OUR PUZZLE POEM REPORT: AN ACCIDENTAL CYCLE III.

SOLUTION.
An Accidental Cycle III.
5. Lamp Explosions.
Some use cheap lamps, whose oil, alas¹!
Is held in china or in glass,
Such folly² no one can surpass.
6. Escape of Gas.
When you escape of gas detect,
Don’t search about with lighted match,
But for a little while reflect—
It might your head from form detach.
7. To Cyclists.
If you’re cycling down a hill
With a waggon³ coming towards you,
Keep your head;
And to save an awful spill
Make for hedge, though it accords you
Scratches red.

Prize Winners.
Twelve Shillings and Sixpence Each.
Jessie F. Dulley, Lindens, Wellingborough.
Ellie Hanlon, 1, Otranto Place, Sandycove, Dublin.
G. Meggy, Rimpton Rectory, Bath.
Janet M. Pugh, Bronclydur, Towyn, Merionethshire.
Ethel Tomlinson, The Woodlands, Burton-on-Trent.
Seven Shillings Each.
Mrs. Ethel Hartley, 310, Rotton Park Road, Birmingham.
John Marshall, 13, Prospect⁴ Road, Child’s Hill, N.W.
Eben. Mutten, 17, George Street, Devonport.
Katharine Mary Stanley, The Old House, Washingboro’, Lincoln.
L. Trotman, 26, Blessington Road, Lee, S.E.
Helen B. Younger, 5, Comiston Gardens, Edinburgh.
Very Highly Commended.
Mrs. Acheson, Eliza Acworth, Agnes Amis, Annie A. Arnott, Margaret E. Bourne, Nellie D. Bourne, Rebecca Clarke, Rev⁵. Joseph Corkey, Mrs. G. H. B. Cumming, Ethel Dickson, Cecil French, Mrs. W. H. Gotch, Edith E. Grundy, Meta Kelway, Eliza Learmount, Agnes McConnell, Mrs. Nicholls, Rev. V. Odom, Annie B. Ormond, Isabel Snell, Frederick Wm. Southey, Ellen C. Tarrant, Constance Taylor, C. Thompson, Mary F. Wakelin, Edith Mary Younge.
Highly Commended.
Division I.
Edith Ashworth, S. Ballard, Rev. F. Townshend Chamberlain, Lillian Clews, Helen Margaret Coulthard, J. L. Ellson, Herbert V. French, Annie M. Goss, Ellen Hambley, Francis Hingston James, Mrs. Latter, Dora Laurence, Eva H. Laurence, Carlina Leggett, Winifred A. Lockyear, Mrs. C. A. Martin, Jennie M. M’Call, F. Miller⁶, Helen M. Norman, Violet C. Todd, W. Fitzjames White, Henry Wilkinson, Alice Woodhead, Elizabeth Yarwood, Diana C. Yeo.
Highly Commended.
Division II.
Eva Mary Allport, Lily Belling, G. Brightwell, Jane Lindsay Campbell, R. Swan Coulthard, George Robert Davidge, Leonard Duncan, Eleanor Elsey, Mrs. F. Farrar, C. S. Gregory, Hilda Mary Harrison, Charlotte Hayward, Florence Hayward, Ethel Winifred Hodgkinson, Madge L. Kemp, A. Kilburn, Gertrude Longbottom, E. Lord, Annie Manderson, Helen A. Manning, E. Mastin, Jessie Middlemiss, E. M. Le Mottée, J. D. Musgrave, E. Pearson, N. E. Purvey⁷, Kate Robinson, M. Winifred Shakespear, Bettie Temple, Mrs. Mabel Tench, R. Marjorie Thomas, Ellen Thurtell, M. Tolson, Frances H. Webb-Gillman, Margaret M. Wilcox.

EXAMINER’S REPORT.
Here is another award at last to excite indignant comment and criticism. So large was the number of first-rate solutions that we had to pounce⁸ upon the most trifling⁹ errors with a keenness worthy¹⁰ of a better cause. After we had examined and re-examined again and again, we were rewarded for our exertions¹¹ by finding that faults abounded¹², the enormity of which might fairly be expressed in sixteenths.
For instance, a failure to indent¹³ the lines properly was reckoned one-sixteenth of a mistake. The substitution of “around” for about was counted two-sixteenths, and so on, with arithmetical precision. As only a limited number of names can be mentioned, all we have to do is to draw the line at a certain point (in this case it was at nine-sixteenths), and say: “Beyond that, no mention.” The result is an adjudication which can face criticism with a very fair amount of confidence. And here let us say that if any competitor thinks that an injustice¹⁴ has been done, we hope she will not harbour the thought privately¹⁵, but frankly¹⁶ let us know as soon as the report appears. We much prefer to have the opportunity of acknowledging a mistake or of proving that none has been made.
To return to the puzzle. Many competitors failed to notice the “s” in the title, and wrote “Exploding Lamp.” This could only be regarded as a whole mistake, and was therefore fatal to any chance of success.
The rhythm of the first line, No. 6, was often marred¹⁷ by the insertion of “an.” In the second line, as we have already intimated, “around” could not be considered equal to about, for a reason which a reference to the puzzle will divulge¹⁸. In the fourth line “face” was continually given for head, though the better sense of the latter reading is obvious, and the puzzle form of spelling “detach” was often adopted without thought.
In No. 7, “Cycling” was the title generally given, though many solvers were careful to read the two into it. This was an error we could not very severely¹⁹ condemn²⁰, and as a matter of fact two solutions which were perfect in every other respect, were admitted into the prize bundle. In the first line “you are” would not do instead of the contraction²¹ you’re, neither did the insertion of “a” before hedge improve the rhythm of the last line but one. In the same line we did not object to the more strictly²² grammatical “accord” in place of accords, although the puzzle gave the latter.
We have received several letters questioning our award on “An Accidental Cycle II.” We have turned up every solution written about, and find that absolute justice was done to each. For the benefit of a very large number of solvers who cherish similar doubts in silence, we may say that the mistake of spelling “some one” as one word was a very important factor in the adjudication. That our report should have contained no reference to this point was an unfortunate circumstance.
The award on the whole series of Accidental Cycles cannot be published for two or three weeks, the number of solutions being very large.

1 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

2 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

3 waggon   

n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱

参考例句：

• The enemy attacked our waggon train.敌人袭击了我们的运货马车队。
• Someone jumped out from the foremost waggon and cried aloud.有人从最前面的一辆大车里跳下来，大声叫嚷。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

6 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

7 purvey   

v.（大量）供给，供应

参考例句：

• They have two restaurants that purvey dumplings and chicken noodle soup.他们那里有两家供应饺子和鸡肉汤面的餐馆。
• He is the one who would,for a hefty fee,purvey strategic advice to private corporations.他是那个会为了一笔数目可观的酬金而将策略性建议透露给私营企业的人。

8 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

9 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

10 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

11 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

12 abounded   

v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Get-rich-quick schemes abounded, and many people lost their savings. “生财之道”遍地皆是，然而许多人一生积攒下来的钱转眼之间付之东流。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Shoppers thronged the sidewalks. Olivedrab and navy-blue uniforms abounded. 人行道上逛商店的人摩肩接踵，身着草绿色和海军蓝军装的军人比比皆是。 来自辞典例句

13 indent   

n.订单，委托采购，国外商品订货单，代购订单

参考例句：

• A firm order is often called an indent.确定的订单常称作订货单。
• Bid will be evaluated strictly in accordance with the indent specifications.投标将按照订货单的技术条件严格评估。

14 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

15 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

16 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

17 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

18 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

19 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

20 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

21 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

22 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。