XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 920

ARISTATE (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  Miss E. J. Campbell: A p/ris une pomme-de-terre?

2.  Dr T. J. R. Maguire: And says our Di/ves, “O to be dashed—ashes—off the Fire!” (Pepys).

3.  Brig R. F. E. Stoney: First driver off err/s. Ill wind is playing some tricks, I know.

V.H.C.

C. Allen Baker: How bad is the di/g? O ‘tis mire, peated to excess (egotism).

G. E. Baker: An expression I can’t bear—to he/ll! The children, they mustn’t use it!

T. E. Bell: How many have echoed the well-known Di/ves: “O to be dandled the way aloft!” (Pepys).

R. Brain: I, Ma’am, abe/d, grow stubby without exercise.

R. S. Caffyn: If you want some scandal, give an Intimate di/nner.

P. M. Coombs: Age/d? Was reverse! Was forward: hence her mishap.

J. Crowther: Having pressed my suit, I am to we/d; all I need is a carnation.

N. C. Dexter: Baby-talk I hate. To he/ll, children! That, thank you, sounds better.

B. L. H. Ford: What incensed the red persecutor so? Fat s/kater in burgher splendour (Ekaterinburg).

S. Holgate: At Ampleforth you may not always find a m/aster because he may be on holiday (Marist).

B. J. Iliffe: If reminiscences of royalty don’t earn a di/nner or two, the people can’t have heard.

K. R. Jenkins: Being in the re/d, the pace is too hot for me.

A. H. Jones: Who would take a nap i/n gallon jar of honey? Pooh? (apiarist).

A. D. Legge: The westerner, who hides little, might well think the oriental s/ly.

J. L. Mackie: The Prime Minister arrived, wearing slippers and s/ly-looking as ever (ref. Indira Gandhi).

R. P. C. Mutter: Quite the worst adaptation of Le/s Miserables—how I deplore its happy ending! (ref. Nahum Tate’s ‘The History of King Lear’, 1681).

S. L. Paton: Car din’s not for me, I’ll stick to as/s—thee astern, lady! (Pierre Cardin).

H. Rutley: After finishing well in the re/d I can trace a gain.

Mrs E. M. Simmonds: Pay that to Pi/nner for the bird. She’s nipped into my box (box hedge).

J. B. Sweeting: Whatever’s that? Noisy guit/ar—drums—“pop” everywhere!

F. T. Walton: In the be/d you’ve a very competent performer, if it’s hugging you want.

W. Watts: We read i/t on the wall: “Game might deserve an entry” (Eton Wall Game).

H.C.

Dr R. E. Adam, A. Barkas, A. J. Barnard, J. W. Bates, P. F. Bauchop, Mrs K. Bissett, J. C. Brash, C. O. Butcher, H. B. Cannon, D. P. Chappell, Mrs A. S. Clark, D. L. L. Clarke, P. T. Clarke, J. H. Cleary, A. S. Cook, R. M. S. Cork, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. J. Crow, J. McI. Cruickshank, A. E. Danher, E. Davies, Miss M. O. Davis, L. A. Diehl, F. E. Dixon, W. G. Dodds, R. G. P. Edwards, E. R. Evans, A. S. Everest, J. H. Eyre, G. E. Fallows, J. Fielding, J. Flood, Mrs E. Franklin, B. Freedman, F. D. Gardiner, L. H. Garrett, C. C. M. Giffin, I. C. Gilchrist, P. G. W. Glare, S. Goldie, E. Gomersall, Rev R. M. Grace, R. R. Greenfield, F. H. W. Hawes, D. Hawson, Mrs M. Henderson, E. M. Hornby, Sqn Ldr S. J. Howard, F. G. Illingworth, L. Johnson, G. Johnstone, Sir S. Kaye, R. E. Kimmons, C. D. Kopkin, M. A. Lassman, G. G. Lawrance, A. Lawrie, J. H. C. Leach, Mrs B. Lewis, Mrs A. Lockett, J. D. H. Mackintosh, Mrs S. M. Macpherson, G. R. Mason, A. J. McCombe, Mrs E. McFee, D. McLaren, Mrs K. D. M. Meadley, T. W. Melluish, Miss M. M. Moore, P. H. Morgan, C. J. Morse, F. E. Newlove, C. S. F. Oliver, N. O’Neill, Miss M. J. Patrick, L. S. Pearce, W. H. Pegram, H. C. S. Perry, Mrs N. Perry, B. A. Pike, R. Postill, E. J. Rackham, A. Redstone, D. W. Reeds, W. G. Roberts, W. Rodgers, T. E. Sanders, R. Scaife, E. O. Seymour, Mrs E. Shackleton, W. Steinberg, J. T. Stringer, F. B. Stubbs, P. G. Taylor, D. G. Thomas, Mrs J. Thomas, I. Torbe, J. Walters, E. F. Watling, M. H. E. Watson, G. R. Webb, Mrs V. Webb, T. G. Wellman, S. A. Wetherfield, G. Williams, M. Woolf.
 

COMMENTS:—A very big and very good entry—about 650, with very few mistakes. The clue to INTENTS puzzled some people; undevilled it would read “From Spain tent, swell red wine, can be obtained.” (Tent is in C.) I’m not very proud of it, though. I was delighted that the recent Atlantic achievement made the model clue so topical. In case you don’t know, this was a first prize winner some years ago, by Miss D. W. Taylor.
 
I had a terrible job choosing the clues for mention—there were so many good ones. In the case of very popular devices, e.g. especially “sly” and “dinner,” I simply had to choose the few I liked best to leave room for other devices. The winner is, perhaps, not as exciting as some, but its neat simplicity was irresistible to me.
 
In spite of my repeated statement that the idea is not to make clues difficult by preferring the sense of the devilled version to that of the undevilled, many competitors still err in this way. A few instances are:—“I fe/d the lion in his den.” “I was left there, strande/d.” “Have done with trouble and strife! Abolish w/omen!” The first can hardly be called sense at all; the other two are, at best, most unnatural. All clues of this sort are, I think, unfair.
 
By request, I have this time not marked the gaps in the quoted clues, to give you the fun of working them out: I hope this will please.
 
Many thanks for appreciative comments. P.D. is still very popular, and perhaps I may make this type a bit more frequent; but I don’t want to overdo it so that it palis. Many thanks, also, for further kindly comments on the book. No room for more after those long lists.