XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 35

RIFE (DLM)

1.  K. J. Harding (Carshalton): “Common sense,” he fired back, “has no girth!”

2.  T. W. Melluish (SE24): Friend Withershins!” (manifest mirth!).

3.  R. Postill (Jersey): And, qua rotifer, ample in girth.”

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Wishaw): He sighed “No. friends—too wide-spread in girth!”

Miss Comyn (Abingdon): And, dear friend, too abundant in girth.”

L. P. Cook (Sheffield): And too plentiful, friend, in your girth.”

P. M. Coombs (Burgess Hill): And showed manifest grief at his girth.

A. B. Dale (Purley): And too wide-spread if reckoned in girth.”

E. Dulac (NW8): And, my friend, too abundant in girth.”

E. F. Edwards (Appleton): Try abundant fried eels for its girth!”

L. E. Eyres (York): My old friend, and too ample of girth.”

I. W. Headry (Stranraer): So a well-supplied friend got his berth.

Lt Col C. Hordern (W8): Then merged grief in the prevalent mirth.

Miss G. M. E. Jolly (Crediton): And too plentiful, friend, in your girth.”

L. A. Jones (St. Albans): Too wide-spread, dear friend, in your girth.”

J. E. C. Jukes (Rottingdean): And, friend, too abounding in girth.”

R. Macleod (St. Andrews): Then laughed, “No, friends; too ample in girth.”

H. B. McCaskie (SW7): Try refining its manifest girth.”

F. E. Newlove (SE9): Fie! Reduce your abundant top-girth!”

H. Rainger (SW3): Reduce, friend, its plentiful girth.”

H. I. T. Rees (SE22): And too widespread, my friend, in your girth.”

J. R. E. Saunders (Cardiff): And too well-supplied, friend, with girth.”

G. O. Smith (Tonbridge): Refine, sir, its plentiful girth.”

Capt A. K. Trower (Wargrave): Pray refine its too plentiful girth.”

Miss I. M. I. Twells (Pembury): Eat abundant fried eels and halve girth.”

W. H. J. Wheeler (Wembley): And too plentiful, friend, in the girth!”

COMMENTS—404 correct: ROPE for PORE was the commonest error, caused by failing to find FORPET = quarter (Chambers). Over 50 entrants failed to comply with the conditions, and some had original ideas as to the scansion of limericks. The best possible ending was, perhaps, a retort by the hero, and Mr. Harding produced the neatest, embodying a profound truth! Strictly speaking the inverted commas at the end of the fourth line should not have been removed; but X decided not to rule out about two-thirds of the entry by insisting on this. Mr. Melluish and Mr. Postill were not purists on this point, but Withershins is a grand name for a footballer who rotates but ill, and “qua rotifer” is also delightful. A large number, of whom several are mentioned, sent lines like that of Miss Comyn; but some of them failed to preserve continuity, changing the subject too abruptly from crassitude to embonpoint. Similarly “its” seems essential to lines like Mr. McCaskie’s, Reasons of this sort explain many omissions, in case some unhonoured authors feel that their lines were very like those honoured. It may console the unsuccessful to know that the line which X himself originally wrote to end this limerick would not have got a mention! It was rather dull—“And his friends enjoyed plentiful mirth.” X congratulates his conquerors and also thanks many kind solvers for appreciative comments.
 
[Archive note: DLM puzzle in the form of Limericks. Competitors supplied the last line of one of them.]