◀  No. 142 Jul 1972 Clue list No. 23  ▶

AZED CROSSWORD 18

EPIGONE

1.  G. A. Tomlinson: Greek character lost after Eteokles’ onset? (E + pi gone, & lit; ref. Seven Against Thebes).

2.  E. R. Riddle: I succeed in breaking even with a bogey round (pig O in ene; pig, bogey = policeman).

3.  L. F. Leason: Individual yielding precedence to leaders of earlier period in greatness (initial letters + one, & lit.).

VHC

T. E. Bell: Peg out without one? Single offspring might do (i in anag. + one).

R. S. Caffyn: Anybody succeeding leaders of eminence – pretty inferior, generally (initial letters + one, & lit.).

E. Chalkley: Shake up in G.P.O. and two letters in three will be delivered later (anag. incl. ee).

S. Goldie: At the end of the line what might have been a tantony one (e + pig one, & lit.).

D. V. Harry: Sprout pie, being unusual, has Egon in raptures (anag. + anag.; sprout = scion; ref. Egon Ronay).

J. R. Kirby: Relation that may seem boring, almost, alongside genitive individual (epi(c) + g. + one, & lit.; relation = narrative).

Mrs J. Mackie: Latter member of line with vigour in decline (e + go in pine, & lit.).

D. P. M. Michael: One of seven who succeeded though falling short of heroic departed (epi(c) gone; ref. Seven Against Thebes).

G. Millin: A descendant of heroes almost forgotten (epi(c) gone, & lit.).

C. J. Morse: Successor, when heroic strain peters out, is weak (epi(c) gone, & lit.; successor, i.e. that which follows).

F. R. Palmer: Individual succeeding heroic leader of Greeks, without the first sign of character (epi(c) + G + one, & lit.).

J. Revill: Foremost of exceptional players is Goolagong – No. 1 seed (initial letters + one; seed = offspring; ref. tennis player).

A. Rivlin: One following leaders of eager purpose, deceased (e p + I + gone, & lit.).

T. E. Sanders: Taken out of the deep I go nearer slip (hidden; slip = scion).

Sir W. Slimmings: Emsworth’s first and greatest love has single offspring (E + pig + one; ref. Wodehouse: ‘Empress of Blandings’).

J. B. Sweeting: With half-deep serving American returns – single in issue ((de)ep + GI (rev.) + one).

D. J. Thorpe: An affair among the latest of the tree produces me (go in (th)e pine, & lit.).

HC

C. Allen Baker, A. J. Allsworth, W. G. Arnott, E. A. Beaulah, Mrs K. Bissett, J. C. Brash, D. J. A. Brown, E. J. Burge, C. O. Butcher, K. David, N. C. Dexter, H. F. Dixon, L. L. Dixon, N. A. J. Hudson, F. G. Illingworth, Sir S. Kaye, Capt G. Langham, A. Lawrie, J. H. C. Leach, H. S. Mason, Mrs E. McFee, W. L. Miron, F. E. Newlove, R. O’Donoghue, J. W. Parr, S. L. Paton, W. H. Pegram, W. Rodgers, Rev C. D. Westbrook, N. E. Wheatley, A. G. Withall.
 

COMMENTS
About 480 entries, almost no mistakes. As a few of the Old Guard were quick to point out, Ximenes used EPIGONI as the word to be clued in one of his competition puzzles in the mid-50s. Had I known this I should never have given you EPIGONE, but I’m afraid my own solving days only date from about 1960. I’ll try to ensure that this doesn’t happen again, and apologise to those for whom the clue-writing competition had a touch of the déjà vu about it.
 
Clues submitted were, on the whole, of a lower standard than usual, with the exception of those listed. There was a surfeit of pigeon pie, and a good many who tried their hands at pigeon English failed to give a satisfactory definition. Perhaps the word itself was a bit unspecific (except in the classical Greek sense) to give one a handy definition to pin one’s clue to. Choosing words which offer ample scope is, I’m discovering, not as easy as it might seem.
 
I promised to say something about the meaning and use of ‘& lit.’. Most of you, I’m sure, already know what it means, and Ximenes in any case devoted a whole chapter to it in his book, whither I would redirect all who are still mystified after reading what follows. There are still a few who imagine it to mean no more than that ‘in addition to being a cryptic clue to the word required, my clue is a statement of fact, i.e. literally true’. This is not what it is intended to mean. In its best and neatest form the ‘& lit.’ clue is both a cryptic indication of the required word by any of the various devices commonly in use in crosswords, and at the same time, treated as a whole, a straight or veiled definition to that word. Both the first and third prizewinners above, as well as a number of the VHCs should show what I mean. Another simple (perhaps over-simple) example is the following, which I once used in a Listener puzzle: ‘They adorn many Scotsmen’s heads.’ No prizes. The attractiveness of this type of clue is obvious, though it can be overdone, and the temptation to use it when it sacrifices clarity, grammar or soundness should, I think, be resisted.
 
Some of you may not have seen the small paragraph in the Observer’s Briefing Column about the recent publication of The Penguin Book of Ximenes Crossword Puzzles. It contains 100 puzzles of which 35 are ‘specials’, most of them dating from about ten years ago, so that even those who have solved them once before may find them similarly challenging and enjoyable a second time around. The price is 50p.
 
Finally, I must apologise for the time it takes for you to receive these slips. How Ximenes managed to get them out as quickly as he did defeats me and I must simply crave your forbearance. With a full-time job to do it takes me the better part of a week to judge the competition, let alone write the slip. Then there are proofs to check and the final printing to be done. Perhaps I’m just too fussy – or too verbose!
 

 

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