. S. Rioch, C. Rosebourne, J. C. Shaw, Miss R. E. Speight, R. E. Stumbles, W. Sunderland, S. A. C. Vann, M. J. Venning, M. A. Vernon, E. F. Watling, J. F. N. Wedge, M. Woolf.
 

COMMENTS—336 correct and few mistakes, chiefly caused by TREEN AND BASHLYK. A high standard of entries with a spate of genuine “& lit.” clues: I hope the uninitiated will observe that those quoted really are “& lit.” i.e. the whole clue works both as a definition and in its reference to parts of the word: I must repeat that “& lit.” does not mean merely that the statement made by the clue is a true one. Mr. Miron’s clue and Mr. Saunders’s clue appear to be contradictory, but study of the meanings of “reach” has convinced me that both are sound! However “water” alone as a clue to “lodes” seems to me too vague. Two clues involving anags. with addition and subtraction are commended: this is a type I rather dislike on principle, but it may, I think, be justified by some particularly good effect. There are more than usual of these in the entry. In the nature of things this type cannot be as satisfying as a genuine anagram: the less complicated a clue is the better, other things being equal. I must refer again to “indirect” anagrams, i.e. those that give an anagram of a defining word, not of the word itself. These are only fair if the defining word’s answer will leap to the eye readily: if the answer is a rare word, the anagram is obviously useless to the solver. I will quote two examples from this entry:—“… an irregular strip of woodland clearing” (star, anag. of sart). In another clue an anag, of “lights” was indicated, to yield “desta” (teads). It should be remembered that subsidiary parts of a clue are meant to help the solver!