XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 447

TOUSLE

1.  A. Robins: Let us stand by the Sovereign, beset by extreme Member—and let’s see the end of the matter! (us + L (£1) in toe: end = object; matter = one who mats; ref. article by John Grigg, 2nd Baron Altrincham, attacking the Queen, Aug 1957).

2.  Mrs E. Shackleton: Difficult to manage with a crew cut to merely 50 in regular employment (to + L in use; i.e. crew-cut).

3.  C. Allen Baker: “Top-of-the-table United lose disastrously!” That’s sure to upset somebody’s perm! (t(able) + U in anag.; ref. football pools).

H.C.

C. R. Dean: With all the French failing to agree, what can you expect but disorder? (tous le (Fr.); i.e. does not agree grammatically; ref. Treaty of Rome).

F. E. Dixon: The lure of the States takes them in, with a result like “Rock and Roll” (US in tole²; them = US).

Mrs N. Fisher: To act as tumblers do in engaging locks? (double mng.; engage (arch.) = entangle; tumbler = part of lock mechanism).

S. Goldie: Get that crazy hair-do! Absolutely remodelled, after having ends (skilfully!) trimmed (anag. of (ab)solute(ly), i.e. ably removed).

Dr T. O. Hughes: Break out with the head of a sledgehammer. To do so rends the locks asunder (anag. of out sle(dgehammer)).

C. Koop: It’s a rather ’iggledy-piggledy ’otel you’ll find us in: you’ll have to rough things! (us in anag.).

A. F. Lerrigo: This is what they do to the countryside. Litter louts! Let everyone start to put an end to them (anag. + e; litter, vb. imp.).

C. J. Morse: Complicated locks use the action of tumblers (2 mngs.; tumbler = part of a lock mechanism).

F. E. Newlove: A shock to the learner in practice! (to + L in use).

D. A. Nicholls: Herbert Morrison’s tip-top in a riotous Left-wing scuffle! (hidden, 2 defs.; ref. H.M.’s hairstyle).

R. Postill: If you put clumsy louts on the end of a line, what do you expect? (anag. + e, & lit.; production line).

Maj J. N. Purdon: In our view the French Coalition has produced a piece of iniquitous legislation which will mean disorder (to us + le (Fr.), hidden; ref. Treaty of Rome).

K. Reed: Result of a perm? Far from it! (anag. less far; perm (vb. imp.) = permute).

Miss D. W. Taylor: Brand-new driver dropped in t’ river! Enough to get a Braid discomposed! (L in t’ Ouse; learner driver; ref. James Braid, golfer, d. 1950).

RUNNERS-UP

J. W. Bates, E. A. Beaulah, T. E. Bell, C. O. Butcher, Mrs Caithness, A. E. Clayton, J. A. Fincken, Maj A. H. Giles, S. B. Green, R. J. Hall, D. Hawson, R. N. H. Hughman, W. B. Jamieson, Mrs L. Jarman, V. Jennings, J. Hardie Keir, Mrs M. R. Malcolm, J. Mann, Mrs E. McFee, D. P. M. Michael, P. H. Morgan, G. M. Neighbour, D. V. Northey, L. S. Pearce, G. Perry, E. G. Phillips, G. H. Ravenor, W. K. M. Slimmings, F. B. Stubbs, H. G. Tattersall, J. Thompson, D. H. Tompsett, Capt C. Tyers, T. G. Wellman, C. E. Williams, M. Woolf, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS—382 entries, 217 correct—the first wholesale slaughter of the innocents since “abashment” in 408 and “Obed” and “what” in 412 (the “non-U” puzzle). PIXES was the slaughterer. When this happens, I always attack my clue in a threateningly critical manner: my conclusion is that it has no particular merit, but that it does at least lead to pixes, and not to piles, pines, or the non-existent word pices (pice is both sing. and pl.). Pile and pice have monetary meanings, but none of these things are boxes: I can find no justification for any of them. Pixes, alt. spelling of pyxes, are money-boxes (v. Chamb. pyx), and they provide pies, welcome spoils, containing x, the unknown quantity still to be evaluated. A sad disaster, which I didn’t in the least expect: I thought it was a rather easy holiday puzzle, and some solvers said they found it so. Many new competitors, to whom a warm welcome, fell down over pixes: I hope they won’t be discouraged. Those who succeeded, and they were, at least, the majority, provided between them some excellent clues, but the general level is rather below average in interest, I thought. The popular “tous-les-mois” idea proved a rather barren one.
 
Many thanks for holiday good wishes, which I reciprocate—and I hope you have all gained distinctions in the searching examination provided by 448. A solver points out to me that I am bringing a Spanish ballet company to London for the latter half of August. I always thought I was cut out for a ballet-dancer, and I am delighted that my opportunity has at last come.