◀  No. 135 Clue list 4 Jun 1950 Slip image No. 143  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 139

HECATOMB

1.  E. J. Rackham: Performance of this appealed to the gods, but emptied the stalls (cryptic def.; ref. cattle stalls/theatre-goers; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

2.  L. E. Eyres: When a couple of toms come to grips, and biting begins, there’s bloodshed galore (he-cat/tom overlapping + b [see comments]).

3=  T. Bilsborough: To me, Bach with variations is what the old cows died of! (anag.; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

3=  M. L. Booker: “Pale Hecate’s offering” maybe, but nothing for Macbeth to be upset about (O in anag.; ref Macbeth, II.1; H.’s “offerings”= ritual sacrifices (Brewer)).

3=  J. Hardie Keir: The killing that got Macbeth in a fuss about nothing? (O in anag.).

3=  A. F. Lerrigo: A really killing show, not much appreciated in the stalls perhaps, but it appealed to the gods (cryptic def.; ref. cattle stalls/theatre-goers; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

3=  T. W. Melluish: Macbeth nothing moved by numerous victims? (anag. incl. 0).

3=  Capt C. Tyers: The result, perhaps, of war or famine coming—or maybe both came (anag.).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley: This is of cardinal importance, leading a hundred to a grave conclusion (HE C a tomb, & lit.; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

M. Anderson: O Macbeth! Even you could not produce such a shambles—or could you? (anag.; shambles = a place of carnage).

D. Ashcroft: A century composed of skied cows—much appreciated, by Jove, but not placating the Spinners! (cryptic def.; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer); cow-shots (cricketing slang); the Spinners = the Fates).

E. C. Double: Male Siamese Cats born to provide a very great sacrifice (he-cat/tom overlapping + b.; cf. Siamese twins [see comments]).

S. Goldie: Clearly a bit of a she-cat and a bit of a tomboy; a deadly combination! ((s)he-ca(t) + tomb(oy)).

R. H. Hearn: O Macbeth! No wonder thou art deranged, with such a host of victims (anag.).

G. T. Herring: A great number of victims come to Bath for treatment (anag. of come Bath).

L. W. Jenkinson: Victims in two Classic races—both came unstuck (anag.; ref. Greek & Roman races).

D. Jones: Holy smoke! Lady with form in triplicate’s not finished and there’s a deuce of a mob behind her (Hecat(e) + anag. of mob; Hecate depicted in triple form (Brewer)).

C. Koop: That bumping off theory in practice, so altogether fatal to one’s beastly century! (cryptic def.; ref. cricket; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

F. E. Newlove: Tom runs into the pit, out of the stalls and up to the gods! (he-cat, overlapping tomb; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer)).

R. O’Donoghue: A great many sufferers take a headache that’s splitting to the doctor (anag. of (head)ache + to MB).

R. Postill: The atom bomb cache contains enough for wholesale slaughter—and 100% reserve (i.e. half of anag.).

T. E. Sanders: This is the century a grave consequence would result from the victimisation of the lower class (cryptic def.; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer); lower = cow).

G. A. Shoobridge: Many victims: Tom goes down to ring doctor (he-cat O MB).

A. E. Smith: The large number of victims finished off by M & B gives a bad headache to the doctor! (anag. of (head)ache + to MB; i.e. ends with m and b; ref. beer brand).

L. D. Wakely: Temperature round about 100 goes to the head of disorderly crowd. Many victims (C in heat + anag. of mob).

J. F. N. Wedge: Many people who have already had it take to M & B after a troublesome ache (anag. of ache + to m, b; have had it = been killed; ref. beer brand).

M. Woolf: Hundred head of beef offered at great sacrifice. Could let you have them B.O.A.C. (anag.; sacrifice of 100 cattle (Brewer); ref. airline).

J. T. Young: Teach mob violence and you may have mass murder (anag.).

 

COMMENTS—484 correct and few errors. I must apologise for my ignorance over avocados: I gather, from three (gourmet?) solvers that they occur in salads, not as dessert. All I knew, I confess, was that Chambers calls them fruit—but cf. tomato! Quite!
 
I readily picked out the few clues from which the top prizewinners came, but I found the choice of H.C.s as against runners-up very difficult: the gap this time is in many cases a narrow one. I wondered how people would deal with the overlapping tomcats: we have no regular technique for this. Then “Siamese cats and twins” I said to myself (I don’t normally think about the word beforehand, but this just happened). The few who actually did use “Siamese” didn’t, to my mind, produce very interesting results: Mr. Double owes his H.C. to the idea, soundly executed: the others were less successful. Mr. Eyres made his Cats “come to grips”: we should probably use this phrase quite happily of parts which don’t overlap, but I should hesitate to call it unsound in the sense in which he used it and I think he well deserves his prize. How about ‘Siamese” grafted on to his very neat finish? Perhaps something like “After Siamese twin toms begin biting, there’s bloodshed galore.” Mr. Rackham’s winner is an excellent straight clue: in Mr. Lerrigo’s longer version the addition of “killing show” doesn’t, to me, compensate for the extra length. Mr. Bilsborough gave me a good laugh and Mr Booker is skilful, though the inevitable suggestion that “hecatomb” is derived from “Hecate” is a pity rather than otherwise. Mr. Postill’s idea is most ingenious and brilliantly executed, but perhaps it is a thought over-elaborate.
 
Alas! Less paper next month, and you know what that means. Those of you who prefer the old regime will, I hope, shed a tear for the keen, non-competitive solvers.
 
RUNNERS-UP—F. G. Adams, W. J. Baldwin, Dr Ball, E. P. Barrett, J. W. Bates, Mrs Caithness, Rev B. Chapman, D. L. L. Clarke, D. L. Clements, J. Coleby, W. W. Cove, J. A. Derbyshire, T. H. East, G. W. H. Edgcomb, H. H. Elliott, C. Ewan, J. A. Fincken, Mrs Fisher, A. R. Fraser, Mrs J. O. Fuller, A. B. Gardner, C. E. Gates, P. G. W. Glare, R. G. Gordon, S. B. Green, W. E. Green (Beverley), S. J. Horner, H. J. Howells, C. B. Joyner, E. A. G. Junks, G. G. Lawrance, R. Lumley, E. L. Mellersh, W. L. Miron, H. C. Pilley, E. R. Prentice, Mrs Robertson, A. Robins, A. J. C. Saunders, Rev F. R. Standfast, Miss Tatham, J. Thomas, L. E. Thomas, J. Thompson, C. F. Tomlin, H. S. Tribe, D. W. H. Tripp, E. Wainwright, H. D. Wakely, E. Ward, D. G. Wilson, Rev P. G. Woodcock, W. J. Youngson.
 

 
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