XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 782

SWELL

1.  J. Flood (Wembley): Belly? Take Swedish drill, less food and half the drinks! (Swe(dish dri)ll).

2.  A. J. Bisset (Stonehaven): You want to enlarge the figure? You’ll find macaroni really excellent (3 mngs.).

3.  G. P. Goddard (SE21): To behave like a blister is typical of a member of the Drones’ Club (2 mngs.; ref. P. G. Wodehouse).

V.H.C.

R. B. Adcock (SE12): Macaroni cheese is a bit off too! ((a)s well; cheese²; bit = bitten).

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): Pre-fab.—mushroom growth that may not come down in a hurry! (2 mngs.; fab., slang: mushroom, vb.).

C. R. Bagley (W. Hartlepool): A disappointment about the West is jolly good for the Yanks (W in sell).

Col P. S. Baines (Rochester): A nut to crack in the days of the real X! (crack = boast, obs.).

Rev C. M. Broun (Cambuslang): U.S. capital—only capital you need to increase trade outside! U.S. capital—that’s how to get inflation! (W(ashington) in sell, etc.).

F. D. Gardiner (Halifax): Well up in Society clearly! (S well).

E. Gomersall (Fulford): Sulphur spring—a means of increasing the tone of any organ (S well).

A. Lawrie (Cheltenham): Panjandarum may be also written without the “A” ((a)s well).

L. F. Leason (Liverpool): A buck rise is fine for Yanks (3 mngs.).

H. Lyon (Stroud): Edith can dispense with allure and yet be real dandy! (S(it)well).

J. D. H. Mackintosh (W. Wickham): Some crook has eaten the last of the stew. Feel like a bloater? (w in sell; crook= trick).

R. A. Peacock (Dunfermline): Shortly after the beginning of spring we shall stop for an increase (s + we’ll; organ stop).

Mrs N. Perry (Eastbourne): Model’s head upside down in trick enlargement (w in sell; M upside down = W).

R. Postill (Jersey): If you want to get fat, macaroni’s not bad (’s well, 2 defs.).

F. B. Stubbs (Crook): If you’re sea-sick, you won’t want this macaroni! (2 mngs.).

B. Tunks (E4): Mr. Jingle—perhaps—well up—society—very (S + well; Pickwick style).

G. M. Young (Glasgow): Increase? One such might be given to proof-readers as well (i.e. (a)s well).

H.C.

G. H. Dickson, Mrs E. J. Holmes, L. Johnson, Mrs E. McFee, E. L. Mellersh, D. P. M. Michael, C. J. Morse, D. A. Nicholls, N. O’Neill, T. E. Sanders, J. B. Sweeting, P. H. Taylor, D. H. Tompsett, P. J. Woods

RUNNERS-UP

J. Alderson, G. T. Allen, F. D. H. Atkinson, G. F. Bamford, A. J. Barnard, Mrs F. Begg, H. Bernard, E. J. Brooks, A. H. P. Cardew, Mrs J. Chalkley, Lt Col E. S. Charles, R. H. R. Church, P. M. Coombs, I. Cousins, J. Crowther, L. L. Dixon, P. A. Drillien, L. E. Eyres, J. A. Fincken, S. Goldie, H. C. Hills, F. G. Illingworth, P. W. W. Leach, Dr & Mrs J. P. Lester, Mrs B. Lewis, J. G. Milner, J. J. Moore, P. H. Morgan, R. H. N. Osmond, R. F. Pardoe, L. Parris, Miss M. J. Patrick, Mrs J. Robertson, D. D. R. Sibbald, L. T. Stokes, T. L. Strange, L. de V. Sunderland, H. S. Tribe, Mrs P. G. A. Walker, J. D. Walsh, B. C. Westall, Mrs M. Wishart, Mrs A. J. N. Wood.
 

COMMENTS:—About 450 entries with few mistakes. There was a general rise in the standard of the clues sent in, in spite of a not too easy word; but I don’t think the standard reached that of November. However, I have reverted to V.H.C.s, with a few H.C.s distinguished from the Runners-up. It should he understood that however the categories are described, only those whose clues are printed gain a point towards the annual championship. As to this, I have been asked for a half-time score. It’s a bit after half-time—8 competitions finished and 5 to go; but here it is (E. & OE.):—P. M. Coombs and J. Flood (2 prizes, 2 H.C.s) share the lead with A. Lawrie and D. P. M. Michael 1-4. F. B. Stubbs alone is next with 1-3. Then come seven with 1-2:—C. Allen Baker, N. C. Dexter, L. A. J. Duthie, S. Goldie, D. A. Nicholls, R. Postill, Mrs. E. M. Simmonds, along with E. Gomersall, Mrs. E. McFee, C. J. Morse, Mrs. N. Perry with 0-4. So the race is still very open.
 
There were many new competitors, I’m glad to say, both this time and last time, and I have had a request for a summary of my order of virtues in clues. Soundness, including a definition leading without doubt to the required part of speech must come first: nothing can really atone for its absence. Soundness includes sound syntax, e.g. “I can be” or “I may be” but not “I am” when “I” is the letter I: “me” does not equal the letter “I”. Whereas “I am” is all right if “I” is the whole word personified. “Back” or its equivalent means “reversed” in an across word only, “up” or its equivalent in a down word only. (This is perhaps the commonest source of unsoundness in clues, in spite of many warnings). After soundness comes amusement value—a kick when the penny drops. Soundness alone is never enough to get far—the general standard is too high. Brevity is a definite merit: a good short one will usually beat a good long one, and clues running to 20 words or more can hardly be justified. In “hidden” clues the hiding-place should contain no redundant words (“a” and “the” are excepted). Indirect anagrams are ruled out as flagrantly unfair, unless the definition makes the word indicated as an anagram leap to the eye: no research should be needed here. Those are the main points: it is impossible to cover all the refinements in this restricted space.
 
I’m sorry the Christmas results are so late in appearing—not, I assure you, my doing.