Ximenes Competition No. 508 Ximenes Slip | ◀ 504 | 512 ▶ | Other competitions
| No. | Date | Clue word | Clue type | Clues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 508 | Oct 1958 | CUMBERGROUND | normal | 16 |
| Award | Clue writer | Clue | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | B. G. Palmer | Do you know the holder of the “Bun Record” Mug? The (White) Elephant! | anag. |
| Second | Mrs J. Robertson | It’s useless to trouble with foundation—get in the way of being reduced to powder | cumber ground in 2 senses each |
| Third | Miss D. W. Taylor | Clog having been worn down at the mill, I’m bootless | cumber ground |
| HC | C. Allen Baker | A white elephant is that on which something may be raised only after considerable trouble | cumber + ground |
| HC | Lt Col P. S. Baines | “It’s not worth a fig.” The Physician is mentioned in the hint. Take it! Then the derivation is apparent! | MB in cue + r + ground; Chambers def. refers to Luke 13.7, “why cumbereth it the ground” (KJV) |
| HC | C. O. Butcher | Being a vain piece of goods, I prefer the extravagant Mr. Cube to granulated! | anag. + ground; ref. trademark of sugar cubes |
| HC | R. N. Chignell | This was no good for fruit but a change of soil would make it a good place for climbers | ground for land in Cumberland; ref. Luke 13.7 |
| HC | Miss S. Dorrington | Don’t miss “White Elephant,” with classical and matchless Ingrid! Curvaceous! | cum (L.) + Berg(man) + round |
| HC | F. H. W. Hawes | Take a short cut with modern grub—throw it into the rubbish! | cu(t) + anag.; throw = twist together |
| HC | Mrs E. McFee | Doctor gets taken in by phoney drug—no cure: it’s absolutely useless | MB in anag. |
| HC | D. P. M. Michael | How Macbeth saw Duncan’s heir—similar end devised for him! | i.e. ground for land in Cumberland; ref. Macbeth I.4 |
| HC | C. J. Morse | The twisted curmudgeon with heart of marble is no use to anyone | anag. incl. (ma)rb(le) |
| HC | E. R. Prentice | This might he a vegetable that’s been cropped, left lying on the soil | (cu)cumber + ground, & lit. |
| HC | E. O. Seymour | When a poor mug gets landed with a bouncer, that’s rotten—the letters R. D. make the thing useless | anag. of mug bouncer RD; i.e. bounced cheque |
| HC | W. K. M. Slimmings | It’s no use a doctor being involved in a cure bedevilled by what a crank’s operation did | MB in anag. + ground |
| HC | J. B. Widdowson | Copper medal with former royal cipher inscribed in circle has no cash value | Cu MBE + GR in round |
Runners-Up in competition 508: