XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 1019

DISCORD (Misprints)

1.  J. H. C. Leach: Czechs’ leader gets involved in what could become sordid war (jar; C in anag.; ref. A. Dubček, Prague Spring).

2.  Mrs L. Jarman: Divine in short skirts I bob about, or it indicates dowdiness (rowdiness; I s. c or, all in DD; bob = shilling).

3.  Mrs B. Lewis: Jam in the Underground: ropy line (jar; Dis cord).

V.H.C.

T. E. Bell: Strike from the record or expunge (strife; disc or d. (delete)).

G. P. Goddard: Infernal situation: string in an utter tangle (jangle; Dis cord).

S. Goldie: Something grating on the car—part of brake, maybe, against bent rod (ear; disc + anag.).

F. G. Illingworth: Win a halfpenny, for instance, or a penny (din; disc or d.).

L. W. Jenkinson: Well-attested effect of an ample, round figure on aged point (apple; disc ord; apple = a wild stroke (cricket slang)).

L. F. Leason: Small currency destined for revaluation following record gold strike (strife; disc or d.; ref. decimalisation plans).

H. S. Mason: Underworld rope makes infernal noose (noise; Dis cord).

B. J. McCann: Strike the gong before beginning—once (strife; disc ord).

Mrs E. McFee: For terrific glamour, I’d back Dors, leader of curvaceous wiggling (clamour; I’d (rev.) + anag. incl. c; ref. Diana D.).

P. H. Morgan: Now—is a copper, after change-over, a cent or a penny? (row; d. is + c. or d.; ref. decimalisation plans).

C. J. Morse: Earring, circular shape with point, old-fashioned (jarring; disc ord).

W. H. Pegram: War is hell, the end of logic, a point long forgotten (jar; Dis + (logi)c + ord).

W. J. Richards: Strike from record, or delete (strife; disc or d.).

Mrs E. Robson: Strike from the record or destroy (strife; disc or d.).

H. Rutley: Hell—string—it’s unpleasant to eat (ear; Dis cord).

Mrs I. G. Smith: Dreadful noose—hell with thick string (noise; Dis cord).

M. J. Tomkinson: Now penny is one cent and gold deserted (row; d. is c. or d).

B. J. Wain: Vicious hound comes from the Pluto line (sound; Dis cord).

H.C.

Miss V. K. Abrahams, R. B. Adcock, C. Allen, T. Anderson, W. G. Arnott, F. D. H. Atkinson, C. Allen Baker, J. W. Bates, R. T. Baxter, E. A. Beaulah, C. O. Butcher, A. N. Clark, J. F. Coldwell, P. M. Coombs, E. Davies, M. B. Fisher, Mrs N. Fisher, G. Gargan, L. H. Garrett, J. H. Gawler, E. Gomersall, Mrs F. R. Gomm, D. Hawson, Mrs M. Henderson, A. J. Hughes, L. Johnson, E. G. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, A. Lawrie, J. T. Laws, A. F. Lerrigo, Miss J. S. Lumsden, E. L. Mellersh, T. W. Melluish, D. I. Morgan, B. G. Palmer, Miss M. J. Patrick, R. V. Penycate, H. C. S. Perry, Mrs G. Rajkowska, G. H. Ravenor, L. G. D. Sanders, J. T. Stringer, F. B. Stubbs, W. H. Thornton, M. E. Ventham, M. A. Vernon, E. F. Watling, J. Webster, Rev C. D. Westbrook, J. B. Widdowson.
 

COMMENTS:—About 350 entries (good for such a hard task, especially in holiday time): about 40 incorrect. Several were misled by the extraordinary and unfortunate coincidence that “board” also fitted the clue to ABORD; but it can’t be made to fit according to the rules—bad luck. About 15 people (including some very distinguished ones) wrote “rebuk” instead of RUBUK. This puzzled me for some time; I now imagine that they thought the word was “rebus”, already in the diagram elsewhere. There is, of course, nothing to forbid such a repetition—I have done it occasionally; but a straight and far from explicit clue, to say the least, would be inappropriate in such a puzzle; all the other clues had subsidiary indications. A prickly type of plant is a weakish indication of a rebus, I think, and I really couldn’t accept it as an alternative to RUBUS, with the clear indication of rub-us. I can’t for the life of me think of any different interpretation of the “rebuk” version.
 
I had to rule out a good many clues for not indicating the obsoleteness of “ord”; and I didn’t much like “crash” as a misprint of “clash,” because “crash” itself is a little too near to a sound definition of “discord”; to make the puzzle fair one has to be very careful about this point. But the entry as a whole was a good one with plenty of variety. 1 was glad to read so often that the puzzle, though difficult, had been much enjoyed.
 
A final note about “Albermarle”! A kind competitor writes that he has found it in a reference book, given as an alternative spelling to the normal Albemarle. This doesn’t acquit me of criminal carelessness, because no reference book of mine gives it; but it does at least relieve me to learn that I haven’t used an entirely non-existent word!