XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 843

PRISTINE

1.  L. E. Eyres (York): “Enspirit” is wrongly spelt: that’s archaic (anag.; ref. OED, latest example 1658).

2.  D. Jessel (Oxford): Turbulent priest in A.D. 1170 qualifies as such (anag.; ref. Thomas Becket).

3.  R. Stoddart (Storrington): In prime condition—isn’t ripe for redevelopment (anag.).

V.H.C.

Mrs K. Bissett (St. Helier): Strip off! It’s not coarse to be topless—just primitive! (anag. + (f)ine).

Rev C. M. Broun (Glasgow): From earliest years, priest is a spike (Pr is tine).

R. N. Chignell (Cheam): The old punishment is about right on diminutive first former (R 1st in pine).

J. Coleby (Buckley): The duet from the beginning of Rigoletto in a transcription for spinet (virginal) (Ri in anag.; virginal^1,2).

J. Crowther (Madras): Prime Minister ruffled, losing head after first sign of panic (p + anag. less M).

F. E. Dixon (Dublin): Isn’t ripe for development: quite unspoiled (anag.).

F. H. W. Hawes (Dagenham): Though the reverse of modern, isn’t ripe for replanning (anag.).

E. M. Hornby (SW3): Of the past is Profumo’s Christine liaison, for so much somehow has gone by (anag. less anag. of for so much; ref. John P., C. Keeler).

A. Lawrie (Cheltenham): Prime Minister in favour? ’E’s out of it but makes a comeback in the end! (pri(e)st + in + e).

W. Ledger (Ashford): Belonging to the earliest time it ripens when fully developed (anag.).

Mrs B. Lewis (E. Molesey): Like the first man appearing in topless pin-stripe—confused (anag. less p).

C. J. Morse (SW10): Sanctimonious talk’s what used to vex people about Farrar’s sixth former (r in pi’s + tine; ref. Frederic F., ‘Eric, or Little by Little’).

W. H. Pegram (Enfield): I’m original: I strip after teasing, not before (anag. + ne (obs.)).

Mrs E. M. Simmonds (Cookham Dean): Prime Minister loses head and explodes under instruction to perform quietly (p + anag. less M).

B. J. Wain (Stonehouse): As it was in the beginning isn’t ripe for reorganisation (anag.).

H.C.

H. M. Barclay, S. Barnett, R. T. Baxter, T. E. Bell, Maj A. S. Birt, C. I. Bullock, P. R. Clemow, M. Dennison, N. C. Dexter, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, J. A. Fincken, Mrs N. Fisher, M. S. Y. Fowler, A. L. Freeman, J. Fryde, Dr R. E. Gillson, G. P. Goddard, P. R. L. Heath, Mrs M. I. M. Hunter, F. P. N. Lake, J. H. C. Leach, L. F. Leason, A. F. Lerrigo, Mrs E. McFee, W. L. Miron, P. H. Morgan, V. R. S. Mott, F. E. Newlove, R. O’Donoghue, R. F. Pardoe, Miss M. J. Patrick, Mrs N. Perry, R. Postill, D. R. Pownall, Rev E. G. Riley, H. Rutley, W. K. M. Slimmings, L. H. Stewart, J. W. Taylor, P. Wallace, J. R. Whitelegg, P. Wilding, A. J. Wilson.
 

COMMENTS:—A rather small entry—about 280—and a fair number of mistakes, chiefly “scoff” for SCAFF: both parts of the clue point to the latter, not to the former. Several people were puzzled by the reference to Uncle Gaily, the Earl of Emsworth’s highly entertaining brother in the Blandings Castle books of Wodehouse. I have at various times made references to Wodehouse before, but this is, I think, the first time such a reference has produced queries: perhaps previous ones have been more obvious. At least the dictionary definition was there as well, to prevent mistakes. I can’t quite follow a query about the clue to SELE, suggesting that it should lead to “sed”. That is exactly what I was careful to avoid! I wrote “Blind—heel over, by the sound of it: good luck”. Only “sed” (2) in C. can also be spelt “sele”: I therefore wrote “by the sound of it” after the definitions of “seel” (1) and “seel” (3): I don’t see what indication could be clearer. Seel or sele can mean good luck.
 
The entry had some very good features but as a whole was just a little dull: I got very tired of Pinter being original. I slightly preferred the wording of the third prize clue to those of others like it: the “re-” just turned the scale for it against Mr. Dixon’s clue, which was otherwise of equal merit: in Mr. Hawes’ clue I don’t quite like the syntax, though the objection is small. I was glad to find less unsoundness than usual in indicating that an adjective was required; but there were some offenders, such as “I came first”, which can indicate nothing but a noun. A few unsound indications of anagrams still come, e.g. “… perhaps it isn’t ripe yet!” This doesn’t come near to saying what it means. But more clues were passed over for being uninteresting than for being unsound.
 
The first prize clue is, I think, very neat. The absence of “enspirit” from C. is, of course, no objection: as an indication of an anagram it could cause no difficulty. The use of such a word in a clue is quite different from its use in the diagram.