◀  No. 93 Clue list 16 Jan 1949 Slip image No. 95  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 94

SARDELLE

1.  G. G. Lawrance (Harrow): French Chamber divided—over a confounded red herring by the look of it! (anag. in salle (Fr.)).

2.  T. W. Melluish (SE24): French Chamber split by diversion of red herring (anag. in salle (Fr.)).

3.  A. Robins (Manchester): In Hansard Ellen Wilkinson used to refer to overcrowding by a more familiar name (hidden; sardine; Labour Min. of Education, d. 1947).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Wishaw): Red Sea flounders (about two pounds)—a fine substitute for herring (L, L in anag.).

D. Ambler (Harrow): The stone she found in Paris is no great catch compared with her wedding ring (sard, elle (Fr.); her ring; [see comments]).

E. J. Bell (Sheflield): Too small a fry to be quoted in Hansard (Ellen Wilkinson notwithstanding) (hidden; E. W., Lab. Minister, was a small woman).

D. L. L. Clarke (Oxford): Lads, reel in the herring: it looks 44 inches longer than a sardine (anag.; i.e. ell for in. in sardine; ell = 1¼ yd. in contemporary ed. of C.).

G. E. Denyer (Rickmansworth): Seine issue? Left-wing manoeuvre has split the French Chamber (anag. of red in salle (Fr.); seine = net).

Mrs N. Fisher (Stroud): Fish and chips sell, dear (anag.).

S. Goldie (S. Shields): This fish should find it easy to get in and out of Dardanelles (anag. of Dar(dan)elles).

J. H. Grummitt (Belfast): As the chef said when he cut off its tail and felt the roe! (i.e. “’s ’ard—’ell!”).

P. A. Harrow (N12): Radical change in the French Chamber gives food for thought (anag. of red in salle (Fr.)).

H. C. Hills (W. Drayton): Give her French chalcedony for her wedding ring (sard, elle (Fr.); her ring [see comments]).

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): Headless widow found in sea, with extremity missing: her wedding ring’s a clue ((B)ardell in se(a); ref. Mrs. Bardell, Pickwick; her ring; [see comments]).

Mrs M. E. Jenkins (Send): Fish found in and out of the Dardanelles (anag. of Dar(dan)elles).

R. W. Killick (SW14): Savoyard loses his heart to her, so he says; gets her ring before being spliced (Sa(voya)rd, elle (Fr.); her ring spliced = herring [see comments]).

A. McIntyre (Edinburgh): One of the herring-volk from the Dardanelles, disabled and verboten (anag. of Dardanelles less anag. of and).

A. E. North (Nottingham): Fish whose tail turns back for more than a yard is apt to get all tangled up in reeds (i.e. ending in ell (rev.); anag. of all reeds).

J. Walton (Dunfermline): Like her ring? One piece, a red cornelian. Quite a good bit of jewellery (sard + (jew)elle(ry) ; i.e. her ring in one piece = herring [see comments]).

 

COMMENTS.—239 correct and few mistakes—a rather select but accurate entry. The IVRY clue evoked many comments, some highly appreciative, some saying “Naughty! Naughty!,” some utterly perplexed and only one tempersome! It only caused eight actual wrong solutions. If, in the word IVRY, you “try Ladybird” (Hen) “for the 4.0” (IV), you get Hen-ry (of Navarre), “the winner” of it! Hard, but not, I hope, unfair.
 
Among the clues submitted, those which used “her ring” in various forms raise an interesting point. One freely messes about with the word being clued: may one similarly mess about with a defining word in the clue? An authority for whom I have great respect calls this practice writing “a clue to a clue” and condemns it. On the whole I am converted to his view, and I don’t think I have done it myself lately, though I used to. I have given H.C.s to the best clues of this type, because they seemed attractive and in every case admitted what they were doing. But I don’t think I really approve. Eels and lard were stewed together by many anagrammatists—too many to receive reward, though they were appropriate.
 
Some runners-up:—A. H. Allender, Dr S. H. Atkins, Maj P. S. Baines, C. A. Beechey, R. D. Binnie, Rev L. Blackburn, H. W. Brister, H. Chown, F. A. Clark, A. F. Coles, J. F. Dow, E. G. Durham, W. Eite, K. A. Fellows, A. R. Fraser, Miss J. Fraser, S. B. Green, C. B. Joyner, C. Koop, Mrs Magruder, E. L. Mellersh, R. J. Munnings, F. E. Newlove, Rev E. B. Peel, E. G. Phillips, H. J. Phillips, H. C. Pilley, H. Rainger, F. H. Seeley, E. O. Seymour, J. E. Simpson-Jones, J. A. Skehan, W. K. M. Slimmings, A. H. Taylor, J. Templeton, J. Thompson, L. W. Titman, Sir R. Walton, J. E. Ward, Miss A. Westrup.
 

 
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