◀  No. 187 Clue list 9 Mar 1952 Slip image No. 189  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 188

Beware the Ides of March (Anagram)

1=  C. M. Brown: Show Cimber the deaf ear.

1=  C. J. Morse: Show Cimber the deaf ear.

3.  Rev B. Chapman: Hear the wife bode? Scram!

H.C.

C. A. Baker: Heed wrath: Cimber’s a foe! (or similar).

R. Bryan: We fear Cimber’s hot head.

A. N. Clark: Heed wrath: Cimber’s a foe! (or similar).

G. M. Clarke: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

W. W. Cove: Chief, Rome weather’s bad.

V. F. Dixon: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

B. L. H. Ford: Chief, Rome weather’s bad.

Mrs D. Fuller: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

S. B. Green: Bred for it, he came, he saw …

R. R. Greenfield: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

Mrs M. Henderson: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

F. G. Illingworth: Each dream bothers wife.

E. Irving: Heed wrath: Cimber’s a foe! (or similar).

H. Joyce: Heed wrath: Cimber’s a foe! (or similar).

G. G. Lawrance: … which Rab seemed to fear (ref. R. A. Butler, Chancellor in recently-elected government).

C. J. Lowe: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

J. McCann: C. has had it: we free Rome. B.

M. B. McIlroy: Heed Cimber—or was he fat? (“Let me have men about me that are fat”).

F. E. Newlove: We fear Cimber’s hot head.

E. R. Prentice: R. A. B.’s feat—Do we cheer him? (ref. R. A. Butler, Chancellor in recently-elected government).

Mrs J. Robertson: Bad weather for chemise! (“Enter. Caesar in his night-gown”).

A. J. Rushworth-Lund: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

S. P. Shanahan: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

H. G. Tattersall: Chief, Rome weather’s bad.

J. Thompson: Fear Cimber, what he does (or, Fear what he, Cimber, does).

H. S. Tribe: Which fears debate more?

W. H. Victory: Heed it, we—“Cash for me.—R. A. B.!” (ref. R. A. Butler, Chancellor in recently-elected government).

RUNNERS-UP

E. S. Ainley, J. A. Blair, J. P. Bowyer, J. Brown, Mrs Craib, F. E. Dixon, L. L. Dixon, J. Duffill, W. M. Easther, J. A. Fincken, J. C. Frost, Mrs D. Gardiner, C. E. Gates, Dr E. S. Hawkes, P. J. Higgins, H. C. Hills, P. Holtby, Rev H. M. Jamieson, D. S. Johnson, H. King, R. H. Lemon, Mrs Levick, A. R. Meredith, D. P. M. Michael, R. J. Munnings, A. C. Okell, J. D. P. O’Leary, M. G. Powell-Davies, G. W. Pugh, H. B. Ridley, W. Rodgers, Mrs E. Shackleton, J. C. Smith, J. Steele, Capt W. A. T. Synge, L. W. Titman, D. J. Wade, W. H. Weightman, I. Young, J. S. Young.
 

COMMENTS—298 correct—this excludes those who failed to find the warning as well as those whose solutions contained mistakes. The only common mistake in solution was “tailyie,” which does not fit the clue—nor can I find authority for its spelling. There was some doubt as to what I meant by “appropriate”. I thought it would be clear that I wanted a warning to Caesar in other words (my own version might have suggested that). However, as I didn’t actually say so. I have given H.C.s to many that are not warnings and to the four best of the entries which disregarded Caesar and aimed at a topical result. The version of the two Oxonians seemed to me much the best: it was because Caesar listened to Cimber that the conspirators were able to get at him. I liked Mr. Chapman’s best of the other genuine warnings. The most popular verson of all was “Fear has bewitched Rome,” sent by 14 competitors: these are among the runners-up. I didn’t care much for versions which preserved whole words (other than, of course, “the”). I had made this task harder by pinching “Caesar” for my own version, and great ingenuity was shown.
 
Opinions varied a good deal on the difficulty of finding the warning. I wonder how many used the hint—the figure 3 in an unchecked space. About a dozen people mentioned that it helped them. I am glad the puzzle was so much enjoyed and provided a pleasant variation to so many. The composition didn’t present so much difficulty as many of you thought: I started, of course, with those letters of the of the warning in their places and compensated myself for the handicap which these provided by including 40 words instead of 36 and no long ones: I don’t think it took me much longer than a normal “Plain” diagram. (I supply these details in response to many enquiries and kind remarks, for which many thanks.)
 

 
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