XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 856

RODOMONTADE

1.  J. W. Taylor: Ode on Mr. Toad could be this—particularly if he wrote it (anag. & lit.).

2.  A. J. Hughes: Mod, with a ton up, travelled around showing off. (anag. in rode; up = amiss).

3.  Mrs E. McFee: To add more on, fancifully, is to shoot a line (anag.).

V.H.C.

P. C. Barclay: More to do and extravagant bluster! (anag.).

C. O. Butcher: Series of words with self-evident theme and more to add on in variation (anag.; i.e. about oneself).

P. R. Clemow: It’s dead rot being wild about the confounded moon—just an extravagant romancing (anag. in anag.).

L. D. J. Gatt: It’s all bluster or too damned blasted extravagant (anag.).

S. Goldie: Ode on Mr. Toad might well turn out to be this! (anag. & lit.).

R. R. Greenfield: Doctor wants deodorant scattered around; there’s an offensive vapour (MO in anag.).

E. J. Griew: Play brag? It’s too extravagant, or, put another way, too damned complicated! (or (rev.) + anag.).

H. Hancock: It might appear to mean odd or extravagant speech (anag.).

Mrs B. Lewis: What does one Mr. Toad do? A lot of boasting (anag.; does = sets in order).

H. Lyon: Here’s a feverish to-do, and more bombastic spouting (anag.).

T. W. Melluish: Gas? A little more deodorant must be sprayed about. (mo (= more) in anag.).

H. B. Morton: Bully, ham or turkey-cock could provide this—not chicken, mince nor dodo meat (anag.).

F. E. Newlove: No ode Mr. Toad composed could reveal such immodesty (or could it?) (anag.).

D. A. Nicholls: More to-do and rampaging around—the sort of palaver we expect from Cassius! (anag.; ref. C. Clay).

L. T. Stokes: To hold forth like one who is over-confident or too damned unconstrained! (anag.).

J. Van de Linde: Do trade with Moon? Fantastic: boastful bluster, that’s what it is! (anag.).

J. F. N. Wedge: To give one self a boost stick a decoration on before some sort of date (rod OM on trade).

J. B. Widdowson: Speech of one who is boastful or too damned excitable! (anag.).

M. Woolf: A little instant deodorant sprinkled around forms a vapour (mo in anag.).

H.C.

Miss V. K. Abrahams, D. B. J. Ambler, C. Allen Baker, Lt Col R. L. Bell, T. E. Bell, R. Brain, R. S. Caffyn, A. N. Clark, P. M. Coombs, N. C. Dexter, L. A. Diehl, F. E. Dixon, L. E. Eyres, C. R. Feather, J. Fielding, Mrs N. Fisher, H. W. Flewett, J. Gill, M. Innes, Mrs L. Jarman, A. H. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, J. Hardie Keir, T. P. Kelly, R. E. Kimmons, L. F. Leason, A. F. Lerrigo, L. E. Lodge, C. J. Morse, Dr W. D. Oliver, R. F. Pardoe, G. Perry, Mrs N. Perry, C. Quin, E. J. Rackham, Dr C. D. Rigg, J. Riley, T. E. Sanders, E. O. Seymour, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, W. K. M. Slimmings, Mrs I. G. Smith, G. Snowden-Davies, J. G. Stubbs, H. S. Tribe, Rev J. W. Waddell, B. C. Westall.
 

ANNUAL HONOURS LiST FOR 13 COMPETITIONS:—1. C. J. Morse (4 prizes, 5 H.C.s). 2. Mrs. B. Lewis (3, 6). 3. Mrs. E. McFee (3, 2), R. Postill (1, 6). 5. C. AllenBaker, G. H. Willett (2, 3), A. Lawrie (0, 7). 8. S. Goldie (2, 2), F. E. Newlove (1, 4). 10. Mrs. L. Jarman (2, 1), A. J. Hughes (1, 3), C. O. Butcher, J. F. N. Wedge (0, 5).
 
Total different prizewinners to date:—408.
 
Total different prizewinners and/or V.H.C.s.:—1428.
 
COMMENTS:—About 290 entries, about 150 correct. About half the incorrect solvers failed over BEAVER, not knowing, or failing to think of, The Hunting of the Snark, which I had thought was familiar to most people. Most of the others wrote W.R.A.C. for Waac, and these set me a real problem: could I accept this alternative? Regretfully I in the end decided against it. My strongest reason was the wording of the clue “Tommy may have thought …” This surely refers to the past: the W.A.A.C. started in 1917 and has been superseded: the W.R.A.C. is a much more recent introduction and still exists, I believe. A secondary reason is that Waac is given as a word in C.: Wrac (though I believe it is used) isn’t. Thirdly, wrack, or rack, except in “rack and ruin”, is obsolete, and is much less likely to have occurred to Tommy’s mind than whack. Against all this, I do see that wrack (or rack) is perhaps more suggestive of smashing than whack is. But the other reasons, especially the first one, prevailed. I hope my reasoning will be found convincing by sufferers, with whom I sympathise. Alternatives to BEAVER, such as blazer and beaker, I found, I’m afraid, quite unacceptable.
 
A large number of solvers pointed out the red herring parrot for LORIOT. I quite agree with them but assure them that it was entirely unintentional. I know that red herrings arise of their own accord, and if I aim at anything (especially in a complicated puzzle) it is to avoid them rather than to include them.
 
Many thanks for appreciative remarks about the puzzle. The theme and variations seem to have been found more readily by a good many solvers than some in the past. One or two people mentioned other versions of John Peel’s hounds’ names: the one I used was the only one I have ever met, and I didn’t suspect there could be others: I hope this didn’t cause trouble.
 
Congratulations to Mr. Morse on recovering the championship, which he last held (jointly) in 1961-2, to the leading lady on running him so close, and to all the others mentioned. It is interesting to note how many different people have now appeared in the lists; though some of them, of course, no longer compete, it gives one some idea of the large number of solvers there are—a total I have always wished I had some means of estimating. What surprises me is the small number of entries for the two monthly “lottery” competitions: there are seldom more than 400 or so. Perhaps this will encourage more of you to have a try.