◀  No. 812 Clue list 6 Sep 1964 Slip image No. 821  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 817

WYLIE-COATS

1.  Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): Slips over Scottish briefs? The Law Society’s shattered! (anag.).

2.  Mrs B. Lewis (E Molesey): In these, will twa lie cosy? Will, that! (anag. & lit.: will3 = astray, Scot.).

3.  Miss M. J. Patrick (Lewes): Canny sounding layers of rails on Scottish sleepers (‘wily’ coats; rail5).

V.H.C.

A. J. Barnard (Portsmouth): What Jock and Jenny need to make twa lie cosy (anag. & lit.).

A. J. Bisset (Stonehaven): Turn up wi’ set o’ lacy nightwear at Gretna (anag.; turn up = disturb).

J. Brock (Montacute): Ye’ll find twa lie cosy in these. Och aye! (anag. & lit.).

J. Crowther (Carnforth): Wherefore play upon the pipes? (by ear). Such habits are basic to the Scots (i.e. why lick oats).

Mrs Dennison (Osterley): Cosily twae skeigh lassies smuggle into them (anag.; smuggle2).

J. Flood (Wembley): Law Society in trouble—slips up in Scotland (anag.).

R. R. Greenfield (Ickenham): The Law Society’s disturbed by things that gae on in robing-rooms (anag.).

K. J. Harding (Redhill): Both law and society are disturbed by lassie’s nocturnal habits (anag.).

A. J. Hughes (Sutton Coldfield): Nightdresses that make cosy twa lie in (anag. & lit.).

A. Lawrie (Cheltenham): Nae less than twa cosy shifts to pass the night in! (lie in anag., & lit.).

J. Leece (Leeds): Where Rabbie “wadna be surprised to spy,” say, two lice sprawling and sprattling (anag. & lit.; Burns, “To a Louse”).

C. J. Morse (SW10): Clever sounding Shakespearean quotes: one of them comes in the sleep-walking scene from “Macbeth” (i.e. wily coats; coat2).

R. A. Mostyn (SE18): Garments for Scotch lassies in bed; twa lie cosy, entwined (anag.).

L. Parris (SE22): Garments wild young lassies in Edinburgh cast off at the sun’s first signs (first letters & lit.).

R. Postill (Jersey): What young ladies in Edinburgh cast off as they sleep? Only the forward ones! (first letters & lit.).

F. B. Ramsey (Barnham): I scowl at ye stravaiging in yon nighties (anag.).

D. J. Short (SE10): Tae mak twa lie cosy, use these (anag. & lit.).

J. R. Whitelegg (Altrincham): They can mak twa cosy when about to sleep! (lie in anag., & lit.).

C. E. Williams (Purley): Brawly nocturnal habits of female cat—i.e. yowls horribly (anag.; brawly, Scots. adj. & adv.).

H.C.

D. B. J. Ambler, C. Allen Baker, S. Barnett, R. T. Baxter, Mrs A. L. Boorman, J. C. Brash, C. O. Butcher, A. R. Chandler, R. N. Chignell, A. N. Clark, G. H. Clarke, J. Coleby, A. E. Crow (Bushey Heath), N. C. Dexter, F. E. Dixon, I. D. Doak, J. E. Dorrington, J. Fielding, Mrs N. Fisher, S. Goldie, E. Gomersall, C. H. Hudson, F. G. Illingworth, L. W. Jenkinson, W. Langstaff, L. E. Lodge, Mrs W. J. Mahood, A. A. Malcolm, Mrs E. McFee, T. W. Melluish, F. E. Newlove, D. A. Nicholls, M. O’Hanlon, W. H. Pegram, Mrs N. Perry, D. R. Pownall, A. R. Read, Mrs R. M. Sefton, J. A. Sever, N. E. Sharp, W. K. M. Slimmings, T. L. Strange, P. H. Taylor, W. H. Thornton, H. S. Tribe, G. R. Webb, S. A. Wetherfield, Dr R. L. Wynne.
 

COMMENTS:—About 330 entries and about 30 mistakes: some were due to inaccurate coding, the only other error at all common being “fines” for LINES: I can’t make one half of the clue fit it. Several competitors described the puzzle as easier than previous Playfairs: for the real experts I seem to have made it a bit too easy by giving a few more parallel pairs than usual for use as evidence. But this made it possible for some who had always failed before to succeed this time, which is all to the good. Perhaps I ought to be a little less generous when the next one comes round in about a year’s time.
 
Congratulations to the ladies on sweeping the board for (I think) the first time! I don’t think many will disagree that theirs are the best three clues. There was a certain, perhaps inevitable, sameness about the anagrams: this made wording all-important. A surprising number of competitors ruled themselves out by writing clues to a singular word: I don’t remember this happening before, but perhaps I haven’t set many plurals. I also excluded altogether clues which gave no hint of Scotticism: this seemed only fair to those who took the trouble to work it in, as I think it should be and hope it always is by me.
 
I am always particularly glad when a long lost name returns to the lists: Mr. Harding won a 1st prize in 1946, got an H. C. about two years later, and has not, I think, appeared since. I hope for more instances of this.
 

 
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