XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 878

ENTOMOSTRACA

1.  R. Postill: Not a rat comes off! Obviously some of them stick to sinking ships (anag.; off = out of condition; barnacles).

2.  Mrs E. M. Simmonds: Some of the lower classes subsisting in the main on cat’s meat or nuts (anag.).

3.  A. J. Barnard: Converted smart coat—one may cover a tramp’s bottom (anag.; tramp = ship).

V.H.C.

T. Anderson: One may see a thousand, near to coast, swimming (anag. incl. M, & lit.).

Rev C. M. Broun: In distress (not the end of the story, mind you) a son came to try acorn-shells and such (anag. less y; type of barnacle; ref. Prodigal Son).

C. O. Butcher: E.g. Cyclopes—a race not to be trifled with when the majority gets devoured (most in anag.).

J. Coleby: Shrimp would be too high and mighty to model this order “one smart coat” knitted (anag.; ref. model Jean Shrimpton).

J. Crowther (Madras): The majority of distinguished painters in the latter half of the Trecento (roughly) may be called Primitives in the main (most RA in (Trec)ento ca.).

N. C. Dexter: The Shrimp goes a degree higher—and at once a storm explodes! (anag.; ref. model Jean Shrimpton and mini-skirt).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson: Lower Form shrimps, perhaps, from Eton, untidy and nearly all worthless (anag. + most raca).

E. R. Evans: Barnacles, and other lowly creatures too can master swimming (anag.).

J. Gill: Barnacles, for instance, form mat on coaster at sea (anag.).

D. Hawson: Barnacles on ships’ bottoms? You ought to find a trace on most (anag.).

E. M. Hornby: No tam to races? Not at all “comme il faut”—almost in “The Shrimp” class (anag.; ref. model Jean Shrimpton at 1965 Melbourne Cup).

Mrs L. Jarman: With bursting corset and a fussy tam on, we’re beneath the Shrimp! (anag.; ref. model Jean Shrimpton).

Mrs B. Lewis: They have hard cases in the lowest form at Eton, so cram to get passes (anag.).

Mrs E. McFee: Near a thousand in spurious notes? Worthless! We may well be on the rocks (to (= near) M in anag. + raca).

T. W. Melluish: Shake to test macaroon: some may stick to the bottom of the vessel (anag.).

C. J. Morse: Inferior versions of the Shrimp—enough to break the heart of every Ascot matron! (anag. incl. (ev)e(ry); ref. model Jean Shrimpton at 1965 Melbourne Cup).

S. L. Paton: Petits crustacés en variété may be ordered on toast with cream (anag.).

Mrs N. Perry: Rock adherents perhaps can master twisting and shaking too (anag.).

G. H. Ravenor: Shell orders are supplied by ordnancemen to most R.A. cadets (hidden).

L. H. Stewart: Who has most on at race? Strangely enough, the “Shrimp’s” relatives (anag.; ref. model Jean Shrimpton at 1965 Melbourne Cup).

H.C.

D. B. J. Ambler, F. D. H. Atkinson, Mrs K. Bissett, J. C. Brash, J. H. Cleary, R. M. S. Cork, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. E. Crow, G. Cuthbert, L. J. Davenport, F. E. Dixon, P. S. Elliott, F. D. Gardiner, R. R. Greenfield, J. A. Grieveson, J. Harrington, L. W. Jenkinson, E. G. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, C. Koop, A. Lawrie, J. H. C. Leach, L. F. Leason, A. F. Lerrigo, Mrs J. Mackie, Mrs S. M. Macpherson, Dr T. J. R. Maguire, P. H. Morgan, M. Newman, N. O’Neill, W. H. Pegram, G. Perry, K. Perry, Rev E. G. Riley, J. Riley, E. O. Seymour, S. Sondheim, E. W. Steel, J. T. Stringer, J. W. Taylor, R. Urquhart, Mrs M. P. Webber, J. F. N. Wedge, W. D. Wigley, G. H. Wilde, G. H. Willett, Mrs H. D. Williams, R. A. A. Williams.
 

COMMENTS—About 400 entries, and among the 90 or so I picked out for possible mention I didn’t detect a single mistake in solution—an all-time record. As usual, a long word produced a preponderance of anagrams, and there were many appropriate ones. More competitors than usual attempted “hidden” clues: the one I liked best is quoted above. But many disregarded my principle that there must be no redundant words in the “hiding place”: this I regard as inartistic, and I think the extra difficulty it produces unjustified. There were too many “tea-rooms can’t provid” anagrams for any of them to get into the V.H.C.s.
 
May I repeat one bleat which I made some time ago? A lot of competitors still decline to comply with my request for entries to be written on a piece of normal-sized writing paper. Entries on small scraps, and those on quite needlessly large sheets, are a perfect nuisance to handle. It also helps if the sheet used is the normal way up, i.e. the long side north to south. Please be kind!
 
With reference to last month’s winner, a solver reassures me by pointing out that “Martinis” (= rifles) is used in Shaw’s The Philanderer: I am glad of this.
 
Enquiries:—(1) What is the average size of the entry for the “first three correct opened” competitions? The answer is, fewer than you might expect—between four and five hundred. I expected more when we started them. Perhaps solvers hold off because they imagine there will be so many. The competitions are meant to give a chance to those who find it difficult to get into the lists in the clue-writing competitions, but all are welcome to have a shot.
 
(2) May you know in advance the dates of clue-writing competition puzzles? Yes: you may rest assured that they will be on the first Sunday of each month, unless notice to the contrary is given well in advance. The extra Christmas competition will, as usual, be on the Sunday before Christmas, Dec. 19: there will be another competition on the regular date, Jan. 2.
 
(3) How is my book on crosswords getting on? I am at the moment grappling with the galley proofs: the publishers (Methuens) expect to produce the book some time in the spring—it is rather a slow business.