XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 64

GLASTONBURY

1.  R. Postill (Jersey): Not “The Stolen Bacillus,” but another sort of “lost bug” yarn by Wells (anag.; ref. short story by H. G. Wells; Wells, Somerset).

2.  Mrs D. M. Kissen (Lanark): Abbey wedding the last word in peaceful organisation with Great Britain enraptured: the younger one’s turn next! (last in anag. of UNO, GB + yr. (rev.); ref. wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey, 20 Nov 1947).

3.  Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Tory stronghold offers scope for snug little Labour-Tory coalition (anag. of snug Lab Tory; ref. G. Tor, i.e. Tor-y).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley (S. Harrow): Where, traditionally, falls not hail or rain or any snow, or any gust bl—— wrong! (anag.; ref. Tennyson, ‘Morte d’Arthur’).

S. Cohen (Birmingham): Where Joseph’s staff work was a blooming miracle (cryptic def.; ref. J. of Arimathea, G. thorn).

J. Davoll (Cambridge): Associate Tono-Bungay with R. L. S.? No, no, Wells would be nearer (anag. less no; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

J. Duffill (W2): Only a Grub St. hack, but knows more about Arthur than is written by a neighbour in “Kipps” (anag.; ref. H. G. Wells novel; Wells, Somerset).

Maj A. H. Giles (Leamington): Joe’s staff went on strike here and came out on Christmas Eve issuing leaflets (cryptic def.; ref. J. of Arimathea, G. thorn; strike = take root).

S. B. Green (NW10): R. L. S. moves on in “Tono-Bungay” (revised edition), by Wells (anag. less on; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

Miss S. J. Homer (W2): H. G. is near rewriting T. Bungay. (O, R. L. S. collaborating) (anag.; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

J. Hardie Keir (Galashiels): Travel via Goodwin Sands (change Rugby and Alston) and here you are (anag.; ref. G. K. Chesterton ‘The Rolling English Road’, “… we went to G. by way of Goodwin Sands”).

W. I. N. Kessel (N1): To get here try a bus with long détour by way of Goodwin Sands (anag.; ref. G. K. Chesterton ‘The Rolling English Road’, “… we went to G. by way of Goodwin Sands”).

R. H. Lemon (Cheltenham): Granby and Lotus for fleece-lined footwear (anag.; G. area known for shoemaking).

R. J. Pocock (Porthcawl): Expurgated edition of “Tono-Bungay” (R. L. S.)—No, don’t carry on. I’ll admit it’s by Wells (anag. less on; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

Mrs M. G. Porter (SW13): Lusty brogan produced here, presumably on the last of the Abbots (anag.; brogan = brogue; G. area known for shoemaking).

D. I. Randell (Woking): Here’s a rare edition of “Tono-Bungay” by R. L. S. No, no, it’s by Wells (anag. less no; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

J. Riley (SE12): Is R. L. S. associated with Tono-Bungay therein? No, no! Try Wells, and you won’t be far out (anag. less no; ref. H. G. Wells novel; R. L. Stevenson; Wells, Somerset).

N. Roles (SW20): If you sit in this arm-chair, beware of a thorn in the flesh (cryptic def.; ref. G. chair; G. thorn).

Mrs E. Shackleton (W. Wickham): Where someone “left the thorn”—Burns’ lay got confused! (anag.; ref. R. Burns, “Ye banks and braes”; G. thorn).

S. Shanahan (Spalding): Easily reached from Street, yet a crooked road was once taken to it via Goodwin Sands (cryptic def.; town of Street near G.; ref. G. K. Chesterton ‘The Rolling English Road’, “… we went to G. by way of Goodwin Sands”).

F. L. Usher (Leeds): Steal softly from the pavilion, hold the bat snugly or twiddle, and take your place (anag.; (p)Avilion, Tennyson’s Avalon).

Comments—416 correct. Practically all the errors occurred In the encoded answers. Some tried to encode JUNO at 1 dn. (MNBN), being prepared, apparently, to swallow the curious word NRIG at 13, and to accept her as a Greek goddess! The danger of confusing the two processes—encoding and decoding—seems to have accounted for many of the mistakes.
 
One or two competitors raised doubts about Canute’s date. The authority for 1017 was The New Encyclopaedia (Jack); other authorities seem to disagree, some giving 1016 and a few 1018.
 
The standard of clues sent was high, but comparatively few managed to do much good without anagrams. The idea embodied in the puzzle seems to have appealed to many. A few tigerish wolves asked for a harder version; X. had already intended, once solvers had been introduced to “Playfair,” to give them one In which the key-word has to be discovered by pure deduction, without help from interlocking words This is threatened for some time next year!
 
[The runners-up list is missing from the archive Slip copy.]