XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 987

THING (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  A. Lawrie: There’s not so much war? M/en appeasin’ more? Woolly yarns! (genappe).

2.  R. E. Kimmons: I must hide my gir/l: amorous clot, he’s at the party!

3.  C. J. Morse: Do babies in? Swa/b and sweep less? Ask snappy weary mother! (swathing-bands, nappy-weary).

V.H.C. (extra prizes)

M. J. Balfour: Here we smelt (and thereby we found) bo/ots and pigs.

A. E. Brookes: Wimbledon: first se/ed on controversial line-calls.

D. H. Clayton: Out of work stripper gets mo/st rings.

P. R. Clemow: He loves soaking in the ba/r and contemplation of the infinite.

B. Freedman: In vino veritas, not ru/in!

S. Goldie: Model finds hiding “gir/l”—amorous clot! He’s impossible!

D. S. Haynes: You need a trial specification for gir/l: amorous, female sex, ample—38-28-37 (trial= threefold).

E. M. Hornby: It may be due when a case doesn’t close, and open to abus/e.

J. F. Jones: There’s a great deal of wor/rit when things go wrong.

M. W. Knight: Improved carbon ne/eds light pressure only to activate.

W. T. Meade-King: What’s that moaning at the harbour? Barge/es oiled.

Col R. H. N. Osmond: Children invariably put fai/r own-ups before all else.

Mrs N. Perry: You/r own people’s estimation?—“Ha! ‘Snow’ gone to ‘Pot’.”

R. Postill: When running ba/re, nobleman mustn’t be caught by c-cold (C = chaud).

Rev H. B. Roberts: Control your Gir/l, “Amour” Corsets.

Mrs E. M. Simmonds: The usual ba/r and pastime was the hip variety.

J. G. Stubbs: The huge sink in the old inn was the family ba/r and pastime.

A. P. Vincent: Gate won’t shut—there’s a screw loose. Nota ben/e!

H.C.

Miss V. K. Abrahams, R. Abrey, Miss P. Adkins, F. D. H. Atkinson, Miss A. W. Baldy, K. A. Barker, A. J. Barnard, P. F. Bauchop, R. T. Baxter, E. A. Beaulah, Rev C. M. Broun, P. Brown, E. W. Burton, C. O. Butcher, J. C. Chavasse, R. N. Chignell, D. L. L. Clarke, R. M. S. Cork, A. J. Crow, P. M. A. Crozier, J. McI. Cruickshank, N. C. Dexter, L. A. Diehl, J. H. Frampton, J. Fryde, Mrs J. O. Fuller, C. R. Gamble, G. Gargan, E. J. Griew, B. Grimshaw, G. S. Halse, J. P. H. Hirst, D. R. Hopkin, F. G. Illingworth, M. Innes, J. E. Jenkins, G. Johnstone, P. D. King, J. A. Knowler, O. A. Knox, M. A. Lassman, A. D. Legge, L. E. Lodge, J. D. H. Mackintosh, Dr T. J. R. Maguire, B. J. McCann, Mrs E. McFee, C. G. Millin, P. Moreland, F. E. Newlove, M. Newman, S. Norman, C. S. F. Oliver, N. O’Neill, Miss M. J. Patrick, B. A. Pike, A. M. Price, C. P. Rea, K. M. Robb, J. M. Robinson, A. Seville, E. O. Seymour, F. G. Simms, Sir W. Slimmings, S. Sondheim, L. T. Stokes, F. B. Stubbs, R. I. Sutherland, H. G. Tattersall, D. G. Thomas, W. Thornton, M. F. Thorogood, D. J. Thorpe, L. W. Titman, M. E. Ventham, E. Wagstaff, P. H. Watkin, W. Whitelaw, C. E. Williams, G. M. Young.
 

COMMENTS:—An excellent and enthusiastic entry of about 650, 100 more than at Christmas 1965, when we last had this type; there were not many mistakes, chiefly “rana” for “raja” —“for an aunt” is hardly adequate sense. A nice, easy word produced very good clues and plenty of variety; but there are still many who refuse to conform to my expressed preferences, especially my objection to sacrificing the sense of the final version to that of the devilled version. Here are three obvious examples:—“I gave them boots and shoes instead” (“both in, got sandshoes”). “What a football match! The spectators were booing and going out” (“both ingoing”). “My ideal hotel has a bar and saloon” (“bath in grand saloon”—surely a remarkable arrangement!). There were some, too, who greatly overdid the alterations in word division; this almost always points terribly obviously to the gap, e.g. “Justin! Order Tom, ’Arry, Claud, I (oh Eros!) hams dear! Eat! Play!” Besides being pretty dreadful nonsense, this does rather scream the answer. But there were many excellent clues, as the long lists above show, and many of them from solvers whose names have seldom or never appeared before.
 
I am asked to explain the reference to “lupins” in No. 984; it doesn’t seem to have been so universally helpful as I hoped! It was merely meant to hand you on a plate the six unchecked letters in the three 4-letter words to which I referred.
 
No time for more; many thanks for all the Christmas cards, far too generous comments and good wishes, and a happy New Year to all.