A note from the Membership Secretary
The pilot has arrived safely. The islander has lodged a complaint about the journey. The Membership Secretary has filed both in the appropriate department.
Here are the workings of the crossing prepared for Wednesday 30 September.
Mr Peregrine Fitch, Membership Secretary
The Crossing, as posed
Two clues, one shared letter. Eight letters across and eight down. They meet at the fifth letter of the across answer and the first of the down answer.
1 across (8). Pilot has somehow found a place of care
1 down (8). One malicious report makes an island inhabitant
The workings follow. Take another moment with the clues if you would rather solve them first.
The workings
1 across. Pilot has somehow found a place of care (8)
The answer is HOSPITAL. The definition is "a place of care". "Somehow" asks us to rearrange PILOT HAS. Those eight letters become HOSPITAL, with nothing added and nothing left over. The pilot belongs to the surface story; the letters belong to the solution.
1 down. One malicious report makes an island inhabitant (8)
The answer is ISLANDER. "One" gives I, the Roman numeral. A malicious report is SLANDER. Join I and SLANDER in that order to make ISLANDER, "an island inhabitant". This is a charade: separate pieces are defined and placed side by side.
And the crossing
The fifth letter of HOSPITAL and the first of ISLANDER are both I. One small letter confirms both constructions.
The Doorkeeper's Question, answered
The previous Dispatch asked:
Foundation queue at the back of the court (8)
The answer is BASELINE. A foundation is a BASE and a queue is a LINE. Joined in order, they make BASELINE, the line marking the back of a tennis court. The court belongs to the definition; the foundation and queue supply the two pieces.
This week's Doorkeeper's Question
Biscuit banger (7)
The answer appears in the next Dispatch.
The Society publishes a daily crossing for those beginning, and a course in four volumes for those continuing.
Visit societyofcrossedwords.com.