XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 519

RIDICULE (DLM)

1.  F. Aylmer (Cobham):
Why did Irish mockery make Il Duce irate?
Because the Eire the Führer.

2.  Lt Col P. S. Baines (Chatham):
Roast the turkey, baste with lard,
Stuff with garlic—Dieu vous garde!

3.  R. J. Steel (Croydon):
W. idle curiosity and the railing round a bungalow?
One is simple interest, the other’s compound.

H.C. (extra prizes)

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort):
’Tis idle curiosity that
Has cooked the goose of many a cat! (goose, vb.).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson (Fareham):
W. a terribly U, idle, rich schoolboy and chaff?
One needs fags, the other feeds nags.

E. G. Durham (Liverpool):
Pray mock me not, my love is true.
Tho’ winds be rude, I cling to you.

J. A. Fincken (N11):
From idle curiosity why flee?
Make game of Life your fav’rite pastime be.

S. B. Green (NW10):
I gaze into your eyes—don’t laugh at me:
It isn’t idle curiosity.

Mrs M. R. Griffith (Caernarvon):
Mock me, cruel, I die of pain:
Kiss me, sweet, I live again.

E. M. Hornby (SW3):
At idle curiosity don’t mock:
A grain of knowledge grows into a rock.

Mrs L. Jarman (Brough):
W. idle curiosity and a mock auctioneer?
One relies on whiches and whats, the other on watches and wits.

P. H. Morgan (Torquay):
W. a false nose and a Druid relic on a wet day?
One’s a ruddy mockery, the other’s a muddy rockery!

F. E. Newlove (SW9):
What does a railing round a heathen image put a stop to?
Idol (idle) curiosity.

S. L. Paton (Newburgh):
In what way did Il Duce irritate the Nazis?
He used to be “little (belittle) Hitler.”

R. Postill (Jersey):
Why is idle curiosity about roast chicken inconclusive?
Because a prior’s (pryer’s) habit doesn’t cover the parson’s nose!

R. D. Prior (Harrow):
A butt, my love, we’ll scorn to be
For idle curiosity.

A. Robins (Manchester):
Why can a lunatic always make jokes about lice during the full moon?
Because then he’s a perfect nit-wit!

Mrs E. M. Simmonds (Cookham Dean):
“What makes a maid cruel?” I cry.
“A crude male” is the mocking reply.

J. G. Stubbs (Southall):
Why does a schoolboy fisherman laugh at Euclid riders?
Because he knows his lines and angles.

G. H. Wilde (Leeds):
Why is an entry on a football coupon like a nice, lurid film of horrors or strip tease?
Because an X means a draw.

C. E. Williams (Purley):
The idle cur in every race
Will mock the winner of the chase.

M. Woolf (W9):
W. a guy on an idle cruiser and the dentist on an oil-carrier?
One’s a Yank at anchor, the other’s a tanker yanker.

A. J. Young (Gravesend):
Why is idle curiosity like a jolly good hand at solo?
Because they both put an end to the kitty! (jolly, vb.).

RUNNERS-UP

Mrs M. H. H. Barclay (R), W. Bates (C), N. H. Bingham (R), Rev C. M. Broun (R), A. H. P. Cardew (R), Mrs J. Chalkley (C), F. J. Clark (R), E. F. Clayton (R), P. R. Clemow (R), F. L. Constable (C), P. M. Coombs (R), W. Darby (C), D. M. Devine (R), F. E. Dixon (C), L. E. Eyres (C), M. B. Fisher (C), Mrs N. Fisher (C), C. E. Gates (R), R. McD. Graham (C), M. L. Herridge (C), S. Holgate (C), B. J. Iliffe (R), F. G. Illingworth (C), Rev R. Jarvis (R), V. Jennings (R), A. H. Jones (C), H. B. Jones (C), L. Jones (C), J. Hardie Keir (C), C. Koop (C), A. F. Lerrigo (C), Dr R. J. Lumsden (C), H. Lyon (R), Grp Capt G. Struan Marshall, T. A. Martin (C), Mrs E. McFee (C), T. W. Melluish (R), E. R. Morris (C), C. J. Morse (C), R. A. Mostyn (R), R. D. Newman (C), I. J. Nicholas (R), G. Perry (R), T. D. Powell-Davies (R), E. R. Prentice (C), Lady Reay (C), M. R. Sampford (R), T. E. Sanders (R), W. K. M. Slimmings (C), F. B. Stubbs (C), H. G. Tattersall (C), R. J. T. Thorne (C), Miss J. E. Townsend (R), H. S. Tribe (R), A. D. Walker (R), J. Waylett (R), M. Whitby (R), Mrs M. Wishart (C), J. S. Young (R).
 

COMMENTS.—560 entries, about 520 correct—I hadn’t time to check the last batch of solutions apart from those selected for the short list. The chief cause of error was FORINSEC. Nor is there time for me to write much here; hut I must say how much I enjoyed the entry, how easily the first prize-winner won, how glad I am that you enjoyed the puzzle. Thank you all very much for Christmas cards and good wishes, and a happy New Year to you all.
 
[Archive note: Competitors entered a DLM clue to RIDICULE in the form of a ‘cracker motto’; this could be a couplet or a riddle, marked as (C) or (R) in the runners-up list. In the clues, ‘W.’ at the start of a riddle indicates “What is the difference between …”]