XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 907

SORITES (Misprints)

1.  J. D. H. Mackintosh (W. Wickham): Something like corn’s all around it—e.g. the middle of the grain (riddle; it in sore’s).

2.  R. P. C. Forman (Windsor): Middle class English society surrounds one (riddle; I in sort + E S).

3.  J. Leece (Leeds): How many gallons in a tankful? Take it in Esso “Mixture,” and get that special kind of power (poser; r it in anag.).

V.H.C.

W. G. Arnott (Newcastle): I’ve had it, bruises on both sides—I’m a philosophical loser (poser; it in sores).

J. F. Coldwell (Worthing): A test of seduction, to fill tremulous sister with love (deduction; 0 in anag.).

J. Coleby (Buckley): This kind of power is delusive; it is beset with sorrows (poser; it in sores).

N. C. Dexter (Market Harborough): Anything but a good guzzle will rouse the sot’s ire (puzzle; anag.).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson (Fareham): A cautious question such as “What is the result when situations contain an alternative?” (captious; or in sites).

H. J. Godwin (Swansea): Tories’ confusion after the onset of Smith produces a loser (poser; S in anag.).

S. Goldie (Enfield): I’ve more than one sink in my premises; it’s surrounded, by plague-spots (link; it in sores).

N. L. Hindley (W11): Clench it with a spray of roses (elench; it in anag.).

E. G. Illingworth (Bangor, Co. Down): Gold found in more than one place gives cause for celebration (cerebration; or in sites).

L. Johnson (Tunbridge Wells): A sophisticated form of poker in which a singled-out player is beset by hawks (poser; It in sores; sore² = young hawk).

J. H. C. Leach (NW3): Sobers carelessly dismisses Brown’s first one, getting it in the middle (riddle; it in anag. less B; cricket).

Mrs B. Lewis (E. Molesey): Form of seasoning for a duck—a touch of rosemary in ground sulphur (reasoning; 0 r in site + S).

D. P. M. Michael (Newport): Places for building house or spacious adjoining premises (specious; or in sites).

C. G. Millin (Swindon): At the Lyceum, the chair of logic held by the professor it esteemed (chain; hidden).

C. J. Morse (SW10): A string of prepositions, such as backward learners put on the end of sentences (propositions; tiros (rev.) + (sentence)es).

R. Postill (Jersey): Sex-appeal in a setting of roses? This just invites seduction (deduction; it in anag.).

J. W. Taylor (Stoke): Professor I testimonialised holds chair of logic (chain; hidden).

J. F. N. Wedge (Carshalton): Quite vexed about it—Sunday can provide much menial work! (mental; it in sore + S).

H.C.

R. B. Adcock, D. B. J. Ambler, C. Allen Baker, Maj A. S. Birt, A. J. Bisset, Mrs A. L. Boorman, R. Brain, J. C. Brash, C. I. Bullock, C. O. Butcher, A. N. Clark, D. L. L. Clarke, J. H. Cleary, R. M. S. Cork, Mrs M. P. Craine, A. J. Crow, J. Crowther (Calcutta), J. Flood, R. Game, A. B. Gardner, W. F. Goodman, R. R. Greenfield, Dr G. P. Hartigan, J. M. Hendrie, F. G. Illingworth, Maj G. J. Insley, Mrs L. Jarman, E. G. Jones, R. E. Kimmons, A. Lawrie, L. F. Leason, Mrs R. D. Lemon, J. L. Mackie, H. S. Mason, Mrs E. McFee, E. McNeal, E. J. Miller, P. H. Morgan, F. E. Newlove, Mrs N. Perry, Mrs J. A. Pinhey, J. Riley, T. E. Sanders, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, W. K. M. Slimmings, F. B. Stubbs, F. J. Walker, G. R. Webb, G. Williams, Mrs M. Wishart.
 

COMMENTS:—About 225 entries, about 190 correct: this sort, a tough assignment, always reduces the entry, but I’m sure, from appreciative comments, that it is worth retaining about once a year for the sake of the gluttons for punishment. As usual, some of those who failed did so through disregarding the essential condition that there must eventually be an equal number of misprint clues across and down and of misprint answers across and down: the rest mostly failed through writing in misprint answers to clues which clearly contained misprints. Unless I blunder by writing more than one clue that can, without correction, fit an unmisprinted answer—and I am very careful not to do so—the possibility of alternatives, with the conditions provided, cannot, I think, arise.
 
There were no brilliant clues that stood out a mile from the entry, but there were plenty of goodish ones; hence I don’t think there is as much difference as usual between the best and the least good of those quoted, and the long list of H.C.s is amply justified, many of them being not far behind.
 
In response to many requests, I will add that my book “Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword” (Methuen) is to be published, at last, as far as I know, on June 23. There are to be paper-back versions at 15/- and solid-back ones at 25/-—rather expensive, I’m afraid, like everything nowadays. There are a good many diagrams in the text, and this, I suppose, adds to the expense. I hope you won’t find too many misprints: I have found three so far, two trivial, one—”saying” for “player”—on p. 150, line 5, which is much more annoying. However, I shall be content if there aren’t many more.