Eric Chalkley (Apex) writes - 'To give Ximenes the opportunity to enter clue writing competitions I used to circulate puzzle competitions among about a dozen of his most regular prize winners.  In 1969 I asked four of them - C.Allen Baker (CAB), C.O.Butcher (COB), Dr.T.J.R.Maguire (TJRM) and Sir Stephen Kaye (SK)- if they would like to write the clues for a crossword for X to solve.  They all agreed and I divided the 36 words into lots of 9 clues each. I also asked each to put all their initials plus mine (EC) together and make up an anagram of them as a pseudonym - we all voted for the anagrams submitted and chose 'JOCK McSCRABBET'.

I sent the Playfair Puzzle to Ximenes.  He took it to be one of mine and marked each clue and wrote his comments against each as usual.  He was very surprised when I told him what I had done.'

Playfair by Jock McScrabbet

In a 'Playfair' code-square, letters of a key-word, in which no letter recurs precede rest of the alphabet in order. The letter I does duty for I & J .  Answers to 4 clues with asterisks are to appear in diagram in code according to a code-square with a key-word which has to be discovered.  Encoding as in Ximenes Playfair Puzzles.
Across
1.***A clue by Ximenes? Restore me with a gin (6)
2. A perch by a hill-top - so. It's called climbing (6)
9. Seaweed in morning tea. Get knotted! (10)
10. Retiring, blushing - that's the bird for bed-time warmth (5)
11. Georgian piece of silver, Regency - and British to the core (5)
13. Beloved region, no longer cultivated (8)
15. Worries lightly touched on by the Beatles (5)
16. Extremes of eloquence about a lifeless person?
17. In the vernacular has no ma - defective-like (7)
19. Absent-minded fellow - one always going about undressed (7)
21. Those who don't get H.C.s go about inward wrecks (5)
23. A little book-learning is a dangerous flaw (5)
26. I'm often found in bed making lechers come to grief (8)
27. Summer month and thoughts of holiday time: is there _____ better? (5)
28. Feature of a pillar, rising between flutes (5)
29. A daftie, a daftie - chewed gum not for chewing (10)
30. County - when one is genteel, to make things plain (6)
31.***X in the Indian post: his letters often are (6)
Down
1. This was evidence when Adam was a bachelor (6)
2. To be blunt indeed, a sickening uppish way of speaking (10)
3. Pappy, dear pappy, will make me a train (6)
4. High flier in U.S. Intelligence reveals a border plant (7)
5. One has to be in step to one-step (5)
6. Being of substance, tawny, attractive am sexy (not half)in a bus (8)
7. Old measure - one that varies, rising in pace (6)
8.***Heavy stuff? - it's got arty B.A. puzzled (6)
9. A divine abbreviated wisp of skirt brings out the total figure (4)
12. Anagram from X - using it he produces the reverse of light (10)
14. Jelly - taking fish after one, it's bound to repeat (8)
18. Deadly, heartless, vile - could describe the Romanovs (7)
19.***Short down clue about nothing - for a silly ass (6)
20. Sturdy old Wellington in decay (6)
21. What shopkeepers do about a queue. Tell the others? (6)
22. One finds endless children saying this is fun (5)
24. An object of respect until balanced on its head (5)
25. Jock's unmatched and Pat's by Jove, unbegged (4)

Note for detectives:- Who is Jock McScrabbet?
X writes - Presumably E.C., but Poirot alone knows why! Please explain.
Very good fun. I Thoroughly enjoyed it and took longer than I usually do in finding the keyword. I've had a fair amount of practice at it through getting someone to set me equations to work from (without a crossword). At least six really excellent clues, but a few criticisms too, I'm afraid. Many thanks.

X

Ximenes' Comments on the Clues

Across	-	Down	-
1	-	1	-
5()	I don't much like "by"	2()	I don't like "to be"; worth two ticks without it!
9	Very questionable definition: not much sense unless I've misread it	3	Just passes
10.	-	4()	Dull (and I didn't know C.I.A.)
11()	"Georgian" needs a query: & I don't much like "to"	5	Nice idea, but completely unsound, I fear
13	-	6()	Rather clumsy
15	-	7	-
16	-	8	-
17()	sound but not, to me, interesting	9	Good effort at a dull word
19	but I should like "little" before fellow	12	-
21()	Not strictly true definition	14()	Not attractive
23	Nice, but why not omit intrusive hyphen?	18	-
26	-	19	I was absurdly slow getting this!
27	I very much dislike "thoughts of"	20	Unsound. A W. is an old bus, but a bus isn't an old W!
28	v.g. if it's true: I'm prepared to believe it is	21	-
29	good if "chewed" will pass: I think it will	22	-
30	-	24	-
31	-	25()	V. dull, but not unsound

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