◀  No. 122 Clue list 5 Feb 1950 Slip image No. 124  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 123

LEECHES

1.  T. E. Sanders (Walsall): One Minister of Health in an Attlee-Churchill coalition would not be enough! (sing. hidden in Attlee-Churchill; M. of H. = doctor; ref. impending Gen. Election, Feb 1950).

2.  G. G. Lawrance (Harrow): If Attlee and Churchill formed a coalition, these doctors would have only a single form to fill in (sing. hidden in Attlee-Churchill; ref. impending Gen. Election, Feb 1950; i.e. singular form).

3.  C. A. Baker (Wishaw): He’s after the floating half of the electors to canvass both left- and right-wing borderers (anag. of elec(tors) + he’s; leech2 = sail edge; ref. impending Gen. Election, Feb 1950).

H.C.

Canon G. D. Archer (Broadstone): Those who stick to their old paying patients? (cryptic def.; ref. National Health Service).

A. E. Clayton (Weymouth): Letting agents in the days of the Regency blood—usually glutted with applications! (cryptic def.; blood-letting, popular in 18c.).

F. L. Constable (Ludlow): They’re after your blood with a general reorganisation of Sch. ‘E.’! (Lee + anag.; ref. Robert E. Lee, income tax schedule).

Miss R. Le S. Filleul (Newquay): The M.O.s are led by a General R.E., but they may be attached to any corps (i.e. starts with (Robert E.) Lee, 2 defs.; corps = body).

A. B. Gardner (N13): Blast-proof shelter? You’ll need it! The Boches have lost their heads and they’re out for blood (lee + (Bo)ches).

C. E. Gates (Kettering): Scheele was a great chemist, but he has been sadly misrepresented in medical circles (anag.; ref. Carl Wilhelm S., 18c. chemist).

J. G. Hull (Seven Kings): Feel about nearly all in and nearly all aches? Try these pills ((f)eel (rev.) + (a)ches; pills = doctors).

T. A. Martin (SW12): Write in letters of blood! (cryptic def.; blood-letting).

I. M. Newall (Glasgow): You’ll find it hard to shake off some of these broken-down heels who hang around the neighbourhood of Fleet St. (EC in anag.; London postal district).

Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Punch man! More than one! They’ll draw blood! (2 mngs.; ref. John Leech, Victorian cartoonist).

H. B. Ridley (Leigh-on-Sea): Chancellors of the Exchequer? No—Ministers of Health, but vermin all the same! (cryptic defs.; i.e. blood-suckers; M. of H. = doctor).

O. Carlton Smith (Potters Bar): Chelsea’s had a bad spell and lost form: what they want’s an infusion of new blood (anag. of Chelsee).

P. H. Taylor (Newbold-on-Stour): Absolute suckers—might even be certified M.D. (2 mngs.; MD = mentally deficient).

W. R. Watson-Smyth (Ashford): Attlee back in front, Churchill short head behind, Davies last, 3rd. Result: “Vermin” or “Bevan boys”? ((Att)lee + Ch(urchill) + (Davi)es; party leaders in 1950 Gen. Election; Nye Bevan, Min. of Health, cf. ‘Bevin boys’ (miners)).

 

COMMENTS—311 correct—few mistakes. One or two competitors patiently pointed out that STYLOSA is not in Chambers. I knew that. I have never given an absolute guarantee. C., comprehensive though it is, naturally lacks certain familiar modernisms: it takes many words formed by suffix for granted; and it also happens to be rather niggardly in the matter of flower names. Even “nemesia,” for instance—one of the commonest annuals in the English garden—only appears in the supplement. My practice is, on the rare occasions when a word isn’t in C., always to give a very decisive secondary clue as well as a definition: then, if the word is an unusual one, I give a note saying that it isn’t in C.: but I don’t do this unless it really is, in my opinion, unusual. The “iris stylosa” is known to most gardeners: those who are unlucky enough to be uninterested in flowers have a decisive secondary clue to rely on. And the occasions are very rare anyway.
 
There was a wider gap than usual, I thought, between the best clues and their rivals this time, and there were again many obscure ones. I do insist on solubility, but not on solubility from scratch, which is what a few critics seem to want. Let these remember that in solving they don’t need to he able to solve more than a few clues from scratch. In assessing a clue they should therefore say not “Could I solve that?” but “Could I solve that if I knew one or two of its letters to start with?” This is the fair test, and there is a big difference.
 
Finally an example of one type of excessive difficulty which was prominent this week. If an anag. is indicated , by definition and not directly, the definition must be that of a common word and must not offer many alternatives. “Chemist” for “Scheele” and “ambassadors” for “elchees” leave the solver too much lo do: if either of these anags. was to he used, it should have been given directly, as Mr. Gales gave it. I shouldn’t even pass more precise definitions: the words aren’t familiar enough.
 
RUNNERS-UP—E. P. Barrett, Mrs F. Begg, Rev L. Blackburn, G. H. Clarke, M. B. Coyle, G. Davis, G. E. Denyer, J. H. Dingwall, J. F. M. Dow, Brig W. E. Duncan, A. Durrant, T. H. East, S. R. Gibbs, J. P. Hancox, F. H. W. Hawes, Miss D. Hill, A. B. Horne, C. H. Hudson, Mrs L. Jarman, J. H. Jennings, C. Koop, W. L. Miron, A. C. Norfolk, G. Perry, R. Postill, E. Prior, J. D. Race, E. J. Rackham, H. Rainger, J. N. Rich, W. O. Robertson, S. P. Shanahan, S. Sweet, J. Thomas, M. A. Vernon, A. G. H. Walde, E. Ward, J. F. N. Wedge, W. J. Wright.
 

 
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