XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 678

TESSELLATED

1.  Miss D. W. Taylor (Worthing): One needs to fix up one’s offspring when about so high, growing up—so the little things are diapered! (set (rev.) + tall (rev.) in seed; so high = very high; see diaper in C.).

2.  M. Newman (Hove): Put through inquisition that’s about to flog one, Ximenes style! (sell a in tested: i.e. like crossword diagram).

3.  P. G. W. Glare (Oxford): Chambers (old) had such pictorial decorations: revised edition (last) deletes (anag. [see comments]).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): Being sedate tells when doing the Twist, showing up squares! (anag.).

J. K. Anderson (Edinburgh): Designed by pavement artists—Slade set let loose (anag.; ref. S. School of Fine Art).

F. D. H. Atkinson (Claygate): With the last of Israel intact, the sea settled after its upheaval in accordance with Mosaic design (anag. incl. (Israe)l; ref. Exodus 14:27; Mosaic = of Moses).

C. O. Butcher (E4): ’Eck, one detests jiving around with squares! (’ell a in anag.).

K. Gibson (Hucknall): Like a crossword all detest—very complicated round the bottom right-hand corner! (SE in anag.).

S. Goldie (Enfield): What’s the floor like at the Alhambra? Get a dance team up, let’s lead with the Twist, and see! (set (rev.) + anag.; A. dance-hall and Moorish palace).

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): I take Latin, sed tela est—(i.e., floored by the pretty complicated bits) (anag. incl. L; take = bewitch [see comments]).

Miss J. S. Lumsden (Grantham): Tried bestriding Roman seat with typically Roman bottom (sella (Lat.) in tested).

Mrs E. McFee (Rhos-on-Sea): Diced the last of the beetroot and cut up salted eels ((beetroo)t + anag.).

C. J. Morse (SW10): Checked when about to deceive one, boy pursues girl after girl—and is still checked! (sell a in tested, Tess Ella Ted).

R. Postill (Jersey): Sitting around long long after the dancers get up; hence marked as squares! (set (rev.) + l. l. in seated).

A. Robins (Manchester): The eldest shall mingle with the least, in accordance with Mosaic law (anag.; Mosaic = according to Moses).

R. A. Russell (St Albans): Hardy girl, properly got up with extra tail-piece of wool, prepared for draughts (Tess + (woo)l in elated; T. of the d’Urbervilles; draughtsboard).

H. S. Tribe (Sutton): Jumble sale settled—with bits and pieces designed to attract (anag.; jumble (vb. imper.)).

RUNNERS-UP

Lt Col P. S. Baines, J. W. Bates, E. A. Beaulah, Capt A. S. Birt, Mrs J. Chalkley, V. A. R. Cooper, A. E. Crow (Brentwood), N. C. Dexter, J. A. Fincken, Mrs N. Fisher, F. D. Gardiner, C. E. Gates, E. Gomersall, C. P. Grant, S. B. Green, Maj C. W. Hoad, A. J. Hughes, V. Jennings, L. Johnson, A. H. Jones, A. F. Lerrigo, G. A. Linsley, J. D. H. Mackintosh, T. W. Melluish, E. J. Miller, P. H. Morgan, Miss M. J. Patrick, L. S. Pearce, D. G. Putnam, E. J. Rackham, Rev E. G. Riley, A. M. Robertson, R. E. Scraton, W. K. M. Slimmings, J. E. Smith Wright, E. B. Stevens, J. B. Sweeting, J. F. N. Wedge.
 

COMMENTS:—248 entries, 232 correct—no great disaster this time, but the puzzle must have been quite difficult, for the entry was small. Perhaps people fought shy of the posts: actually I don’t think there can have been many entries held up: I waited till Monday, and only a dozen arrived then.
 
I thought we would christen the Revised Edition with one strange word from the Supplement and one correction of a misprint in the Mid-century Edition (copacetic and tessellated). As promised, I shall use such novelties sparingly, not every time and seldom more than one in a puzzle.
 
There were some good clues sent, but I didn’t consider the entry an outstanding one. The idea that was overdone—there is usually one—was “T. Steele, lads and squares”: no one used it brilliantly enough to be preferred to the rest. Mr. Glare’s very ingenious clue only just passed muster for soundness, but it did pass—one can, I think, read the last part as “revised edition (of it being) last deletes.” Mrs Jarman came near to a prize, but her indication of the anagram—take = bewitch?—is just a bit far-fetched. (She wrote no note: I hope I understood her correctly). I have tried to read it as an “& lit.” clue with the bracketed part indicating the anagram, but I can’t quite make it work. Taken simply, it is well worth an H.C. There were many unsound definitions, not leading to the right part of speech, e.g. “They are proper little squares,” “Has designs on,” “Old-time floor show.” This kind is always eliminated without a second glance, along with the obscure indirect anagrams, of which there were very few indeed this time.
 
P.S.—In the typed note appended to the last slip, for “Take a Number” read “Take a Letter.” The clues are of necessity not severely Ximenean, but you might find it diverting to watch— (ITV, on Wednesdays).