XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 415

When the snow lay round about (Anagram)

1=  Mrs N. Fisher: “What laud you?” “The new-born Son.”

1=  E. L. Mellersh: “What laud you?” “The new-born Son.”

1=  J. J. Moore: “What laud you?” “The new-born Son.”

1=  Capt W. H. W. Ridley: “What laud you?” “The new-born Son.”

H.C. (extra prizes)

F. D. H. Atkinson: U.N. troubled—on way to new hash!

F. Aylmer: Buy wool! Wash not underneath.

J. W. Bates: Thaw, one unholy burst, and woe!

M. Bowles: We would run anyone hot baths.

R. Brain: What sound ye, tuba, horn? Nowel!

A. Brookes: What! U.N. no use? Then bloody war.

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson: Abdul won. Where’s Anthony? Out? (ref. A. Nasser, A. Eden, Suez).

T. Dwyer: How boys word the annual tune.

E. Gomersall: Selwyn had to woo U.N. but he ran! (S. Lloyd, Foreign Secretary).

R. N. Haygarth: Who was yonder ? That blue non-U.

A. W. Maddocks: Haw! Beastly non-U wood-hunter!

C. R. Malcolm: Hearty Nowel! Hand out sub, now.

C. J. Morse: Bounty shown on earth we laud.

Rev R. Murray: We would run anyone hot baths.

F. E. Newlove: Oh, nurse! Who’d want to ban Yule?

D. A. Nicholls: “What weather, boy!” “No sun, old ’un!”

Mrs K. Palmer: Shout! O laud thy new-born Wean!

Mrs E. Shackleton: Bounty shown on earth we laud.

R. Stephenson: Would the wary sun-bathe? No, no!

J. G. Stubbs: Hobo (non-U, surely!) wanted thaw.

P. J. Wagstaffe: Huh? Not now! Warble on Tuesday.

RUNNERS-UP (1)

Mrs Anderson, H. Baker, Rev B. Chapman, C. Clavering, Miss L. M. Collins, C. A. Crole, J. A. Fincken, J. H. Gawler, S. B. Green, J. H. Grummitt, N. Hope, E. M. Hornby, Mrs M. E. Keddie, 2 Lt K. Kenyon, A. Lawrie, Miss M. A. Leese, A. D. Legge, J. H. Lerrigo, J. D. Lockett, J. I. Logan, H. Lyon, A. Mandeville, W. A. McFarland, P. F. McLornan, T. W. Melluish, D. P. M. Michael, W. L. Miron, E. H. Morris, H. C. Munnings, J. C. Naylor, A. P. O’Leary, J. W. Parr, N. A. Perkins, G. Perry, E. G. Phillips, G. Pimlott, R. Postill, M. G. Powell-Davies, P. & E. M. Prince, K. Reed, J. W. Roberts, W. Rodgers, F. A. Roebuck, H. Rotter, T. E. Sanders, I. R. Scott, Mrs W. A. Seymour, J. M. Sharman, R. G. Smith, C. S. Thompson, Sir H. Wiles, C. E. Williams

RUNNERS-UP (2)

J. A. Adamson, E. N. Adlington, C. Allen Baker, Miss A. W. Baldy, Mrs F. Begg, T. E. Bell, Mrs K. Bissett, R. Bryan, C. Candy, G. H. B. Chantrey, Mrs L. S. Charlton, R. N. Chignell, P. M. Coombs, E. B. Cottam, F. Dale, W. Darby, A. R. Davidson, E. Davies, Mrs F. Dawson, Brig W. E. Duncan, Dr W. M. Easther, Miss M. W. Fielden, J. B. Filburn, M. S. Y. Fowler, G. O. Gibb, Mrs K. N. Graham, G. M. Gwynn, Mrs N. Harding, Mrs G. L. Harrison, D. Henderson, J. B. Hoare, J. W. Horton, N. E. Hubert, J. Jones, S. M. Kahn, F. N. Shimmin, M. Bruce Squires, T. Strange, J. B. Sweeting, G. L. Symes, S. N. Taylor, J. Thompson, D. H. Tompsett, Mrs J. Wethered, Miss M. E. Whitaker, R. G. Wilkins, L. E. Willcox, M. Woolf, B. K. Workman, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS—542 entries, 491 correct: no devastating cause of trouble this time, the last letter of ARROYO being the one most often wrong, as a result, presumably, of having no Chambers’s to look it up in. The subsidiary part of the clue was not this time decisive: I usually make it so when the possibility of an error strikes me, but here it didn’t, I fear.
 
The task of judging was far from easy. After the first survey I found myself with a “short” list of 60 odd and a further batch of “possibles” running to over 100! I didn’t consider it fair to give preference to any particular kind of appropriateness: there were, roughly speaking, four types—Christmas religious, Christmas secular, Wenceslas in particular and current affairs, and I gave them equal consideration. Great skill was shown in avoiding unnaturalness of wording, and not many were weakened by including a whole word or words (other than “the”) from the original: this is, I think, a definite weakness in a long anagram. I have an unholy inclination to prefer what makes me laugh, but it didn’t seem fair to give way to it here; and I eventually decided that nothing could possibly be reckoned more perfectly appropriate than the anagram which splits the top prizes in the result given above. There were so many efforts that were very close up to the other prizewinners that I have given a separate list of the “best” runners-up, and there was even severe competition to get into the very long list which follows it. Congratulations all round. I have, of course, checked the prizewinners’ anagrams: there are so many R.U.s that I have taken theirs on trust.
 
Many thanks for all the Christmas cards and greetings, and a happy New Year and good solving to you all!
 
No. 412.—By a tiresome and odd coincidence Mr. Gates was again misquoted! For “Queen Street,” of course, read “Queer Street”—renewed apologies!