XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 49

ESPERANTO

1.  W. K. M. Slimmings (SW15): The tongue that Shakespeare spake? Only when you analyse him literally, and not otherwise! (anag. of speare not; i.e. shake speare).

2.  R. C. Payn (Irvine): Ultimately half of Milton and more than half of Shakespeare may be translated into this language (anag. of (Mil)ton (Shake)speare).

3.  A. H. Taylor (Peterborough): Wanted!—Medium suitable for international communication.—Apply nearest Post Office. (anag. incl. PO).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Wishaw): One’s pater puts out the tongue. So common! (anag.).

Dr G. R. Aspinwall (Huddersfield): Means to promote international understanding, like I do (cryptic def.; i.e. like Ido).

Mrs Baird (Aberdeen): Tongue: choice product, not for national use (cryptic def.; ref. food rationing).

E. P. Barrett (Blackrock): For the Human Race. Hopeful Language, by Zamenhof out of Erato’s Pen (anag.; L. L. Z. inventor of Esperanto).

K. Bower (Carshalton): Would such language cause A. P. to Sneer? (anag.; ref. A. P. Herbert).

Rev H. D. Owen Brown (Yeovil): Not a mother-tongue but derived from one’s pater (anag.).

Mrs Currall (W14): Universal talkie flop (cryptic def.).

P. A. Davenport (Oxford): Shakespeare’s? Not this language! (anag. of peares not; i.e. shakes peare’s).

M. N. France (Canterbury): Shakespeare not Zamenhof produced this language (anag. of speare not; i.e. shake speare; L. L. Z.).

S. B. Green (NW10): Ersatz tongue (rationable?) would provide one repast, anyhow (anag.; ref. food rationing).

A. S. King (Gravesend): A pert nose and a tongue sticking out (anag.).

R. R. Merson (Farnborough): Here’s hoping one will turn to p. 6! (because the Introduction’s by Zamenhof?) (anag. of to p. Arsene; esperanto (Sp.) = one who hopes; ref. to solution at 6).

J. M. W. Newman (Farnham Royal): London Evening Star article to read as one word, hoping one’s linguistic invention will be equal to it! (’Esper an to).

Mrs M. G. Porter (SW13): One repast (reconstituted) consists of tongue (anag.).

Mrs H. T. Sorley (Aberdeen): Do you understand this as well as I do? (cryptic def.; i.e. Ido).

F. L. Usher (Leeds): A speech couched in neat prose must be made to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee (anag.: E. invented 1887).

Capt J. E. Ward (Blackpool): After only a very short study of this language one can write neat prose (anag.).

W. H. J. Wheeler (Wembley): Not a mother-tongue, but may be acquired from one’s pater! (anag.).

Comments—236 correct, and a higher proportion of incorrect solutions than ever before. The biggest stumbling-block was 30. TEMS is a sieve (or riddle): ‘I’ can get ‘tems’ for points (items). Can I get teas for points? Or ‘tees,’ or any of the other possibilities? And can ‘teas’ or ‘tees’ be a riddle, with no hint of a pun? Some wrote ‘amph’ at 27 dn.; but is ‘amph’ a word? The clue was an allusion to Kubla Khan. ‘Dantonism’ has an appearance of appropriateness at 11, but only ‘Dantonist’ seems to have any authority—and anyway DALTONISM really does mean ‘colour-blindness’ (Chambers). So no alternatives accepted, and many commiserations!
 
Mr. Newman’s clever clue missed a prize only because ‘London’ seemed hardly enough to suggest a dropped h. Anagrams predominated. The commonest was ‘neat prose’; two of its users gained commendations. The proportion of non-anagrammatic clues is higher in the ‘Honours List’ than it was in the whole entry.