XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 682

PARAMOUR / CHIN

1.  Mrs E. McFee: Plain primitive word suitable for Lady Chatterley’s Lover … / … in which indecorum is a prominent feature (paramo ur & lit.; hidden).

2.  A. J. Young: Wench wants our pram, having a second—must be deranged! / One’s enough for most people, but many have more in later life—must be mental! (a, as second letter in anag.; cryptic def. i.e. double chin, mental²).

3.  R. Postill: Given three-quarters of an hour with a Rear-Admiral in the afternoon—I’m inclined to neck! … / … So am I! If you’ll supply me with a fellow—here’s to you! (a RA in pm + (h)our; chin-chin).

H.C.

F. D. H. Atkinson: Back the strike in the morning for us—this will disturb a union! / An effective place for a strike is in a rich industry (rap (rev.) + am our; hidden, ref. boxing).

Lt Col P. S. Baines: Fill up cups, let the musician enter, for kindness’ sake (lang syne)! / Don’t quite fill up cups, etc.—a teenager should not have it double! (ARAM in pour; chin(a) + a).

C. Allen Baker: He’s foolish to write letters—and certainly soft, putting one in the mail. / Such indiscretion may reveal an affair right under somebody’s nose! (p + a in armour² & lit.; hidden).

J. C. Brash: One would love throwing a beak into a stream. / The beak is usually on top of one—and with a very bitter bark! (a ram in pour (n.); cryptic def. i.e. beak = nose, chin + a = china²).

R. N. Chignell: Spooner might now be described as a tainted suitor … / … Punch invariably includes this sort of feature prominently (Spoonerism & lit.; hidden & lit.).

N. C. Dexter: Petting’s capital, with arms around one’s lover! … / … in which instance, this should be smooth (P + a in armour; hidden, i.e. clean shaven).

Sgt J. Dromey: One coming between a pair by intrigue. / I take a prominent part in machination (a in pr + amour & lit; hidden).

J. A. Fincken: I may produce uproar, entangled with Ma! / I may not escape a spell of punching (anag. & lit; hidden & lit., ref. boxing).

E. Gomersall: Making a mess of our pram with a spoon, maybe. / The young shaver finds it easy to scratch—this small child at home! (anag.; ch. + in).

F. G. Illingworth: Artist, married, goes in for French lover. / Child goes short at home—a common feature in such indiscretions (ARA m. in pour (Fr.); ch. + in and hidden).

Mrs L. Jarman: Giving our pram a new lining, love! / Keep it up: twins can be taken for a ta-ta (anag.; chin-chin = ta-ta; line = to put in line).

D. P. M. Michael: Stream into which one chucks a pun lover. / Under which without mental cruelty one chucks (a pun!) lover (a ram² in pour (n.); cryptic def.; chuck², mental²).

P. H. Morgan: Inamorato—a fleeced male taken in by gush./ Bit of jaw from arch inamorata! (a ram in pour (n.); hidden).

D. G. Putnam: Not entirely chaste to embrace a male animal needing love, is she? … / … A creature to be found in bed, honour sacrificed. To keep it up continuously is difficult! (a ram + O in pur(e) & lit.; chin(CH)).

R. E. Scraton: I show up well embracing a male. / I’m inclined to neck my feller endlessly (a ram in pour, & lit.; chin(a); china = mate, Cockney slang).

W. K. M. Slimmings: “The Potential Co-respondent” is a knockabout affair … / … in which infidelity is the object of many cracks! (rap (rev.) + amour; hidden, ref. boxing).

T. Strange: Illicit sweetheart could entail our having to get behind a pram … / … This is—for men—the hair-raising feature of wenching! (anag. + our; hidden; i.e. could, if altered).

Miss D. W. Taylor: In Menton for an affair, what a gent wants is me! / I’ve chaps right-and-left, in France—Menton! (gent)leman); (menton (Fr.) = chin; Menton in France; chap³).

K. I. Torrance: Rap our Ma rudely in the kisser— / Maybe a inch below the kisser (anag.; anag.; kisser = mouth).

J. F. N. Wedge: Chap meets me and necks./ Chaps meet me and neck (2 cryptic defs. & lit.; chin meets both chap³ and neck).

RUNNERS-UP

J. W. Bates, Rev C. M. Broun, C. O. Butcher, P. M. Coombs, G. Cuthbert, L. E. Eyres, Mrs N. Fisher, A. L. Freeman, F. D. Gardiner, A. B. Gardner, C. E. Gates, P. G. W. Glare, S. Goldie, S. B. Green, R. W. Jakeman, V. Jennings, L. Johnson, A. H. Jones, A. F. Lerrigo, G. C. Lewis, H. Lyon, J. D. H. Mackintosh, A. D. Mattock, R. J. McLeish, W. L. Miron, R. A. Mostyn, M. Newman, Miss M. J. Patrick, E. J. Rackham, G. H. Ravenor, A. M. Robertson, Mrs J. Robertson, L. J. Sears, Mrs I. G. Smith, M. C. Souster, Miss D. M. Thorne, D. H. Tompsett, A. D. Walker, Miss V. Webb, S. E. Wilson.
 

COMMENTS—282 entries, 266 correct. Very great ingenuity was shown in linking the two clues, and I wish I could give more prizes: I think several of the H.C.s are worthy of them. I have only one adverse comment to make about the unsuccessful clues: I have mentioned before that I dislike the “hiding-place” in a “hidden” clue to contain redundant words, and there were rather a lot of these, e.g. “in such infernal weather,” “in bewitching milkmaid’s arms.” My reason is that for a for a short, convenient word a “hidden” clue is by far the easiest sort to write. I think, therefore, that one should be ingenious enough to produce a clue which is neat and makes complete sense without words, put in for effect, which don’t contribute to the “hiding.” (I make exceptions, of course, of “the” and “a”).
 
Finally I must refer to TSOTSI in No. 681. To my amazement, several people tell me it isn’t in the supplements of their copies of the Revised Edition. It certainly is in mine, which is the 1960 impression: it must have been removed from the 1961 one. I can only guess that it was banished as an “offensive” word “for security reasons.” It is a remarkable piece of bad luck that this should happen with what is only the second word from the Supplement that I have used, and it seems highly unlikely that we shall have this trouble again.
 
P.S. Nineteen entries arrived too late for inclusion.