XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 52

RATION

1.  A. E. Smith (Farnham Royal): Tranio, disguised, offers a thin and slender pittance (anag.; ref. The Taming of the Shrew IV.4.61).

2.  Miss D. W. Taylor (W5): Tranio’s “thin and slender pittance” possibly? (anag.; ref. The Taming of the Shrew IV.4.61).

3.  L. E. Eyres (York): To exceed this allowance by a bare fraction is a sin (aberration is anag. of bare ration).

H.C.

M. Anderson (Dollar): It’s on the cards that it may turn to rain (anag.; ref. ration cards).

Inst Capt J. Camp (NW11): We are now having an unusually large —— of sunshine; it might easily turn to rain (anag.).

T. H. Cubitt (Surbiton): Was the Food Minister’s speech guillotined? (oration with head removed; F. M. responsible for rationing).

C. B. Daish (Swindon): Not air? It’s confoundedly like it, nowadays (anag.; ref. cuts in rations due to harsh winter of 1946/1947).

Mrs D’Eath (Haywards Heath): It’s about to rain: a lot maybe, but it never seems quite enough! (anag.).

T. C. Fitzpatrick (Glasgow): Food supply in a parlous state—and Ontario’s added nothing to it! (Ontario is anag. of ration 0; ref. food shortages due to harsh winter of 1946/1947 and Canadian aid).

G. Kerr (Glasgow): Expect nothing more than this meagre portion for the spit (expectoration less expect o).

R. H. Lemon (Cheltenham): Shows how guns may change into butter, amongst other things (RA + anag. of into; ref. Nazi slogan: “Guns make us strong, butter makes us fat”; butter was rationed).

R. C. Macfarlane (Edinburgh): The Ministry’s name for the fair bit which is calculated to turn to rain (anag.; Min. of Food).

T. W. Melluish (SE24): A bit drawn out, but a speech is nothing without it (cryptic def.; oration less 0).

Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Worship without fuss has its points (adoration less ado; ref. points system of rationing).

E. G. Phillips (Bangor): A daily allowance, served out at ten in the Navy? (at 10 in RN).

E. J. Rackham (Totton): Hardly enough sometimes: but you add nothing to it by making a speech (0 plus ration gives oration).

W. O. Robertson (Marlow): An ’opeless method of working an allotment (operation less ope).

J. F. Smith (Nottingham): Mr. Strachey can add nothing to it. but he’ll make a speech! (0 plus ration gives oration; ref. John Strachey, Min. of Food 1946-1950).

Miss R. Speight (Bradford): “Much ado” this for Strachey? It ’ud take a bold ’un to say so! (ado plus ration gives adoration; ‘rash ’un’; ref. John Strachey, Minister of Food 1946-1950).

A. M. W. Wood (Teddington): The rump-fed sailor’s wife could get away from this (anag. of aroint: ref. Macbeth I.3.7, “‘Aroint thee, witch!’ the rump-fed ronyon cries").

Half-yearly consolation prizes—F. A. Clark, G. A. Hornsby, R. Macleod, Maj D. P. M. Michael, Mrs M. G. Porter, R. Postill, W. H. J. Wheeler (3 commendations each); 20 competitors have had 2 each. Among prize-winners S. B. Green recovers the “championship” with 3 prizes, 5 commendations: next come Rev E. B. Peel (2 and 5), T. W. Melluish (1 and 6), Miss D. W. Taylor (1 and 4), P. H. Taylor (2 and 1), Mrs Kirsen and C. Koop (1 and 3), M. Anderson, D. Ashcroft, E. H. Evans, D. S. Milford, R. C. Reeves, T. E. Sanders and Capt C. Tyers (1 and 2). 85 new names have swollen the Honours List to 443.
 
Comments on No. 52—203 correct. Many of the errors were guesses at 29 and 40 by those who had not completed the disentangling process. Of the others “eugh” cannot be accepted for 36, since the context—if not the puzzle!—demanded cries of praise rather than disgust; nor will “Earne” do for 14, since it involves a spelling unsupported by any of four atlases consulted, including The Times. A few competitors unfortunately did not read the rules and wrote clues to the wrong word. The successful clues were exceptionally good, and several of the H.C.s are up to the normal prize-winning standard. Tranio and his pittance are wonderfully appropriate; Mr Smith just gained the preference over Miss Taylor for his slightly more attractive wording. Among those who came near to commendations were—H. W. Burdett, N. Buxton, E. G. Durham, W. E. Green, Maj Michael, D. G. C. Mockridge, Rev F. T. Summers, A. H. Taylor, E. D. Tuthill. X. thanks many for appreciative remarks.
 
A guess by one incorrect solver produced an amusing result. “Less than the dust beneath thy cheroot wheel” reads strangely, even in an Indian Love Lyric!