Beneath the limes which shade the lawn
Her bicycle she mounted;
And with a smile, ere she had gone
An hour, ten miles she counted.
It rained, it snowed, but nought could stop her,
Till in the slime, she came a cropper!
The words in italics have the same letters.
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162
The date of the new organ given by the
English is concealed in the lines of this inscription
above its keyboard at Ober Ammergau—
QVI CHRISTI LAVDES CANTANT
SANCTÆ PASSIONIS SVÆ VIRTVTE
IN IPSO ET PATRE VNVM SINT.
If the Roman numerals that occur in the
words are added together, they amount to 1894,
the date of its completion.
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163
A woman’s name
Of foreign fame,
Hers was a noble mind.
Now, sir, transpose,
And I suppose
No smaller thing you’ll find.
is solved by Stael, least.
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164
The French charade—
Pour avoir mon premier
Femme qui cache mon dernier
Manque souvent mon entier.
is solved by Mari-age.
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165
The charade—
Let go! let go! you naughty first,
Or you will make my second;
A stream of words will then outburst,
Swift as my whole is reckoned.
is solved by Current.
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166
My first is first when cruisers charge in line,
And oft in frosty skies is seen to shine.
Don’t spare my second if you would suggest
To an impulsive child the way that’s best.
My sporting whole, though now neglected grown,
Travelled by tube before the tube was known.
is solved by Ramrod.
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167
The enigma—
First of men we lead a measure,
Last we end the same.
Starting merrily, our pleasure
Is to finish lame.
is solved by the letters me.
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168
When Tom declared that he could give his
sister quite a simple sentence of seven common
English words of one syllable, which she could
not produce on her typewriter, he had in his
mind, “We can spell (to, too, two) in three
ways,” which cannot, of course, be expressed in
seven written words.
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169
The French charade—
Mon premier est un tyran, mon second un horreur,
Mon tout est le diable lui-même.
Mais si mon premier est bon, mon second ne fait rien,
Et mon tout est le bonheur suprême.
is solved by Mariage.
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170
Sydney Smith’s conclusion as to the value and
satisfaction of a City dinner was completed thus:—“I
cannot wholly value a dinner by the test
you do!” (Turtle, in Latin, testudo).
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171
DEAN SWIFT’S ENIGMA—
In youth exalted high in air,
Or bathing in the streamlet fair,
Nature to form me took delight
And clothed my body all in white;
My person tall and slender waist
On either side with fringes graced;
Till me that tyrant Man espied,
And dragg’d me from my mother’s side.
No wonder that I look so thin,
The monster stripp’d me to the skin;
My body flay’d, my hair he cropp’d,
And head and foot both off he lopp’d;
Pick’d all the marrow from my bone.
And then, with heart more hard than stone,
To vex me more, he took a freak
To slit my tongue, and make me speak.
But that which wonderful appears,
I speak to eyes and not to ears.
All languages I now command
Yet not a word I understand.
is solved by A Goose-quill.
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172
The answer to the riddle propounded by the
possessor of a new Keen Kut razor to his friend
whose chin was disfigured by scars, “What is
the difference between my razor and yours?” is—“Mine
cuts thoroughly; yours also cuts,
tho’ roughly!”
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173
The decapitated words are in italics—
The ship rode in an eastern bay,
Asleep astern the master lay,
A stern and rugged man was he,
And, like a tern, at home at sea.
Like swooping ern he caught his prey
Whene’er an R.N. came his way;
But while due N. the needle kept
He in his cabin lay and slept.
The ern, or erne, is the sea-eagle.
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174
When the tempest roars the loudest
Oft my first a shelter proves.
Say what fair one, though the proudest,
Spurns my next from one she loves?
When the storms of life are past
Earth provides my whole at last.
is solved by Covering.
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175
One syllable, I help to turn the scale
Of party strife or faction;
Recast me, and two syllables avail
To stop all further action.
is solved by vote, veto.
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176
The lines to an owl are filled in thus—
Oh, on old towers, thou gloomy owl,
Thou lovest to hoot, thou lovest to howl.
