◀  No. 825 Clue list 29 Nov 1964 Slip image No. 832  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 829

FAREWELL

1.  H. S. Tribe (Sutton): In autumn we’re piling up the last of the leaves (anag. in fall; pile up = crash; leave, n.).

2.  F. D. H. Atkinson (Claygate): Feed luxuriously, leaving one with a double chin! (fare well; i.e. chin-chin!).

3.  C. J. Morse (SW10): What makes the cost of travel keep on rising for so long! (fare + well).

V.H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): We’re inevitably corrupted, being beset by sin for so long! (anag. in fall).

J. M. Brew (Northwood): Leaving shortly we shall travel in the van (fare + we’ll).

N. C. Dexter (Market Harborough): Get on to W. Shakespeare’s last lines for success (fare + W + e + ll; i.e. fare well).

F. G. Ellingworth (Burnley): To succeed, clearly you must get the last word! (i.e. to fare well).

J. C. Farman (Edinburgh): We’re involved in lapse into sin in Eden’s vale (anag. in Fall; ’s = is).

P. H. Freeman (Shrewsbury): Reason for a send-off when Law gets in trouble with English League ref (anag. incl. E, L; ref. Denis L., Scottish footballer, recent incident).

J. Gill (Warlingham): Colloquially speaking, King Lear’s last words get me; Lear flew into a rage! (anag.; end of K.L. is “so long”).

S. Goldie (Enfield): New-style wear in shaggy hair—a parting, and it’s waved (anag. in fell4).

J. H. C. Leach (NW3): Pitcher makes a come-back in Yankees’ autumn final (ewer, (rev.) in fall).

T. W. Melluish (SE24): Remote place near Epsom, causing brief hold-up of the Derby (far Ewell; D. = bowler hat).

P. H. Morgan (Midhurst): Just, one hears, a bore and so long (‘fair’ + well).

F. E. Newlove (SE9): “Good going”? Epsom riders wouldn’t so describe it! (i.e. far Ewell).

D. A. Nicholls (Chester): Last words do nicely (fare well).

M. Packman (Liverpool): Parting the sheep in more distant of two pounds (ewe in far L,L).

R. Postill (Jersey): Last so long, yield to temptation—back in jug! (ewer (rev.) in fall; back in, vb. imper.).

Mrs E. M. Simmonds (Cookham Dean): Travel in comfort? We’re made to hang about so long! (fare well, anag. in fall; made = shuffled).

P. H. Taylor (Newbold-on-Stour): You’ll find the passenger enclosure near to each flight’s departure (fare well (= enclosure, etc.)).

J. F. N. Wedge (Carshalton): Send-off upsets Law, left-half and ref.! (anag. incl. le(ft); ref. Denis L., footballer).

G. H. Willett (NW3): Vale’s an out of date poetic word for a kind of depression surrounded by high ground (a rew (= rue) in fell; vale (L.)).

H.C.

J. Alderson, J. H. Atkins, J. W. Bates, Mrs K. Bollag-Bower, R. Brain, Rev C. M. Broun, J. A. Bulley, D. L. L. Clarke, P. R. Clemow, J. H. Dingwall, F. E. Dixon, R. N. Exton, C. R. Feather, M. S. Y. Fowler, J. F. Grady, D. Hawson, Mrs E. J. Holmes, E. G. Illingworth, L. W. Jenkinson, L. Johnson, R. E. Kimmons, A. Lawrie, L. F. Leason, Mrs B. Lewis, J. D. H. Mackintosh, Mrs E. McFee, D. P. M. Michael, Dr O. Munro, B. G. Palmer, E. G. Phillips, F. J. Tidd Pratt, C. Quin, Rev E. G. Riley, T. E. Sanders, J. H. Scott-Wilson, N. E. Sharp, W. K. M. Slimmings, A. J. Sobey, R. Stoddart, J. G. Stubbs, L. de V. Sunderland, J. B. Sweeting, P. Wilding, C. E. Williams, K. R. R. Wilson, Dr R. L. Wynne.
 

COMMENTS:—About 210 entries: hardly any mistakes in solution, but about 25 clues to the wrong word. The problem of spotting the theme seems to have been both easy, difficult and impossible: a good many familiar names were missing from the entry, and there were quite a lot of new competitors, who took it all in their stride. I’m glad I added the “Scone” hint: several people said they would never have got there without it. I meant it to be in the diagram in the ordinary way, but it kept refusing to go in! Its muddled presence in the tenth row was a pure fluke. As one or two perspicacious competitors guessed, I nearly made a howler: I carefully worked in “memory” under the impression that it was the last word of Coriolanus. Mercifully a reader checked them all, and pointed out that another word, “Assist,” followed it at the beginning of a further, incomplete, line! So I had to remove the italics from its clue. Perhaps I might have got “Scone” in, if “memory” hadn’t been a must, when I was composing. I think there is a good deal of luck in spotting themes: I say so feelingly, because I thought it would be good for me, while you were struggling, to try a similar old “Listener” puzzle, of which I had the diagram and clues but not the solution. I solved the whole puzzle, but I must now admit that I haven’t the least idea what the theme was, after several hours of thought. So I sympathise with those who failed. This, like a few other freakish types, should, I think, occur not more than once a year; but they seem to be worth while occasionally to give the pleasure of the dropping penny to those who succeed. Finally, I hope other gardeners will join me in appreciating, with equally ruined backs, the topicality of the winning clue.
 

 
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