XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 543

NUTRIA / ERMINE

1.  F. B. Stubbs (Nottingham): Found rooting about the bank—could spell ruin at Old Street—magistrate’s livery (anag.; 2 mngs.; ref. Ermine St., old Roman Road, and O.S. Magistrate’s Court).

2.  P. H. Morgan (Torquay): Tough has wind up: if caught he’ll get skinned in determined judicial fashion! (nut + air (rev.); hidden, ref. judge’s robes).

3.  D. B. J. Ambler (Midgham): The tough’s got slight wind up: stole material of value, making a faltering claim to ownership, furtive beast (nut + air (rev.); er mine; stole¹, n.).

H.C.

C. Allen Baker (Milnathort): Make certain of “The Detective Disappears, or The Long-Bodied Creature”! It’s hair raising enough to make the blood dry up! ((det)ermine; nut (= young blood) + air (rev.)).

J. W. Bates (Westcliff-on-Sea): The makings of a muff, in the rough in a rut; the makings of another —in mere foozling! (anag.; anag.).

P. M. Coombs (Burgess Hill): Blonde’s fur wrap’s taken nearly all my “Ernie”—almost crazy raising the wind towards fur suitable for the wife! (anag. of m(y) Ernie; nut(s) + air (rev.); ref. Premium Bonds; raise the wind = raise funds).

F. E. Dixon (Rosslare): Before devouring (tail first) game stoat, the Spanish otter gives it a run free (nim¹ (rev.) in ere; anag.; nutria (Sp.) = otter).

C. E. Gates (Kettering): Up with an iron at St. Andrews, involving something of a putt—a hair-raising four-footer! It’s enough to daunt a rabbit, but I’m up and in—an eagle! ((p)ut(t) in airn (rev.); I’m (rev.) in erne; rabbit = inferior golfer [see comments]).

V. Jennings (Reading): Little beast due to be flayed shows sign of hesitancy—with sorry mien, head has to freshen up to give something warming! (er + anag.; nut + air (rev.); ref. school caning).

Mrs E. McFee (Rhos-on-Sea): It’s tough raising the wind for a fur—an expensive fur. You could get it if Ernie did the right thing about a thousand! (nut + air (rev); M in anag.; ref. Premium Bonds; raise the wind = raise funds).

C. J. Morse (SW10): Smart young thing wants to show off getting up in one expensive fur before appearing about midday in another! (nut + air (rev.), i.e. young blood; m. in ere + in).

F. E. Newlove (SE9): Old Street magistrate wears handsome coat, otherwise déshabillé most of trial! (2 mngs.; nu (= naked, Fr.) + tria(l); ref. Ermine St., old Roman Road).

R. F. Pardoe (Stoke-on-Trent): Perking the beak, an eagle swoops to clutch ’im up, head down, then bearing up what looks like a large water-rat (’im (rev.) in erne; nut + air (rev.); perk = dress smartly).

S. L. Paton (Newburgh): Myopotamus is a form of rat universal in a place where tykes are apt to dig—its black tail-tip is characteristic (anag. of rat U in; E.R. (= East Riding) + mine; M. = coypu, qv.).

R. Postill (Jersey): Head’s got wind up. Little rat stole stuff the property of a beak; (half of beer belonging to me!) (nut + air (rev.); (be)er + mine; stole¹, n.).

H. Rotter (Edgware): I provide an excellent present for partner, proper caught in No Trumps with King and one—Ace Queen in my possession is a valuable cover (U in NT + R I A.; ER + mine; ref. bridge).

T. E. Sanders (Walsall): It may be a Royal Artillery unit that gets caught in a trap—a regiment that’s hoist with its own petard, bigger than something that just goes “pop”! (anag. inc. RA; RE (rev.) + mine; ref. song “Pop goes the weasel”).

J. F. N. Wedge (Carshalton): Madam likes my warm embrace in the runabout I run at present almost enough to make her marry me! (anag.; (h)er mine, & lit.).

RUNNERS-UP

Lt Col P. S. Baines, E. C. Bingham, Mrs G. Bonsall, Mrs A. L. Boorman, T. Davies, G. H. Dickson, M. S. Y. Fowler, E. Gomersall, J. Hooper, Mrs L. Jarman, J. W. Johnston, G. Kirsch, P. G. Lamb, A. Lawrie, Miss J. S. Lumsden, Dr R. J. Lumsden, A. D. Mattock, D. P. M. Michael, W. L. Miron, B. G. Quin, E. J. Rackham, H. Rainger, A. Robins, E. O. Seymour, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, W. K. M. Slimmings, J. Walters, J. B. Widdowson, C. E. Williams.
 

COMMENTS:—254 entries, 231 correct: the commonest among the few errors was “watch” for CATCH—the latter fits the three meanings in the clue very straightforwardly, the former very inadequately at best. It was a difficult puzzle and a difficult pair of words to clue effectively: the most successful competitors were those who aimed at some degree of simplicity, which is called for to counteract the complication of a double clue. I couldn’t help thinking, when reading some of the entries, that if all the clues of the puzzle had been like that, there would have been no entries at all! I thought the most ingenious clue of all was Mr Gates’s; but I reluctantly relegated it to the H.C.s as too difficult to be ideal—the rare Scots form of iron plus “something of a putt” for “ut,” though perfectly sound, being a trifle too unhelpful in conjunction with an elusive definition; but it forms a brilliantly apt combination. Some competitors, as before in this type, failed through joining their two clues with redundant ands, buts, etc.: these are foreign to the idea.
 
In case it affects anyone’s plans, I’ll tell you now that the next competition but two will be on Aug. 30 instead of Sept. 6.