Clues written by C. J. Morse
HCs | Annual honours | Other competitors |
ordStats | See also: C. J. & R. S. Morse
Show results in All competitions Azed Ximenes
HCs | Annual honours | Other competitors |
ordStats | See also: C. J. & R. S. MorseShow results in All competitions Azed Ximenes
| Clues in archive | First Prizes | Other Prizes | VHCs | HCs | Hons points | First mention | Latest mention | Career span |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. J. Morse | 530 | 35 | 60 | 435 | 278 | 625 | Aug 1947 | Nov 2015 | 68y 3m |
| Clue word | Award | Clue | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2016 | ||||
| 2257 | BUST-UP / PIT-PAT (Right and Left) | VHC | Repair station’s rightly placed for quivering jalopy getting driven back for scrap | pit + pat; bus + put (rev.) |
| 2014-2015 | ||||
| 2244 | AVANT-GARDISTE | VHC | I get excited with V and A’s art: he prefers Saatchi’s | anag. |
| 2235 | CHOCK-A-BLOCK | VHC | Full measure of drink they had of old including wine with meal as a perk | hock in cab + lock2 |
| 2222 | OBJECT LESSON | VHC | Working on select jobs, endless working – that’s a learning experience | anag. & objectless on |
| 2220 | A twelve-letter ‘Christmas cracker’ (Christmas Cracker) | VHC | Fabled Wise Men pursuing one goal found finally in one Being true selfhood | IMAGINED/IDENTITY; IMAGIENDTITY; I + Magi + end; (foun)d in I entity |
| 2209 | (O)CT(O)BER (Letters Latent) | VHC | When a tree reddens, it’s caught by last of light, not morning amber | c + t + (am)ber |
| 2205 | CUMBERSOME | VHC | Difficult leading actor leaves set to take on an unspecified part | (Benedict) Cumberbatch with some for batch |
| 2013-2014 | ||||
| 2196 | SEMANTRA / TRABEATE (Overlaps) | VHC | Revolutionary design calls for vibrant bars in churches, mostly topped with horizontal beams | art names (rev.); beate(n) |
| 2191 | PLUG | Third | This I might change to get lights up | comp. anag. & lit. |
| 2187 | WEST | VHC | The States and Europe world’s leaders? That’s over | first letters (rev.) & lit. |
| 2183 | SANGRAIL | VHC | ‘Impossible’ goal split bar | sang rail |
| 2178 | PARISON | VHC | Each one could make a glass – and a siphon if moulded with care | comp. anag. & lit. |
| 2174 | CHARET (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Four-letter words? Ingrid’s having no un/ruly child’s play | |
| 2170 | SAYONARA | VHC | Butterfly’s last word in echo-sounding, circling for ever round and about | ay in sonar + a; ref. opera, Madama B. |
| 2168 | CENTURY (with missing C) (Missing Letter) | First | Five sore backsides to physic grieve Matron – not you, Dr Busby | score; last letters; ref. the Rev Dr Richard B., famous flogging headmaster of Westminster 1638-1693 |
| 2165 | OUT OF ORDER | VHC | Oxford University to make crossing through Queen’s prohibited | OU to ford ER |
| 2161 | FARRAGO | VHC | Rout (that’s dropped out in distant past) | r(out) in far ago, & lit. |
| 2157 | MELODRAMATIC | First | Overstrained, semi-declamatory? Yes, that it could be | comp. anag. & lit. |
| 2148 | ZOLLVEREIN | VHC | Cross lines I never crossed? Single market gives me that | zo ll + anag. |
| 2012-2013 | ||||
| 2144 | INFERNO (Spoonerisms) | VHC | Forehead higher to imply nous? Not half | horrid fire; infer no(us) |
| 2135 | LOB | VHC | You can get bowled by this for a duck | (b)lob, & lit. |
| 2131 | DIVES / MALIK (Right and Left) | VHC | One richly endowed goes down, a figure of authority. Almost maternal? | 2 meanings; ma-lik(e); ref. death of Lady Thatcher |
| 2126 | DESPERATE | VHC | Depart with See in disarray? That could be reckless | anag.; ref. former Pope’s resignation |
| 2118 | BLOKEISH | VHC | A bit of kindness gets ‘bolshie’ turning round to become ‘matey’ | k in anag. |
