◀  No. 96 Clue list 27 Feb 1949 Slip image No. 98  ▶

XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 97

NESTOR

1.  S. B. Green (NW10): Heroic Greek crossword composed by Ximenes and Torquemada jointly (i.e. hidden in Ximenes Torquemada).

2.  Lt Cdr G. Dennison (Fakenham): Does this oracle tell us where to find the goose that laid the golden eggs? (i.e. nest or2).

3.  G. R. Long (Bournemouth): “Ne sutor …” Enough, old wiseacre, you sound lacking (ne s(u)tor; ‘you’; see ultracrepidate in C.).

H.C.

Dr J. N. Fell (Colchester): Hercules did not kill him, but the monster lost his head and got badly mauled about (anag. of (m)onster; ref. story of sons of Neleus).

S. R. Gibbs (Sheffield): He’s a wise man to get out of the clutches of Ximenes, Torquemada and Co.! (hidden in Ximenes Torquemada).

H. F. Henfrey (Wells): Early type of successful solver who would have been completely taken in if Torquemada had succeeded Ximenes (hidden in Ximenes Torquemada).

J. B. Job (Bath): So Ximenes and his predecessor get inside advice! (hidden in Ximenes Torquemada, & lit.).

D. A. Lloyd (NW8): Ximenes? Torquemada? A wise man gathers something from each ((Xime)nes, Tor(quemada)).

E. L. Mellersh (Enfield): Gold beyond the North-East strait—he sought and gave advice (NE St or2; ref. Argonaut).

D. P. M. Michael (Newport): Secret adviser on completion of Ximenes to Royal Person (hidden).

F. E. Newlove (SE9): Finish Ximenes and then start on Torquemada? That’s a counsel of perfection! ((Xime)nes, Tor(quemada)).

Mrs D. M. Newton (W. Wickham): “From Ximenes. Torquemada and Co., Good Lord deliver me!”—the wise man says (hidden in Ximenes Torquemada).

A. E. North (Nottingham): Type of wisdom employed by both Ximenes and Torquemada for their own ends ((Xime)nes, Tor(quemada)).

R. Postill (Jersey): Antipodean parrot sensibly has learned Greek! What a talker! (hidden rev.; genus of kea parrots).

H. Ingram Rees (Edgware): Sage is just the thing for egg substitute (nest or).

W. K. M. Slimmings (New Malden): He suggests that X. latterly has begun picking Torquemada’s brains, and his advice is usually sound ((Xime)nes, Tor(quemada)).

D. W. H. Tripp (Ware): It takes a wise man to translate our Latin (anag. of noster (L.)).

J. Walton (Dunfermline): Wise man! He’s being converted to the right (anag. of ens + to R).

E. Ward (Sale): The right man to go to with your problems in Ximenes, Torquemada, etc. (hidden).

J. F. N. Wedge (Sutton): You’ll find the sage under the goose—that laid the golden eggs? (i.e. nest or2).

J. B. Widdowson (SE6): It’s a wise man who boxes nearly all the compass clockwise (i.e. N, E, S to r(ight)).

F. K. Wilson (Glan Conway): Within an ace of being involved in treason, the wise old bird keeps both home and foreign gold (anag. of tre(A)son, nest or (Fr.)).

 

Comments.—332 correct: not many errors, most of them caused by the “ax” failing to drop!
 
“Hidden” clues abounded, many being a little too obvious. I hadn’t thought of the X.-T. combine, which was amusing. I considered Mr. Green’s clue much the best of this kind; some lost marks by being too long. I badly wanted to give six prizes: the unlucky ones in the end were Messrs. Lloyd, Mellersh, and Postill. Was Mr. Lloyd’s “trap”—“men-tor”—any more intentional than most of my “traps” are, I wonder? Chambers doesn’t give the “parrot” meaning, but Mr. Postill’s clue is excellent even without that feature: most of the others which used it would have been hard on those who rely on C.
 
Runners-up.—E. S. Ainley, D. Ambler, Rev L. Blackburn, B. Burton, Mrs Castle-Knight, R. A. W. Cohen, P. M. Coombs, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, J. H. Dingwall, J. M. Doulton, Mrs M. E. Duncan, Brig W. E. Duncan, Mrs N. Fisher, Rev B. Foley, Mrs D. Fuller, D. Godden, S. Goldie, R. G. Gordon, L. W. Jenkinson, Miss W. Lawson, A. F. Lerrigo, J. P. Lloyd, R. C. Macfarlane, Mrs E. Mellersh, N. Meredith, W. L. Miron, B. A. Newman, A. P. O’Leary, G. H. Podmore, A. R. Read, T. W. Rigg, J. L. Ruddle, E. O. Seymour, Mrs E. M. Simmonds, Mrs A. L. Stevenson, W. C. Tame, T. R. Tear, L. E. Thomas, J. Thompson, H. S. Tribe, H. D. Wakely, R. J. Worrall, L. C. Wright, J. S. Young.
 
Ximenes Dinner.—Cdr. Dickson asks me to say that “there will be room for a few non-prizewinners;” as time presses, applications will be dealt with by him in order of receipt. The list must close not later than March 19. The date of the Dinner has been fixed for Monday, April 25, at the Trocadero. His address is:—Great Fontley Farm, nr. Fareham, Hants.
 

 
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