| ◀ No. 281 | Clue list | 9 May 1954 | Slip image | No. 285 ▶ |
XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 283
SOBER
1. S. B. Green: Robes should he fashioned to fit—neither tight nor loose (anag.).
2. S. Goldie: What Jack isn’t after splicing the mainbrace to greet the Queen! (sob ER, & lit.; greet2 = lament; ref. Queen’s return from Commonwealth tour).
3. W. K. M. Slimmings: Well, Bertie? Wanting a cravat of a pattern Jeeves would approve? (so Ber(tie)).
H.C.
C. Allen Baker: Cry to the Queen and greet her!—make it what a home-coming should be! (sob ER (twice); greet2 = lament; ref. Queen’s return from Commonwealth tour).
A. N. Clark: Competitors in T.T. race should be careful when lapping (2 mngs.; TT race = non-drinkers; lap2 = drink).
J. Coleby: Composed to greet the Queen (sob ER; greet2 = lament).
Mrs N. Fisher: Let this dry spell greet the Queen (sob ER; greet2 = lament).
T. J. Guffick: Judges are notoriously such crashing bores (anag.; sober as a J.).
L. Johnson: In such fashion live up to Rechabite’s ancient principle (so be R, & lit.; principle (obs.) = beginning; R.s promote abstention).
W. L. Miron: Teetotallers are always such crashing bores! (anag.).
C. J. Morse: It’s not like Puck to sadden his Oberon’s heart (hidden, 2 defs.; sober (vt.) = sadden).
R. Postill: The Observer is this at heart, though some of the letters are rather wild (anag. of (The) Obser(ver)).
Mrs E. M. Simmonds: Judges are proverbially frightful bores! (anag.; sober as a J.).
Miss D. W. Taylor: Bores will give dry description of T.T. races (anag.; TT races = non-drinkers).
M. Winterbottom: Disturbing leaders in The Observer, taking a grave view of the situation (anag. of Obser(ver)).
RUNNERS-UP
E. S. Ainley (Harrow), Dr S. H. Atkins, J. W. Bates, Mrs R. M. Blake, R. N. Chignell, F. J. Clark, D. L. L. Clarke, E. F. Clayton, B. D. Corbett, G. Cordery, F. J. Daniels, F. E. Dixon, W. J. Duffin, H. H. Elliott, L. E. Eyres, J. B. Filburn, C. R. Haigh, M. L. Herridge, S. Holgate, J. J. Holloway, H. T. E. Hone, T. A. Martin, E. L. Mellersh, D. P. M. Michael, D. G. Nelson, D. A. Nicholls, Rev E. B. Peel, E. G. Phillips, E. J. Rackham, A. Rivlin, Mrs J. Robertson, Mrs F. H. Shepherd, F. B. Stubbs, W. Sutton, J. Thompson, K. I. Torrance, H. T. R. Twyford, M. A. Vernon, H. Walsham, T. G. Wellman, M. Woolf, C. P. Wroth, J. S. Young.
Half-yearly Consolation Prizes—H. S. Tribe, 7 H.C.s; R. Postill 6.
Honours List.—S. B. Green (3 prizes, 4 H.C.s). 2. C. Allen Baker & C. J. Morse (2-5). 4. E. J. Rackham (2-4). 5. D. P. M. Michael & W. K. M. Slimmings (2-3), H. S. Tribe (0-7). 8. F. E. Newlove (2-2), Mrs N. Fisher & S. Goldie (1-4), R. Postill (0-6). 12. B. J. Iliffe (2-1), J. A. Fincken (1-3). 14. Cdr. H. H. L. Dickson & V. F. Dixon (2.0), J. A. L. Sturrock (1-2), A. Robins & Miss D. W. Taylor (0-4).
Total number of those who have won either a prize or an H.C. since these competitions started is now 1,005.
COMMENTS—275 entries, 231 correct. Very few mistakes, apart from a number who wrote “Istambul” missing the point that “beat” in the clue demands the spelling IS-TAN-BUL. When a possible alternative coincides with an unchecked letter, I always try to point definitely to one spelling: solvers should make sure that their solution accounts for everything in the clue.
I found the entry a little disappointing, both in numbers and quality. I thought it was a fairly easy puzzle, but it seems to have proved harder than I expected: I also thought it was as an easy word to clue, but on the whole inspiration seems to have been elusive. It is, perhaps, time that I gave some more examples of unsuccessful clues with the reasons for their failure; but I think I will wait till a competition when the entry is larger.
It is interesting to note that over a thousand people have now had the distinction of having their clues printed in these lists of prizewinners and “highly commended.” I have kept no classified record of “runners-up,” but I should guess that a good two thousand more have appeared there. There are a very large number of occasional entrants, who might constitute a serious threat to those whose names appear in the Honours List above, if they entered more often: most of those in the Honours List enter nearly every time. Good hunting to all in the new half-year series which begins with No. 285.