XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 1066

RAVE / PAIR (DLM)

1.  D. H. Tompsett: Slavering over his flame—the least inspirational of spectacles (flame, vb.; pair of spectacles, cricket).

2.  E. A. Beaulah: And would have rather said “I’m on the wagon, mate. No Parisian high jinks for me” (rave²; mate, vb.).

3.  Mrs N. Fisher: Saying “Give over, amie. I’m on the wagon, so we abstain and, pure, may reap riches” (rave²; pair of abstentions).

V.H.C.

J. Alderson: But rather in martial rage have routed the foe. Then praise would be justified, even in France (pair, Fr.).

Lt Col R. L. Bell: Too enraptured to shout “bravo” to Taillefer, valiantly harping until cleft in twain by house-carls (T., troubadour, led charge).

J. F. Coldwell: But unwaveringly would have sought the Storm of battle, needing no mate after his spiracular retread (mate, vb.).

T. E. Girdlestone: Would have gone on the wagon. However, a sharp instrument won him victory while the couple dallied (rave²).

W. F. Goodman: Nor dallied with a piece on the side, however alluring, whilst the English were rapidly put to flight (rave²; pair = flight of stairs).

B. F. Jones: And blither spirits would have risen to brace the Norman ranks and win the day for a price less dear (blither, vb.).

A. Lawrie: But with a prayer, a vow to crush the foe, have set forth caparisoned to brace himself for battle (crush = infatuation).

Mrs B. Lewis: A very libertine, but taking fire would have let slip arrows more deadly, marry!, than the love-god’s (fire, vb.).

G. A. Linsley: Nor kept a side-piece—a very questionable combination living in pari delicto (rave²).

Dr T. J. R. Maguire: Where avouterers have shared Scotch with a flight of harpies (rave³ = rive = share²; pair = flight of stairs).

G. D. Meddings: And would have won a veritable storm of adulation in Paris Match.

C. G. Millin: And would have renounced sex with contemptuous rage, except to sire a prince or two.

Mrs E. M. Phair: But, infatuation over, armoured in greve and brace, he would have let rip against the foe.

R. Postill: And, if you think this utter nonsense, read what Matilda revealed in “Ma Conquête” (Paris Match, 1067) (utter, vb.).

S. Sondheim: Carved up Harold’s side piece by piece, put him to flight, and deserved history’s praise (rave²; pair = flight of stairs).

Brig R. F. E. Stoney: Feigning talk as if enraptured. Is this a very fair page of history, or a pack of old lies? (pair (obs.) = pack of cards).

F. T. Walton: But, ruddier, than the chérie, varied his flattery with a rapid “Now catch Harold’s eye, mate” (rave (obs.) = extravagant praise).

H.C.

W. G. Arnott, F. D. H. Atkinson, Col P. S. Baines, J. W. Bates, T. E. Bell, J. Bunting, R. S. Caffyn, E. Chalkley, E. S. Clark, P. M. Coombs, J. Crowther, N. C. Dexter, A. Fairhead, C. R. Gamble, J. Gill, H. J. Godwin, Mrs S. Hewitt, N. L. Hindley, S. Holgate, D. R. Hopkin, E. M. Hornby, D. E. G. Irvine, J. E. Jenkins, D. R. Joy, J. R. Kirby, L. F. Leason, A. F. Lerrigo, Mrs M. B. Marshall, H. W. Massingham, L. May, Mrs E. McFee, T. W. Melluish, D. P. M. Michael, Dr K. Mitchell, C. J. Morse, T. N. Nesbitt, M. Newman, Dr W. D. Oliver, L. W. G. Oxley, B. G. Palmer, S. L. Paton, M. L. Perkins, A. R. Ritchie, Miss C. F. Sampson, Mrs C. M. Scott, C. A. Sears, A. H. Seville, Mrs I. G. Smith, J. Sparrow, J. B. Sweeting, J. W. Taylor, W. H. Thorne, G. A. Tomlinson, Mrs M. Watson, J. Webster, R. A. Wells, Rev C. D. Westbrook, S. A. Wetherfield, Dr R. L. Wynne.
 

COMMENTS:—Over 550 entries, only one mistake in solution among those I had to check. I greatly enjoyed a most amusing variety of clues; but I didn’t find weeding out the best ones quite as difficult as I feared. A good many, alas, ruled themselves out (1) by using sentences which didn’t fit syntactically on to mine, e.g., by using the wrong tense or part of verb, such as “ . . . or make , “ . . . not drove ; (2) by excessive length: I asked for reasonable brevity, and I don’t think a clue longer than my longest was justified, especially in dealing with two simple short words: (one clue ran to 43 words); (3) by clueing the words ¡n the wrong order—it was surely obvious that this wouldn’t do; (4) by using a rhyming couplet, which was inappropriate; (5) by irrelevance to the context. But, there were so many perfectly sound efforts that for real distinction I had to look for special humour or ingenuity in the choice of definitions. The winner has, I think, all the possible merits, including brevity: the second and third are equally ingenious, but I preferred the second because of the rather weak ending of the third.
 
I was very glad to read that the puzzle, though easy, gave amusement; thank you for kind comments. I admit to the grossness of the libel, I perpetrated; I gather that the Enc. Brit. says “In a profligate age William was distinguished by the purity of his married life” (with Matilda, daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders). In extenuation I can only add “R.I.P.”. I am asked to state what my own ending was; I’m afraid the answer is “None”; I purposely didn’t attempt one before receiving the entry, and I certainly couldn’t write one now. Thank you for much entertainment.