◀  No. 1066 Clue list 3 Aug 1969 Slip image No. 1076  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 1071

ORACLE (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  Mrs E. M. Pardo: Children taking piano lessons soon learn the sign “f/f.”

2.  R. A. Dehn: White House f/anfare on TV; No-play girls with Nixon (Mary W.; v. no4 in C.).

3.  R. A. Harvey: The latest di/ver model touches bottom in one plunge (Dior).

V.H.C.

F. D. H. Atkinson: p.m.—Went to the country, sought f/arm and ate.

C. Allen Baker: From mini to maxi—I’d call that di/vergent! (Dior).

R. S. Caffyn: Di/ver: man for whom lines are absolutely vital (Dior).

P. R. Clemow: Shown by di/vers able to drop over stern with plunging line (Dior).

Mrs M. P. Craine: To pick any card o/ver knave needs only the simplest technique.

H. W. Jenkins: Ford—i/f ’tis not a ravine (Dior).

Sir S. Kaye: The tragic mo/ment Man by Nature was tricked into murder (Othello).

Mrs B. Lewis: So hungry—and po/rk, ami! I might be tempted to help myself to a pound or two.

D. P. M. Michael: Welsh resort toc/sin—alarm as new quay blows up.

C. J. Morse: Mistress sketches outré bust of lo/ver-boy.

F. E. Newlove: So po/rk can’t agree with the figure—she’s checked, on the balance.

Miss M. J. Patrick: My govern/ment, father, would never allow corporal punishment.

R. Postill: Gillette f/ans have a notion that W. G. never really entertained!

E. O. Seymour: If the play’s theme is Po/verty, Nan will stage it nude (Kenneth Tynan).

I. C. Snell: “Bardot takes the veil”—a Wayf/arer Picture.

Brig R. F. E. Stoney: Rocket’s rider jumped fearlessly f/ar round Landing-place No. 1 (French showjumper, medallist in 1968 Olympics).

M. J. Suckling: Instead of ten years, at the mo/ment judge might give less (Dartmoor prison).

R. A. A. Willens: Just water f/ricandeau for a cure (curé).

M. A. Williams: The plunge is for di/ver setting off for pearls (Dior).

M. Woolf: With a “la, te, do, so, me”, finish on tonic “f/a, re”. Yes—just what’s wanted.

H.C.

D. B. J. Ambler, W. G. Arnott, M. J. Balfour, E. A. Beaulah, A. Bristow, C. O. Butcher, A. A. Calland, R. N. Chignell, R. P. Crawley, A. L. Dennis, N. C. Dexter, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, Flt Sgt J. Dromey, M. B. Fisher, Rev S. W. Floyd, S. C. Gilchrist, P. G. W. Glare, G. P. Goddard, E. Gomersall, R. B. Harling, N. L. Hindley, J. P. H. Hirst, J. E. Hobson, E. M. Hornby, Mrs L. Jarman, W. Johnson, R. E. Kimmons, T. F. Lawrance, A. Lawrie, P. W. W. Leach, A. D. Legge, Mrs S. M. Macpherson, Mrs E. McFee, T. W. Melluish, C. G. Millin, R. A. Mostyn, H. C. Munnings, M. L. Perkins, Mrs A. Rivlin, L. G. D. Sanders, C. A. Sears, L. J. Sears, Sir W. Slimmings, J. F. Smith, J. Sparrow, P. W. Thacker, D. H. Tompsett, F. T. Walton, H. G. Way, D. B. Wedmore, Mrs M. Wilkinson, G. M. Young.
 

COMMENTS:—Getting on for 600 entries: a sprinkling of mistakes, mostly caused, probably, by absence of Chambers on holiday—”soril” for ZORIL. C. doesn’t give “soril”, but it does give VIZOR as an alternative to “visor”. Some said the puzzle was harder than the average “P.D.”, but the size of the entry, at holiday time, hardly supports this; the entry was excellent, but “for a clean (sweep, etc.)” and “for a clear (round, etc.)” were so commonly used that only the most ingenious versions had any hope of getting far. I had the usual difficulty of deciding between extreme neatness and brilliance, and I changed my mind about the prizewinners several times; I am quite sure about my order now. Clue writers should remember that reasonable brevity is a merit; another point is that a suggestion of the meaning of the required word is irrelevant here and is not a merit. There were the usual, entirely unintentional, red herrings; several people mentioned “soil” for SMIR—an equally good answer; “elaters” fits quite nicely at 9 down, and “rib-bone” is an ingenious possibility at 18 across, though not, I think, as appropriate as the right answer.
 
Many thanks for appreciative comments. I must apologise for a misprint that I overlooked in the last slip; Mr. Beaulah’s 2nd prize clue should have started with “And would have rather said…” The version I stupidly allowed to appear wouldn’t, of course, be sound.
 

 
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