XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 945

OBLITERATE

1.  N. C. Dexter: (Biol.) Treat defective end of a tube (anag. + e, & lit.).

2.  E. J. Miller: Cancel clues: container and contents are to be anag. & lit! (lit in anag.; clue² vb.; ref. Ximenes’ book).

3.  Mrs E. McFee: To remove traces of boil treat end of nose with new make-up (anag. + e).

V.H.C.

C. Allen Baker: It contributes nothing to be a litter bug; remove all traces completely (anag. incl. 0; bug = crazy).

J. W. Bates: Reduce tubular element; i.e. get tile changed into sort of boater (anag. in anag.).

P. F. Bauchop: To do away with troublesome boil treat with the end of a needle (anag. + e).

R. T. Baxter: To wash out with a compound of bitter aloe (anag.).

T. E. Bell: Alter it somehow in order to make illegible? (anag. in OBE).

J. E. Biggin: Make unreadable, i.e. blot out, then tear to pieces (anag. + anag.; out = at fault).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson: Practically blot out, repeat, blot out (anag. of blo(t) + iterate).

L. L. Dixon: Means to blot out, i.e. a blotter out (anag.).

Dr J. Foster: Do this to a Beatle and the rest could form a trio (anag. of Beatle trio, & lit.).

R. J. Green: Delete: i.e. blot out and tear to pieces (anag. + anag.).

H. J. Kilpatrick: Blot out without end—repeat, blot out completely (anag. of blo(t) + iterate).

A. Lawrie: I’m cross through having fallen in love with scold (lit in 0 berate; light³ = come down).

Mrs B. Lewis: A sponge will lift the elbow unendingly—assuming I treat, anyway! (anag. incl. elbo(w)).

Mrs S. M. Macpherson: Blue-pencil, i.e. blot out and spoil (anag. + rate; rate³ = ret).

D. P. M. Michael: Obscure characters run amok in Beatle riot (anag.).

M. Newman: Blot right out, i.e. a blotter spoilt (anag.).

R. Postill: Wipe out Beatle and disorganised trio remains (anag. of Beatle trio).

Sir W. Slimmings: Extract of bitter aloe, used here as purge. (anag.).

J. A. L. Sturrock: Purge made from bitter aloe (anag.).

J. B. Widdowson: Bitter aloe growing rampageous in scrub (anag.).

H.C.

W. G. Arnott, F. D. H. Atkinson, J. A. Blair, Rev C. M. Broun, C. O. Butcher, E. Chalkley, P. R. Clemow, M. O. Cockram, V. A. R. Cooper, A. E. Crow, A. J. Crow, A. J. Entwistle, Rev S. W. Floyd, R. P. C. Forman, J. H. Gardner, I. C. Gilchrist, E. Gomersall, C. Goodwin, N. J. Hitchin, Maj G. J. Insley, K. R. Jenkins, G. Johnstone, A. H. Jones, Sir S. Kaye, G. G. Lawrance, P. W. W. Leach, C. J. Luck, Dr T. J. R. Maguire, A. A. Malcolm, D. W. Mason, H. S. Mason, T. W. Melluish, C. K. Morgan, C. J. Morse, R. A. Mostyn, W. G. Mowforth, I. J. Nicholas, B. G. Palmer, R. F. Pardoe, L. S. Pearce, G. Perry, K. Pomagalski, E. J. Rackham, Rev E. G. Riley, Mr & Mrs A. Rivlin, K. A. Robinson, T. E. Sanders, J. M. Spencer, L. T. Stokes, J. T. Stringer, J. B. Sweeting, B. D. Tarr, Mrs C. M. Theodorson, D. J. Thorpe, R. S. Watson, G. R. Webb, Mrs M. P. Webber.
 

COMMENTS:—Another big entry—about 570, with very few mistakes. “Bitter aloe” and “blot out,” etc., were the two most popular ideas; I have chosen for mention those whose wording I liked best; I’m afraid their presence in the lists has produced a certain sameness. Of the more brilliant clues, three must have come near to prizes but for small points I didn’t quite approve of. Dr Foster’s clue doesn’t quite suggest that the letters of “Beatle” are out of order. Mr. Postill’s clue is similar, but he says in his note “out, vb.”; that leaves “blot” alone as the definition, and I don’t think it will quite do without “out.” In Mrs Lewis’s very amusing clue, I don’t think “assume” can. quite mean “take in” in the sense required; I also don’t quite like “anyway.” Things are often “all anyhow”; but? All three, however, are much too good to be excluded from special mention. I think the winner’s clue (he has been in tremendous form lately) is one of our neatest “& lit.” clues ever; the second one is also very neat, and the third I thought much the best of the more straightforward ones.
 
Now for those not mentioned. There were many new competitors, to whom I offer a hearty welcome; but a good many of them must learn to make their definitions sound. There was an absolute spate of redundant words in the definition parts of clues, e.g. “do away with him,” “do away with it,” “scrub it,” “Let’s clean the slate,” “make it impossible to read,” “to make it go”; there were dozens of similar ones. Then there were inaccuracies of other kinds, e.g. “a wash out” (noun), “closes up” (why the final S?), “complete removal” (noun), “we must blot this out” (answer should be a noun corresponding to “this”), “I make things difficult to read” (noun), “leaving no trace” (adj.), “it’s done away with now” (noun or adj.), “Not readily readable” (adj.), “must quell” (why “must”?), “do away with public schools” (a complete irrelevance), “blot out your engine troubles” (ditto). Finally, still one or two with no definition at all, e.g.” Talk about the goosefoot!”, and a plea that “now” can mean “no W,” i.e. “W to be omitted”; this seems to me quite outrageous. I don’t in the least want to be discouraging, but merely to stress that accuracy and fairness to the solver are essential. I have quoted many, in case some authors have not sent for slips; in this way I must reach at least some.