Ximenes Competition No. 302 Ximenes Slip | ◀ 300 | 304 ▶ | Other competitions
| No. | Date | Clue word | Clue type | Clues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 302 | Sep 1954 | MARTIN | normal | 26 |
| Award | Clue writer | Clue | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | V. F. Dixon | He had to ruin coat with foil or something similar, dividing it in two halves | mar tin (vb.), & lit.; ref. story of St. M. of Tours |
| Second | M. Winterbottom | Migration involves me—and I go | comp. anag. incl. I go, & lit. |
| Third | R. Postill | How would you change “cocktail” into “name given to male bird?” Well, do it! | i.e. remove tail of Martini; name given to male (and) bird |
| HC | E. S. Ainley | Swallow a cocktail? Not I! Gin and lime can be my ruin! | Martin(i); ref. Mediterranean practice of trapping songbirds with lime traps |
| HC | C. Allen Baker | Turns egg with beak | nit ram (rev.), & lit. |
| HC | J. W. Bates | After March it returns, and then nesting starts | Mar + it (rev.) + n(esting), & lit. |
| HC | C. M. Broun | He gave half a mantle, parting with no feeling of grief, perhaps, inside | (pa)rti(ng) in man(tle), & lit.; ref. story of St. M. of Tours |
| HC | E. J. Collman | It is back North after the beginning of May and the return of the sun | M(ay) + Ra (rev.) + it (rev.) + N, & lit. |
| HC | G. H. Dickson | If this flier has a breakdown, damage can result | mar tin |
| HC | F. E. Dixon | Swallow the drink, not I, it’s Antrim blended! | Martin(i), anag.; ref. blended whiskey of NI |
| HC | S. Goldie | Swallow a cocktail? Not I—Black-and-White if it’s on the house | Martin(i); colour of house martin, B&W whisky |
| HC | J. A. Maxtone Graham | Monkey about with money? Not me! | ram (rev.) + tin, & lit.; ref. Martins Bank |
| HC | C. R. Haigh | Bird with an inverted beak and tail of shortened spike form | ram (rev.) + tin(e) |
| HC | A. D. Legge | Tours his diocese—an eavesdropper, maybe | 2 mngs.; St. M. of Tours; nesting in eaves |
| HC | F. McNeill | Take in early morning. Swallow whole | r in matin (Shakesp.) |
| HC | D. P. M. Michael | Member of family of noted bankers? Spot cash with skill in half a minute! | mar tin, art in min(ute); ref. Martins Bank |
| HC | J. J. Moore | After March it comes back North | Mar + it (rev.) + N, & lit. |
| HC | C. J. Morse | The entertaining Dean—Swift might be called that by a superficial observer | 2 mngs.; ref. Dean M. and Dean (Jonathan) S.; swift similar to martin |
| HC | D. A. Nicholls | Who’d be blessed with his summer damp and autumnal? I’m about ready to quit this country! | 2 mngs.; St. M.’s Summer: “a season of mild damp weather in late autumn” (Webster); migration |
| HC | T. D. J. O’Connor | Some bird! Free he won’t breed: give him a licence and he’ll go on multiplying | i.e. freemartin, martingale |
| HC | K. Perry | System of doubling stakes when losing holds no excitement for Americans, but I enjoy a flutter! | martin(gale); gale = a state of excitement (US) |
| HC | E. J. Rackham | From one of the planets drops a flying visitor | Marti(a)n |
| HC | A. Robins | I come in early or late summer, right in the middle of the wet stuff: if I came later, it might be dry! | rt. in main, martin(i) |
| HC | T. E. Sanders | Monkey about with money? Not in my business! | ram (rev.) + tin; ref. Martins Bank |
| HC | E. W. Steel | Change here for non-stop 10.00 train now departing for the south, returning by air 4.55 | anag. incl. M; i.e. 10.00 less stop = 1000; birds migrating in Sep 1954 return in Apr 1955 |
| HC | I. Young | Damage can result from this eavesdropper! | mar tin; nesting in eaves |
Runners-Up in competition 302: