XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 469

DAISY

1.  R. N. Chignell: Girl who did not have a stylish service weeded out early at Wimbledon (2 mngs.; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

2.  T. W. Melluish: It’s a bloomer to be seen walking on the College lawn, but a fresher is almost impossible! (cryptic def.; fresh as a d.).

3.  F. B. Stubbs: Cyclist’s girl-friend disappears after dressing in the finest lawn (2 mngs.; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker: You should see, on the stage, that little bit extra Miss Mansfield has on Miss Russell! What a smasher! (dais + y; ref. Jayne M. and Jane R., film stars).

P. C. Barclay: He who rang the bell of a Rudge cycle, is induced, and may agree to ride a tandem (Bell attached) (is in day (= cycle), 2 defs.; ref. Solomon D. in ‘Barnaby R.’, and “Daisy, Daisy” song ‘D. Bell’).

E. T. Caddy: Platform 25 for Wimbledon—what a blooming nuisance! (dais Y; 25th letter).

C. R. Dean: What the early tandem rider badly wanted—a good sitting position and a yard’s start (dais + y; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

Miss E. Deutsch: Is imprisoned by age and often put in chains by the young (is in day; d. chains).

Grp Capt G. H. DuBoulay: I might ’ave said “yes” but ’e’s shy and ’alf crazy (anag. + y(’e’s), & lit.; shy = lacking; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

J. Gill: Tandem-rider’s prospective mate should be capable of mending a broken chain (2 mngs.; d. chain; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

R. R. Greenfield: Being the last of the party on the platform I won‘t get a seat in a carriage (dais + (part)y; ref.“Daisy, Daisy”).

F. H. W. Hawes: Bell, twice pressed for answer, required to push rather than be pulled! (cryptic def.; ref. “Daisy, Daisy” song ‘D. Bell’).

F. G. Illingworth: Such, evidently, was Proserpine—one embraced by Pluto the whole year, or part of it! (a in Dis + y, or y(ear); ref. myth of P., returning as flowers).

A. Lawrie: A thing the lawnmower was invented to get rid of is resting in working hours! (is in day).

P. W. W. Leach: High-level Yard character promised a ride by a half-crazy man! (dais + Y; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

D. P. M. Michael: Wild bloomer rarely seen on Twickenham ground gives Welshmen lead before close of play (i.e. Dais + (pla)y).

F. E. Newlove: This could be Rees’s year to be banished from our greens (Dai’s y; ref. Dai R., GB Ryder Cup captain 1957).

R. Postill: Good shot! British captain missing a birdie by a yard! (Dai (Ree)s + y; ref. GB Ryder Cup captain 1957; ironical term of admiration (US)).

E. J. Rackham: Place of honour, No. 2 of a cycle, for her! (dais + (c)y(cle), & lit.; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

W. K. M. Slimmings: A first-rate specimen’s beginning to show in the back-yard … and what a first-rate specimen! (A1 s in yd (rev.)).

D. R. Taunt: She’s fresh, and looks a little stagey—but she’s a peach! (i.e. dais-y; fresh as a d.).

Miss D. W. Taylor: A well-cut bloomer in lawn was ideal for a cyclist (2 mngs.; ref. “Daisy, Daisy”).

A. J. Young: Will a green-keeper help to raise it? Only over his dead body, it’s said! (cryptic def.; pushing up the daisies).

RUNNERS-UP

R. B. Adcock, D. Ashcroft, Mrs R. M. Barclay, J. W. Bates, E. A. Beaulah, T. E. Bell, Mrs K. Bissett, J. A. Blair, C. M. Brown, C. O. Butcher, R. F. S. Chignell, D. L. L. Clarke, Mrs N. Dean, G. H. Dickson, F. E. Dixon, Mrs D. M. D’Eath, A. Fairhead, J. A. Flood, M. S. Y. Fowler, E. Gomersall, R. McD. Graham, C. P. Grant, S. B. Green, R. Hills, A. J. Houston, J. A. Hyde, Mrs L. Jarman, T. E. S. Jobson, C. Koop, A. F. Lerrigo, Miss J. S. Lumsden, I. W. Macpherson, A. W. Maddocks, Mrs D. S. Malcolm, S. M. Mansell, J. Martin, E. L. Mellersh, D. I. Morgan, P. H. Morgan, A. C. Morrison, C. J. Morse, K. Neale, Capt E. C. Pattenden, G. Perry, S. Plumb, T. D. Powell-Davies, G. H. Ravenor, Lady Reay, Mr & Mrs A. Rivlin, J. R. Scarr, Surg Cdr F. G. V. Scovell, J. P. Smith, L. T. Stokes, Miss P. Stone, P. H. Taylor, D. G. Thomas, D. H. Tompsett, K. A. Torrance, H. S. Tribe, T. G. Wellman, W. E. White, M. Woolf, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS—533 entries, 475 correct: Ellis caused nearly half the comparatively few errors. An easier puzzle (but I never know in advance when they’re going to be easy or difficult!) and a tractable word produced a big entry and many excellent clues: there was a real struggle even for places among the Runners-up. There were many inexperienced competitors: so I’m devoting most of my space to initiating them into our ways. I hope the authors of clues quoted will understand that I’m trying to be helpful, not abusive, and that the principles involved are in the interests of solvers and not mere foibles. Those few among these authors who are not inexperienced have probably not seen former slips in which I touched on the same points.
 
(1) An Indication of the whole word ¡s essential in a clue. “The third person to be included diurnally” and “Welshman, speak Cockney!” are not clues to DAISY at all.
 
(2) Anagrams must be indicated by something that shows the letters are to be mixed. On reading “I’d say it’ll bloom after Michaelmas.” why should the solver mix “I’d say,” without being told to do so?
 
(The same, of course, applies to “hidden” clues.)
 
(3) Obscure indirect anagrams are unfair, e.g. “Descendant of Mohammed’s daughter Fatima appears in floral guise” (Sayid). One should not have to solve a none too easy problem before even getting at an anagram, if it is meant to help, as presumably it is.
 
(4) A clue, or part of a clue, should refer to the word itself, or part of it, not to a synonym of it. “Turn pale” is a clue to GOWAN, and “In the Roman wars” is a clue to BELLIS: neither is a clue, or part of a clue, to DAISY. We call this sort of thing “a clue to a clue.”
 
(5) The word clued can be 3rd person or can become “I” and speak for itself; but it can’t become “you”: why should it? An example was “You’re sure to become wild.”
 
(6) Essential capital letters cannot fairly be cut out (nor can this requirement be dodged by putting the whole clue in capitals!) An example was “Unusually unresponsive bell.”
 
(7) Syntax must be respected. “I’m in sad disorder” does not indicate DAIS: the letter I is, not am, something, and “sad disorder” does not mean “sad in disorder” or “sad disordered.” One competitor wrote “being visible in daytime” with the ingenious note “being = is”; but it doesn’t!
 
(8) Finally, don’t indulge is extreme obscurity, e.g. “The other half sounds fishy in part, hence the implied query” (the other half the tandem, dace, why). I wonder who could solve that!
 
To sum up, the solver has a right to demand that the clue-writer should say what he means, in however veiled a manner, and that he should not he left to guess what may have been meant without being said.