XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 638

BUREAUCRAT

1.  P. H. Morgan (Torquay): A zealous official’s a snag over the water at Boulogne—the last bit comes out of the case! (bur (= sharp protrusion) + eau (Fr.) + crat(e)).

2.  J. C. Brash (Edinburgh): Curt bear I may be outwardly, but I have a heart of gold, finding expression in many forms! (Au in anag.).

3.  F. D. Gardiner (Henfield): Here’s a sticky case a curate reformed—he’s found his vocation in the ministry! (bur + anag.).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): I may produce for you a new form to bear—for everyone, in fact, in duplicate: black carbon coming up! (anag. of bear, U, U + tar C (rev.), & lit.).

F. D. H. Atkinson (Claygate): The practice from old days, from very old days, compassed by a chit, is a guide to me (ure AUC in brat, & lit.).

Capt A. S. Birt (Twickenham): Rub a curate the wrong way—he will remain a strict conformist and your obedient servant! (anag.).

J. Flood (Wembley): Rub a curate the wrong way, and he works himself up in a state! (anag.).

G. P. Goddard (SE21): If non-U, I may be curt, a bear, and not so civil as my Service suggests (anag. incl. U).

E. Gomersall (York): Take Vichy water in car, but rum is a worthy adjunct to the office tea strength! (r eau (Fr.) in anag.).

S. B. Green (NW10): Rub a curate the wrong way, and will he leave the ministry? Never! (anag.).

V. Jennings (Reading): I’m the official in charge—I bring together in conflict Caesar and Brutus—seconds out! (anag. less s,s).

Dr T. J. R. Maguire (Dublin): I could be “Sir Joseph Porter,” having previous practice, from the first City production, in Pinafore (ure AUC in brat; ref. HMS Pinafore, Sir J. P.’s Song).

B. J. McCann (Manchester): To rub a curate the wrong way, call him a minister’s lackey (anag.).

T. W. Melluish (SE24): A truer Cuba would upset the dictator in office (anag.; ref. Castro).

D. P. M. Michael (Newport): Thrice he demands form’s submission, then by ancient usage dating from 753 B.C. some youngster’s slashed (ure AUC in brat; see AUC in C.).

C. J. Morse (SW10): This desk-ruler should help one cope with a difficult form! (cryptic def.).

E. G. Phillips (Bangor): A pest about the office; contrary, that’s what he is! (cf. rat c. bureau, & lit.).

E. J. Rackham (Totton): Petty tyrant, a brute and a cur rolled into one (anag.).

E. B. Stevens (Morden): “I like everything in its place,” as the autocrat said when he went to the desk after parking his car (bureau for auto in autocrat).

Miss D. W. Taylor (Worthing): He may pass many a long minute in the office on a case that never reaches finality! (bureau crat(e), & lit.).

W. Watts (Westcliff-on-Sea): Rub a curate the wrong way, but you won’t make him forget his orders (anag.).

G. R. Webb (Morden): After the office the unfinished case bound in red tape is his occupation (bureau crat(e), & lit.).

RUNNERS-UP

Miss B. M. Barge, J. M. Bennett, Mrs K. Bissett, C. O. Butcher, H. C. Copeman, Dr J. A. Crawford, N. C. Dexter, F. E. Dixon, T. N. Dowes, W. J. Duffin, R. Entwistle, D. Fairburn, J. A. Fincken, Mrs N. Fisher, A. B. Gardner, S. Goldie, R. J. Hall, Miss J. H. Harbron, D. E. G. Irvine, Capt G. Langham, P. W. W. Leach, A. D. Legge, A. F. Lerrigo, Miss P. E. M. Lewer, H. Lyon, J. D. H. Mackintosh, Mrs S. Macpherson, A. Maddocks, J. G. Milner, W. L. Miron, F. E. Newlove, T. C. Perks, R. Postill, A. Robins, W. Rodgers, R. E. Scraton, E. O. Seymour, W. K. M. Slimmings, A. F. R. Stoddart, T. Strange, J. B. Sweeting, P. H. Taylor, Mrs J. Thomas, J. Thompson, D. H. Tompsett, J. Ward, J. F. N. Wedge, E. A. Willcox, M. Woolf, F. W. Wyeth, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS:—251 entries, 236 correct: more difficult than usual, I think, though there were very few mistakes. Two problems arise which need thought! Quite a number of competitors pointed out that they did find DRESSAGE in their copies of C., but not PEELGARLIC: some wondered if there was a misprint in the footnote, though I think they might have realized that I would hardly have said that PEELGARLIC was “in familiar use”! The explanation is that those who found DRESSAGE were using the Revised Edition (1959), which is not described as “New Mid-century Version”: I have this, but I don’t use it officially yet, in the belief that only a minority of solvers possess it. So my footnotes about words not given still refer, as stated, to the N. M. V. As for PEELGARLIC, it is one of those tiresome words not given in its alphabetical place: it appears as a variant under “pilgarlick.” Hence the two problems:—Ought we to change over to the Revised Edition, as we previously did from the old edition to the N.M.V.? And ought I to tell you when a word appears out of its alphabetical place? Without having had time to think over them for long, I would say that the answer to the first might be “Yes, but only after due warning, of not less than, say, six months.” To the second my feeling is that it should be “No.” It isn’t really a necessary concession, because, though it is comforting to make sure the word is there, I always give a very definite secondary indication in such cases, and as long as you understand that, you really can feel sure that the word is there, even if you don’t find it. In any case, it is often to be found (though not this time) on the same page and doesn’t involve a very exhaustive search. And you can trust me never to include a rare word that isn’t in C. without both saying so and giving a very easy subsidiary indication. It is also worth noting that no one got a letter of PEELGARLIC wrong. So I think the concession not really necessary and perhaps a little infra dig. for Ximenes solvers! But I should welcome views, with your next entries, on these points, especially from our more experienced solvers.
 
The entry was very good, but you will find the H.C.s a little monotonous, because such a large number of competitors used the same obvious anagram: many used it well, and I hope I have picked the best for mention. I am glad to say there were fewer late entries this time, though still about twenty-five.