XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 88

BRISTOL

1.  E. S. Ainley (S. Harrow): Here Lot’s misguided wife turned round to see (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); episcopal see).

2.  Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): British Liberal Reform Riots centre (anag. in B, L, & lit.; ref. 1831 Reform riots).

3.  Mrs J. E. Thornton (York): Lighters get busy when the packets from this western port arrive (cryptic def.; home of Wills Tobacco).

H.C.

M. A. Anderson (Bletchley): Milk Board fashion cream here (B. Milk and Cream sherries; B. board; B. fashion).

C. K. Foster (Pudsey): The G.W. line is a back-number (it’s been nationalised); you’ll arrive here sooner by ’plane (BR is + lot (rev.); British Railways est. in 1948, replacing Great Western to B.; B. Fighter aircraft).

S. V. Gibson (Wembley): Mix a high ball and stir in nautical fashion (anag. of lob, stir; B. fashion).

W. E. Green (N10): Port? Certainly! Bot. 20s., sir. Wrapped up (anag. of Bot L sir; 20s. = £1).

S. B. Green (NW10): Lot’s backwards-looking wife in the lead, but not in the local fashion (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); B. fashion).

P. A. Harrow (N12): Lot’s wife turned round. Kind of bored? Sounds: like it (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); B. board (‘bored’)).

H. C. Hills (W. Drayton): The city to which Lot’s erring wife looked back? (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.)).

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): Browning and the Queen tucked in, and left very little old port (L in anag. of Bisto + R; Bisto gravy).

V. R. Lowe (SE23): “Orbis non sufficit,” said Cabot, but, having enlisted the services of a small officer, he found his starting point (anag. of orbis, Lt; ref. John C., sailed from B.; ‘the world is not enough’ (L.)).

R. C. Macfarlane (Edinburgh): Name of Channel Port where they scheme to get one across in the air (cryptic def.; solution at 1ac = Blenheim, bomber built in B.; B. Channel).

A. R. McInroy (Edinburgh): Looking back at this city caused Lot’s wife to be transformed, according to Genesis (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); Gen. 19:26).

E. L. Mellersh (Enfield): O sweet Will’s home on Avon!—misplaced apostrophe! (cryptic def.; home of Wills Tobacco; river of B., cf. Stratford-upon-Avon).

D. G. C. Mockridge (NW3): Brixton’s not a long distance call—use the dialling system in town (BRI’s TOL; dialling code for Brixton, TOL dialling system).

P. H. Rowley (Birmingham): Boat-shaped fashion in bridal head-gear, with lots up at the back (bri(dal) + lots (rev.); B. fashion).

T. E. Sanders (Walsall): Where salt could be seen turning back into Lot’s wife perhaps (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); Gen. 19:26; salt = sailor).

D. W. Snow (Oxford): Broken bones come from not keeping to the left in town (anag. of ribs + to L).

R. G. Tate (Gateshead): Lot’s looking back after changed wife sets salt fashion (anag. of rib + Lot’s (rev.); Gen. 19:26; salt = sailor; B. fashion).

Miss D. W. Taylor (Sidcup): When this fine old port graces the board it is likely to be much drawn on (cryptic def.; B. board).

L. W. Titman (Peterborough): Port on British Railways is three-quarters tax! (BR is tol(l)).

Comments.—475 correct and a good many errors in a large entry. PUREST (ures in P.T.) was the chief trouble: surest is inadmissible. A few will be kicking themselves for misspelling GAUDY! Influence of dowdy?
 
Apart from sherry—I wish I had a bottle of B. Milk and/or Cream for every time it was mentioned!—Lot’s wife was the most popular theme and it was a fruitful one: I hope I have chosen the best of them. The word “back,” which appeared pretty often, is strictly speaking appropriate only to “across” words; but I thought it would be harsh to insist on this. Mr. Peel’s is a neat clue of the “portmanteau” type, definition and subsidiary help being given by the same words.
 
A few solvers questioned. my geography. I had never heard of Parys, but the Atlas volume of Everyman’s Encyclopaedia kindly provided me with it, and that work is my authority for putting it in Transvaal. As for glacé, I refuse to be bullied over my French genders! I was using it as an English adjective, and that’s that!
 
Some runners-up:—E. J. Bell, Mrs Bray, R. G. Collins, E. E. Evans, L. E. Eyres, Mrs Fisher, T. C. Fitzpatrick, E. H. Freedman, C. E. Gates, I. C. Gilchrist, N. Gilroy, R. McD. Graham, Col Grove, W. F. Hayden, L. Johnson, J. Hardie Keir, Mrs Lamb, K. F. Lawton, E. Leverett, C. R. Malcolm, C. C. McInroy, T. W. Melluish, Mrs Porter, H. Rainger, A. J. C. Saunders, J. B. Saunders, W. K. M. Slimmings, S. Sweet, P. W. Thacker, J. Thompson, B. Timmins, E. Ward, F. K. Wilson, L. C. Wright, J. S. Young.