| Clues in archive | First Prizes | Other Prizes | VHCs | HCs | Hons points | First mention | Latest mention | Career span |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F. L. Usher | 25 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 27 | 29 | Jul 1945 | Nov 1956 | 11y 4m |
| Clue word | Award | Clue | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ximenes competitions | ||||
| 1956-1957 | ||||
| 395 | SCALE-ARMOUR | VHC | The pangolin has this excellent defence: its diffusion of aroma’s cruel! | anag. |
| 1955-1956 | ||||
| 369 | BERET | VHC | Lanate tegument of certain nuts, occurring to a considerable extent in the Filberts | cryptic def.; 3 consecutive letters in Filbert |
| 1954 (2) | ||||
| 325 | MARRYING | VHC | The metal used in this form of linking is circular in shape: the triangular type is liable to fracture | cryptic def.; love triangle |
| 1954 (1) | ||||
| 279 | CRYPTOGRAM | VHC | There’s some hidden meaning in this stuff about Egypt being short of capital and/or cracking up | anag. of (E)gypt or in cram; ref. E.’s post-war economic instability |
| 1953 (2) | ||||
| 247 | VAMPIRE | First | Stoker’s nightmare: having to improvise a fire—and nothing to start it with! | vamp (f)ire; ref. Bram S., Dracula |
| 1953 (1) | ||||
| 213 | LEMONADE | VHC | Tart reply to a budding débutante asking for fizz | lemon a dé(butante), i.e. “the answer’s a l.” |
| 1952 (1) | ||||
| 186 | ASHMOLEAN | VHC | “Near to thee, Bacon,” Calverley might have said of this building; anyhow it has cut ham on sale! | anag.; ref. C. S. Calverley, “Ode to Tobacco”, and W. Bacon, tobacconist formerly of Broad St., Oxford |
| 183 | SAUSAGES | VHC | Turkey’s satellites have no longer any real guts—literally or figuratively | cryptic def., ref. Christmas dinner; ref. poor quality of post-war s., and Turkey’s ‘satellite cities’ restricting refugees after the 1951 UN convention |
| 1949 (1) | ||||
| 100 | Word containing ADDING | VHC | Restorative occupation for citizens found in the morning dead drunk | roadmending; anag. |
| 93 | BUMBLE-PUPPY | VHC | One who wished for a clear fire would surely have preferred poker to this game! | cryptic def.; ref. Mrs Bumble in Oliver Twist |
| 1948 (2) | ||||
| 85 | SERGEANT | Second | Striped, and infests barracks; to get him worsted apply insecticide | i.e. serge(ant); ref. insignia |
| 1948 (1) | ||||
| 70 | GARBAGE | Second | The lights are bad and it takes a long time to dress | garb age; lights = offal |
| 68 | ANTIGROPELOS | VHC | To keep the leg free from wet mud try scrubbing it longer with soap | anag. |
| 1947 (2) | ||||
| 64 | GLASTONBURY | VHC | Steal softly from the pavilion, hold the bat snugly or twiddle, and take your place | anag.; (p)Avilion, Tennyson’s Avalon |
| 58 | ECLIPSE | VHC | Bewailed poetically by one whose hair was removed in fifty pieces after a brush-up | ref. Samson Agonistes, I. 61; “Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse” |
| 54 | SPONGE | VHC | No pegs come amiss to him if free | anag. & lit.; peg = measure of drink |
| 1947 (1) | ||||
| 49 | ESPERANTO | VHC | A speech couched in neat prose must be made to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee | anag.: E. invented 1887 |
| 1946 (2) | ||||
| 36 | TARTARUS | VHC | Trust a R.A. Mess to show you where the worst spirits were kept | anag. |
| 34 | STAROSTA | VHC | Polish noble, though discretely camouflaged, is detected in starting for Aosta | star(ting for A)osta; N.B. spelling—discretely |
| 33 | TAMBERS | First | Sound qualities of English character can be discerned even in Mr. Bates (O Twist) | anag.; ref. character in ‘Oliver Twist’ |
| 1945 (2) | ||||
| 20 | NIERSTEINER | VHC | Are rents in Eire adjusted ad hoc in the black market? No, it’s still white | anag.; still white wine; pun on ‘Hock’ |
| 15 | ARRANGES | VHC | Orders no teas in a R.A. Sergeants’ Mess | anag. less teas |
| 1945 (1) | ||||
| 8 | KINCHINMORT | VHC | clue missing | |
| 6 | EGLANTINE | VHC | clue missing | |
| 2 | UNSPEAK | VHC | clue missing | |
Ximenes competitions
1956-1957
408 BILLET
1955-1956
382 ABSTAIN
351 LUSTRE
347 TELEVISOR
1954 (2)
306 CHICANE / RAMPART (Right and Left)
302 MARTIN
1954 (1)
281 SCRAPS def. LOCALS (Wrong Number)
277 PRODIGALLY
273 COUSIN
271 TRIPLET
1953 (2)
257 PYROTECHNICS (Straight Clue)
245 GLAMOUR / SOPRANO (Right and Left)
235 ASPHETERISM
1953 (1)
227 CATEGORIES
223 MELODRAME
1952 (2)
204 ROSTER (Printer’s Devilry)
202 SPALPEEN
1952 (1)
184 MEREST / WYOMING (DLM)
182 MISTLETOE
1951 (2)
178 HIDEOUS
1949 (1)
99 SCARABEE
1948 (2)
86 ODOMETER
80 GONERIL
79 SALOME
1948 (1)
72 TEMPLE BAR
1947 (2)
56 SHEEP-RUN
53 SHIN
| Year | Prizes (1, 2, 3) | VHCs | HCs | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ximenes competitions | ||||
| 1956-1957 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 1955-1956 | 0 | 1 | 3 | – |
| 1954 (2) | 0 | 1 | 2 | – |
| 1954 (1) | 0 | 1 | 4 | – |
| 1953 (2) | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 0 | 3 | – |
| 1953 (1) | 0 | 1 | 2 | – |
| 1952 (2) | 0 | 0 | 2 | – |
| 1952 (1) | 0 | 2 | 2 | – |
| 1951 (2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| 1949 (1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | – |
| 1948 (2) | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 0 | 3 | – |
| 1948 (1) | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 1 | 1 | – |
| 1947 (2) | 0 | 3 | 2 | – |
| 1947 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1946 (2) | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 1945 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | – |
| 1945 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | – |