XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 103

MOSES

1.  C. A. Thorogood (Buckhurst Hill): The mosquitoes leave nothing out, he prophesied (mosquitoes less quit 0; plagues of Egypt).

2.  O. Carlton Smith (Potters Bar): Though drawn out by the fair sex when quite young, he did not succumb to calf love (cryptic def.; drawn fom Nile, golden calf).

3.  Mrs L. Jarman (Brough): A leading purveyor of corrective tablets for the travel-sick (cryptic def.; Jews in wilderness).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Wishaw): It’s some scramble on Sunday—X rules and his words are law! (anag. + S; ten commandments, Mosaic law).

D. Ambler (Harrow): Mosquitoes discharge one round missing Liberator protected by smoke-screen (mosquitoes less quit 0; ref. WW2 fighters and bombers; Mt. Sinai).

Maj P. S. Baines (W11): Suffers disease, as a horse. Mosquitoes leave nothing out! (mosquitoes less quit 0; mose = to have glanders).

Mrs F. Begg (Aberdeen): I was rescued from the drink, and guided my family through the perils of it (cryptic def.; drawn from Nile, crossing of Red Sea).

D. L. Clements (Cheadle Hulme): Take the drawer out! There are writings there containing bits of old English (OE in MSS; drawn from Nile).

J. H. Dingwall (N12): Has, and was instrumental in spreading, disease of horses (mose vb.; plagues of Egypt).

Maj A. H. Giles (Leamington): Did he pull a cat’s tail when in the ark? (cryptic def.; cat’s-tail = type of reed; found in rushes).

S. B. Green (NW10): Under a cloud when he was called up—some trouble about a shilling short (s in anag.; Mt. Sinai).

L. R. Huxtable (Oldham): Beginning as a doctor, he won renown for his tablets, but caused more pestilence than he cured (starts with MO; tablets of stone, plagues of Egypt).

P. Irving (Edinburgh): One of the Primroses found by the “river’s brim” (2 mngs.; Moses P. in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith; ref. ‘Peter Bell’ by Wordsworth; drawn from Nile).

L. W. Jenkinson (Skipton): Hebrew writings with Anglo-Saxon interpolations (OE in MSS).

G. G. Lawrance (Harrow): How the sick bay carries on perhaps, with half the nurses arriving after the doctor (MO (nur)ses; mose vb.).

R. W. Lerrigo (Shell Haven): Had he spared the rod, the children would have been spoiled (cryptic def.; M.’s staff).

C. J. Morse (Norwich): Suffers from strange disease. Is that why he was given those miraculous tablets? (2 mngs.; mose = to have glanders; tablets of stone).

R. A. C. Norris-Jones (Guildford): I broke the law and obtained simply dozens of coloured glasses (2 mngs.; M. Primrose in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith: “a groce of green paltry spectacles”; broke tablets).

R. Postill (Jersey): A simple Primrose—found by the river’s brim (2 mngs.; Moses P. in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith; ref. ‘Peter Bell’ by Wordsworth; drawn from Nile).

G. W. Pugh (Ferndown): Primrose found by a river’s brim (2 mngs.; Moses P. in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith; ref. ‘Peter Bell’ by Wordsworth; drawn from Nile).

Miss G. Savory (Croydon): Primrose found by a river’s brim (2 mngs.; Moses P. in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith; ref. ‘Peter Bell’ by Wordsworth; drawn from Nile).

Mrs E. S. G. Sheehan (Liverpool): Subject of an old eau-de-Nil drawing (cryptic def.; drawn from Nile).

A. H. Taylor (Peterborough): Eminent jurist who made a digest of Old English manuscripts (OE in MSS; Mosaic law).

J. Thomas (Bangor): Notable find “by a river’s brim”: the Green Primrose (2 mngs.; Moses P. in ‘The Vicar of Wakefield’ by Oliver Goldsmith; ref. ‘Peter Bell’ by Wordsworth; drawn from Nile; green = inexperienced).

W. Thwaite (Coventry): He had two stones in hand and ran away with his race (cryptic def.; tablets of stone, flight from Egypt).

E. W. Tulloch (Richmond): Looked after children for forty years and made them learn their tables (cryptic def.; Jews in wilderness, commandments).

A. G. H. Walde (Kew): He was the subject of an eau-de-Nil drawing (cryptic def.; drawn from Nile).

COMMENTS.—328 correct. There was no repetition of last week’s disaster, but a fair number, being reduced to a guess between RUST and REST, guessed wrong. (Presumably the same sort of number guessed right!) The idea was that “mothers” may be “moth-ers.” i.e. those who seek to catch and destroy moths. “Moth and rust doth corrupt”: therefore rust might be regarded as an “alternative target” for such people in their campaign against corruption Quite enough said! Further explanations of puzzling clues are:—TRUNCATE is uncate if doubly truncate at its start. COPIER is cor (= a homer) involving pie (= confusion of types).
 
The standard of clues sent was high; hence long lists and no room for more comments.
 
RUNNERS-UP.—E. S. Ainley, Dr S. H. Atkins, G. W. Bain, Dr A. H. Baynes, R. D. Binnie, M. L. Booker, Rev B. Chapman, P. M. Coombs, F. Cropper, W. Darby, L. Dixon, Brig W. E. Duncan, C. Ewan, T. C. Fitzpatrick, E. H. M. Georgeson, Mrs M. Gibbs, S. R. Gibbs, J. H. Grummitt, G. M. Gwynn, Mrs B. P. Hall, R. Harrandell, Miss S. J. Homer, G. A. Hornsby, H. J. Howells, Mrs M. E. Jenkins, Mrs F. Laing, Mrs J. H. C. Lawlor, J. P. Lloyd, Mrs B. A. Mallett, E. L. Mellersh, A. D. Merson, D. P. M. Michael, D. G. C. Mockridge, Rev A. C. Morris, A. C. Norfolk, Mrs A. M. Osmond, J. D. P. O’Leary, R. C. Payn, Rev E. B. Peel, G. Perry, H. Ingram Rees, W. O. Robertson, A. Robins, F. Rose, P. H. Rowley, T. E. Sanders, A. J. C. Saunders, S. P. Shanahan, W. K. M. Slimmings, Rev H. M. Springbett, R. G. Tate, P. H. Taylor, Miss V. Telfer, L. E. Thomas, H. T. R. Twyford, Rev J. W. Waddell, E. Ward, R. J. Worrall, L. C. Wright.