Or on old oaks your hollow tone
So lost, so solemn, sounds alone,
So mournful no one loves to go
Or of your hooting howls to know.
The vowel “o” occurs forty-six times in the six
lines.
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177
In the Army anagram—
I’m free to-day, the old sire said,
O no cell now have I to dread;
For this one happy day to me
Are glen and hill and forest free,
I, if I will, can ride, or fish,
A pit can enter, if I wish,
In search of chalk or sand.
In peace alone I now can dine,
And sing to Anna’s lute at nine,
Nor fear a reprimand.
the words in italics spell also soldier, colonel,
general, captain, and lieutenant.
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178
My first transposed becomes a name
Which may quite mean be reckoned,
Two syllables combine the same,
With one or two for second.
My whole when fields are fresh and green,
And softly blows the wind,
Where the first signs of spring are seen
Within the woods we find.
is solved by Anemone, the wind flower (name,
mean, anem, one, o, ne).
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179
The anagram enigma—
Silent long is the wood-bird’s song,
Bare is the woodland bough;
For waving trees in wintry breeze
Have “no buds now.”
is solved by snowbound, which contains exactly
the same letters as “no buds now.”
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180
The question of time—
A farmer with children sixteen
Killed the fattest young lamb of his flock.
To divide it these children between,
What must be the time by the clock?
is solved by a quarter to four.
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181
The Donkey drive—
To the far end of any train
Hitch on a pair of neddies;
Then you will hear, like steps of Cain,
The threat that in their tread is.
is solved by Ass-ass-in.
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182
The “Eating by Alphabet” enigma—
Take all the alphabet, and cast
Its final letter out;
Then set the first where was the last,
And this you bring about:
Without a cook, without a fire,
A dainty dish which men desire.
is solved by A past Y (a pasty).
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183
The charade—
My second with my first we greet;
My whole in earlier days
Gave understanding to the feet
That moved in tragic plays.
is solved by Buskin.
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184
The sentence—
Behest on thy lips, Society;
forms an Anagram of the proverb
“Honesty is the best policy.”
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185
This sentence, fashioned by eight schoolboys as
anagrams on their Christian names, arranged
in order—
“I thy Tom am sober and lie or live in dew, but
her brain sinned”—
reveals, when deciphered, the names Timothy,
Ambrose, Daniel, Oliver, Edwin, Hubert, Brian
and Dennis.
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186
The enigma—
In any coward’s company you find
That I have place.
Cut off my head, and from your mind
All wrong erase.
is solved by Fright.
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187
The double acrostic—
From “Punch,” 1875.
My first, elect among the few,
Chooses my second to expose his view.
1. Of various colours, changed at will,
1. I sit or stand for good or ill.
2. I rule alone from noon till night,
2. And when I am not am is right.
is solved
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188
A man in a rage should go to a “shooting
gallery,” because by its Anagram it is largely
soothing.
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189
The beatitude—
Let her be or beat her,
Give her little ease;
Then in safety seat her
All among the bees,
is solved by A Queen Bee. The Bee is made up of
the letter b (let her be), in Greek called Beta
(beat her), and two little e’s (ease).
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190
The puzzle-lines—
“We,” cried my first and second,
“Are not quite satisfied.”
“The story may be reckoned
Imperfect,” fourth replied.
Said third, “The fact indeed I tell,”
And so at last all ended well.
are cleared up by Satisfactory.
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191
The English proverb which is concealed under
its anagram—
“I dare not admit faint women,”
is Time and tide wait for no man.
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192
The charade—
My first and second are as best they should be,
My third in Latin mouth is what it would be,
My whole would soon be ashes if it could be.
is solved by Asbestos (os is Latin for mouth).
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193
Since Spooks, a subtle man is he,
Sublet this haunted house to me,
In bluest funk I bustle round,
And fear a ghost in every sound.
The four words in italics have the same letters.
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194
That which is found in the centre of Australia
and of America, and in no other place, is the
letter “r” (no other place).
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195
Grandfather’s riddle, “Do you know why is the
fourth of July?” is solved by the fact that the
fourth letter of that word is y!
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196
My first is never far away,
My next in Latin found;
My third may rage by night or day;
All make melodious sound.
is solved by Nightingale.
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197
Through the forest trees
Softly coo the doves;
Let a softer breeze
Foster youthful loves!
The words in italics have the same letters.
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198
The enigma—
At starting half your income take,
Then for my second write;
And let your table help to make
The total cosy quite.
is solved by Comfortable.
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199
The charade—
My whole is a circle complete,
Beheaded I fall to your feet.
Behead me again and I fry,
Or am baked in a savoury pie.
is solved by Wheel, heel, eel.
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200
The anagram sentences are recast thus into
single words—
See a pug dog.Red paper.
Pedagogues.Prepared.
Fat reward.
Afterward.
Stay, O morn.Set on a dish.
Astronomy.Astonished.
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201
The enigma—
If my whole by my second and first you divide,
One more than ten thousand it gives.
In the land of my birth I have dwindled and died,
In museums my memory lives.
is solved by Do-do.
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202
The paradox—
Though never present, I appear,
Of perfect form a token;
And all that centres round my ear
Is heard, though never spoken.
is solved by the word heard.
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203
The enigma—
Behead me twice, and it shall be
That I my perfect self regain;
Restore both heads, and you shall see
That most imperfect I remain.
is solved by Incomplete.
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204
Grant lady, grant your slave his whim,
And give the coming valse to him,
For this will salve his jealous heart,
Stricken so sore by Cupid’s dart.
If not, he laves his hands of you,
To seek fresh vales and pastures new.
The words in italics have the same letters.
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205
“Yes, yes, I know,” said Jack to Jill,
“That thirty-two is freezing point:
And I can tell you, if you will,
Exactly what is squeezing-point!”
is solved by Two in the shade!
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206
The puzzle—
To fifty add a third of one,
A third to five attach;
You have the means, when this is done,
To kindle any match.
is solved by Love.
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207
The missing words are in italics—
The untrained speculator in the City
Is robbed by peculators without pity.
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208
Read backwards it becomes—
Prosperity and peace; no barns empty; bills
long paid; not high rents; berries bright; no
birds hungry; merry Christmas comes.
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209
The anagram plants concealed in the sentence—O
rise love it lad never let this lamb chase
trains, are: Osier, violet, lavender, thistle, balm,
china asters.
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210
The enigma—
My first is quite a sin by name,
My third its simple cure;
My second puts an end to fame,
My whole of ease is sure.
is solved by Sinecure.
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211
The paradox—
Cut off my head, it is unshaken,
Cut off my tail, you turn it round,
But if both head and tail are taken,
Unconquered still I hold my ground.
is solved by TIT.
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212
The charade—
Why should we quarrel, first and third,
With nought between us but a word?
Let third leave second unessayed
To heal the breach these letters made.
If your solution be writ fair
You find my whole disjointed there.
is solved by I.O.U.
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213
When Funniboy wrote from Naples to his
friend, “Next week I am going ‘to plant onions,
etc.,’” it was an intimation by anagram that he
was bound for Constantinople.
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214
In haunted house to sleep I tried,
My dread first was my chum.
“With second of my first,” I cried,
“My whole I should become.”
is solved by Fearless.
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215
The enigma—
My first is possessive and second:
My second possessive and first.
Such banks most attractive are reckoned
By those for rich treasure athirst.
is solved by Thymy (thy, my).
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216
This is the completed palindrome—
REPEL EVIL AS A LIVE LEPER,
which reads alike from either end.
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217
When Tom Pickles’s father tried with a lusty
puff to blow the small cork into the bottle, the
sudden compression of the air inside, followed by
its expansion, drove the cork in an unexpected
direction, so that it flew out and struck him
sharply on the mouth.
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218
Acorns are as strong as oaken posts when they
propagate (prop-a-gate).
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219
The completed palindrome runs thus—
“Put it up but not on tub, put it up but not
on tub, put it up,” which reads alike from either
end.
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220