XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 847

FRENETICAL

1.  J. B. Sweeting: Left are in, and the end of Alec. That’s crazy! Stark staring bonkers! (anag. incl. c; ref. A. Douglas-Home, PM defeated by Labour in 1964 Gen. Election).

2.  S. Goldie: Descriptive of a cup-tie nowadays: the referee’s worried over what will make it clean (anag. of ref + anag.).

3.  Mrs L. Jarman: Mafficking? Can’t “Relief” get out of hand! (anag.; ref. relief of Mafeking, 1900, see ety. of maffick in C.).

V.H.C.

D. B. J. Ambler: Did such a malady infect Lear? Disturbingly so (anag. & lit.).

E. A. Beaulah: Describing Phédre’s condition left Racine greatly moved (anag.;. ref. Racine play).

C. O. Butcher: Modern wood compound got from small North California tree (anag. incl. N Calif; wood, (obs.) = mad).

A. N. Clark: Fine car let out of control round the bend (anag.).

R. Englefield: Clean and refit loose nuts (anag.).

J. Flood: Keep it clean, ref., and you won’t get this kind of behaviour! (anti-anag.).

D. Hawson: Like a hatter reshaping a nicer felt (anag.; mad hatter).

F. G. Illingworth: Description of kind of passion that does infect Lear (anag.; do = set in order).

A. Lawrie: In really high life, nectar is drunk (anag.; high = violent, tempestuous).

J. H. C. Leach: Like the Hatter, I can feel right confused about what starts the timepiece! (t in anag. incl. r; ref. ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Mad H. dipped watch in tea).

W. Ledger: Deranged: left in care after corrective treatment (anag.).

A. D. Legge: What sort of fancies plague the mind—infect Lear’s delirium? (anag.).

Mrs B. Lewis: Brought up in holier surroundings, X is not above a bit of fun rambling (ten in lacier + f (all rev.)).

T. W. Melluish: Badly left in race round the bend (anag.).

D. P. M. Michael: Fine claret drunk direct from the bin (anag.; loony-bin).

C. J. Morse: Reinflate with the crisis only just beginning—that’s crazy, absolutely crazy! (anag. incl. c; ref. Labour economic policy).

Rev E. G. Riley: Drunken Celt in fear of delirium (anag.).

Mrs K. M. Russell: Drunk nectar and life is delirious! (anag.).

T. E. Sanders: Wood—now rare—hewn from Northern California tree (anag. incl. N Calif; wood, (obs.) = mad).

J. R. Scarr: Bugs vex an’ lice fret (anag.; bugs = mad [see comment in Slip no. 851]).

L. H. Stewart: Nutty blend of fine claret (anag.).

H. S. Tribe: I felt crane wobbling—nuts needed (anag.).

H.C.

R. B. Adcock, F. D. H. Atkinson, C. Allen Baker, J. W. Bates, Mrs K. Bissett, K. Blewett, H. Brown, C. I. Bullock, H. E. Cannings, J. Crowther (India), N. C. Dexter, A. S. Everest, M. B. Fisher, Mrs N. Fisher, H. W. Flewett, J. Fryde, P. D. Gaffey, Dr R. E. Gillson, A. J. Hughes, J. G. Hurst, A. H. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, Mrs D. M. Kissen, F. P. N. Lake, P. J. Lawless, P. W. W. Leach, L. F. Leason, Mrs R. D. Lemon, H. Lyon, J. D. H. Mackintosh, W. M. MacTaggart, H. S. Mason, Mrs E. McFee, A. McIntyre, G. D. Meddings, R. A. Mostyn, F. E. Newlove, S. L. Paton, W. H. Pegram, B. A. Pike, R. Postill, E. R. Prentice, E. J. Rackham, Charlotte Lady Reay, W. Rodgers, H. Rutley, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, W. K. M. Slimmings, G. Snowden-Davies, F. B. Stubbs, D. C. Thomas, C. T. Tulloch, B. J. Wain, P. Wallace, J. D. Walsh, Rev D. J. C. Weber, J. F. N. Wedge, B. C. Westall, J. R. Whitelegg, C. E. Williams, D. Wilson, M. Woolf.
 

COMMENTS:—About 380 entries, not many mistakes, and a much more entertaining lot of clues than last time. Anagrams predominated, as usual when the word is a long one. One very neat idea, the shaking of fine claret, was used by so many people that they had to be edged out: I have chosen for V. H. C.s above the two uses of it which I liked best. The “adjective trouble” still persists, and not only among comparative newcomers: for the sake of both those with and those without much experience, I will repeat that one must indicate in a clue the part of speech that is required. Something like “he must be off his head” is completely unsound. Other forms of unsoundness were rare, and the general standard is shown by the fact that the lists above are the longest for some time.