XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 239

GENISTA (Printer’s Devilry)

1.  J. A. Maxtone Graham: “How démodé,” reflected I: “Mo/le, a garment out of fashion” (Imogen; ref. Cymbeline III.4, “Poor I am, stale, a garment …”).

2.  Mrs E. Shackleton: You know the story of Ha/l Lime? This American cad dies (Walter Hagen, US champion golfer).

3.  Mrs J. O. Fuller: Cane u/s certain? Knowing Ma and Pa—the likely issue (eugenist).

H.C.

A. J. Barnard: Got tin/? Me? After a holiday in Paris? (Göttingen).

J. C. R. Clapham: The present total? The opening pair produced them on o/vers without extras (monogenist; i.e. Adam and Eve).

J. A. Flood: Consult the M.O.? No/, dam’ it, ’e’s hell, say all of us (monogenist: Adamites).

H. D. Friedberg: No poly/p proves a dam (polygenist … Adam).

S. B. Green: Pep to/ken to encourage little Mary to work well (Peptogen; little M. = stomach).

J. E. Hobson: When displaying his talented garb, Er/l King Charlie seems almost human (Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist, and his dummy).

C. Koop: As a guide to skiers, in wen/t Ethel! And Mark’s to follow! (Wengen, Switzerland).

C. R. Malcolm: Give a Eu/ropean d—— hell! Hang a mulatto! (eugenist).

C. J. Morse: Priam would have thought thee u/ninhibited, wretch! (eugenist; P. supposedly fathered 68 sons).

J. S. Rioch: Hi! Slips are tight! Can’t see how ’e’d garb Er/l-king! (Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist).

A. Rivlin: Husband abroad thinks, “I’m O/.K. in Ga., Rome. O! I’ll have the baggage despatched in good time” (Imogen; ref. Cymbeline).

A. Robins: Maladroit Mating Multiplies Morons—Eu/phony! (eugenist).

T. E. Sanders: Said I, mo/le, am a garment out of fashion (Imogen; ref. Cymbeline III.4, “Poor I am, stale, a garment …”).

E. O. Seymour: The great hope of the Eu/ston E.W. people is the production of a goods train (eugenist … good strain).

W. K. M. Slimmings: Could I but “swing,” like Aha/b at the ball (Walter Hagen, US champion golfer).

Mrs J. E. Townsend: My stroke play is improving. It was after seeing Ha/rt.—Ed (Walter Hagen, US champion golfer).

J. F. N. Wedge: Ed! Garb Er/l-king—but hi! Slips aren’t showing! Any signs of movement? (Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist).

M. Woolf: This fish packed by “Canneries Inc.” open ha/sty! (Copenhagen).

RUNNERS-UP

Dr C. Alexander, P. C. Barclay, H. Bernard, J. A. Blair, J. P. Bowyer, Dr L. J. Clark-Wilson, R. M. S. Cork, G. N. Coulter, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, G. E. Dudman, W. J. Duffin, W. A. Easson, Mrs N. Fisher, S. Goldie, Rev J. G. Graham, Mrs K. N. Graham, J. H. Grummitt, Maj H. A. Hardy, C. U. Hatfield, H. A. Hawes, F. N. Hoddell, A. W. Hodgkinson, E. G. Illingworth, Mrs L. Jarman, J. W. Jenkins, L. W. Jenkinson, Lt C. Laver, G. G. Lawrance, A. F. Lerrigo, Grp Capt G. Struan Marshall, E. L. Mellersh, T. W. Melluish, W. L. Miron, D. Murray, Maj J. N. Purdon, H. Rainger, A. Ramsden, J. Rimington, H. Rotter, J. H. Scott-Wilson, F. N. Shimmin, Miss M. G. Shuttleworth, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, E. W. Startup, L. T. Stokes, Dr E. Sunderland, H. G. Tattersall, A. F. Thomas, J. F. Turner, C. Vaughan, H. Walsham, I. Young, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS—No time for many: the postal authorities chose this occasion to be slow in sending my last parcel along, and when it did arrive it proved to contain over 250 entries! There were in all 412 correct and a fair number of mistakes, “sidelong” being the commonest. This does just work, but the sense is so inferior to that given by SIDELINE that I didn’t pass it. There were many good efforts with a not too easy word. As always, there were some who sacrificed the sense of the final version for the sake of humour in the devilled version: this is a great mistake. Also, other things being equal, I prefer the break to come in a word, not between words. Mr. Seymour set me a problem: if the abbreviation “E.W.” means something appropriate, his clue is worth a prize, but I don’t know it and he gives no note: if it doesn’t, an H.C. is a fair reward. Even apart from this problem the choice was far from easy, and I expect tastes will differ. In accordance with several requests I haven’t marked the gaps this time [added for archive]. In case you haven’t heard of Edgar Bergen, he is a ventriloquist and his dummy is called Charlie McCarthy. Many thanks for appreciative remarks.