| 2116 | YULETIDE (with jumble of COMEDO) (Christmas Devilry) | VHC | Dietal uey – could good come of a ——? | comp. anag. & lit.; goof vtr; see Webster for dietal |
| 2113 | PICAROON | VHC | Thieving sort – an abandoned character, by the sound of it | Pica + ‘rune’, & lit. |
| 2109 | THICKETY | VHC | With crumbling yet to come, pest imports the end of ash densely planted | h in tick + anag.; ref. threat of ash dieback |
| 2100 | A STITCH IN TIME | VHC | Quick needle-and-thread job – or it’s machine time wasted covering it | it in anag. incl. t |
| 2096 | TRICK | VHC | Where Bolt runs, I for one take in a bit of magic | track with I for a; 2 meanings |
| 2011-2012 | ||||
| 2091 | SNIFTER | VHC | One strong draught to make you snuffle: another to pep you up | 3 mngs. |
| 2083 | BEWITCH | VHC | The internet’s regressive with a persistent urge to spell badly | Web (rev.) + itch |
| 2074 | BENNET | VHC | Signs of black earth, new and clear evidence of drought in S. England | b, e, n + net; ref. hose-pipe ban |
| 2062 | APPLE-KNOCKER | VHC | The makings of a pen-pal in a thousand? On the contrary, a boor from overseas | i.e. k in anag. + ocker, & lit. |
| 2058 | ROBUST | VHC | Strong currency left by EU in ruins | (EU)ro + bust |
| 2045 | CATENATE | Second | Form a chain with ‘lynx’ (e.g.) growing out of ‘links’ | cat enate |
| 2010-2011 | ||||
| 2040 | EASTER (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Th/is kiss – o me! – how suggestive of an oath being sworn! | |
| 2027 | THRENETICAL | VHC | Put line under unsound 13 ac. – it’s woeful | anag. + l |
| 2019 | OVERAWE / HENOTIC (Right and Left) | VHC | There’s nothing ‘ethnic’ about making one cow cover a week’s sandwiches | anag. incl. 0; hidden |
| 2012 | BLOATING | VHC | I’m tabling nothing exotic or fattening: shed the rich showy stuff and discover cereal | anag. incl. 0; bloating less bling = oat |
| 2010 | A COMING OF AGE | VHC | A ‘21’ event? Nothing before and after one would match Azed’s | i.e. 2(0)1(0) |
| 2000 | TWO THOUSAND | First | Out now, Azed’s latest – hats off! | anag. incl. d, & lit. |
| 1997 | FADO | VHC | It’s the plagal cadence you want for a sad song | i.e. fa-do |
| 1992 | FOULARD | Third | I often cover conjuring tricks, and I could expose an old fraud | comp. anag. |
| 2009-2010 | ||||
| 1984 | ORWEL(L)IAN (Doublethink) | VHC | Alias Blairite? But this would confuse it with New Labour | comp. anag. |
| 1979 | FAR-OUT | Third | Unsociable, not revolutionary, and trad, not rad – I mean rad, not trad | farou(Che) + t(rad) |
| 1971 | WATERMANSHIP | VHC | When ship breaks down within reach of the south coast, rowing craft comes out | man in Watership; W. Down in Hampshire |
| 1962 | ANADEM | VHC | What frump would wear this, even in vain daydreams? Maenad, possibly | alternate letters, anag. |
| 1960 | NGANA (3 defs + letter mixture) (Parcels) | VHC | Bum’s hurting again, damn – a gluttonous animal’s ailment | DAMAGING ANAL |
| 1958 | HANGDOG | VHC | Exhibit in gallery with towering deity looking down | hang + god (rev.) |
| 1949 | PALFRENIER | VHC | I care for horses: one I like’s mostly let go on loose rein | pal + fre(e) + anag. |
| 1945 | PRISON | VHC | You’ll find no reformed rips returning here | no + anag. (all rev.), & lit. |
| 2008-2009 | ||||
| 1936 | LITMUS TEST | VHC | Literature and music bear witness to some deeply revelatory event | lit. + mus. + test3 |
| 1932 | NINE-TO-FIVE | VHC | Following ‘Spoonerisms’ it’s nice to have a stab at this ‘plain’ type of job | cf. fine to knive; ref. AZ puzzle types |
| 1927 | TONSURE (Spoonerisms) | VHC | Clare hipped by Francis’s followers stirring unrest about head of Order | hair clipped; O in anag.; ref. controversies surrounding St F.’s successor Brother Elias; hip5 |
| 1893 | EARTHY | VHC | Having the substance needed for growing plants, they are pruned and then trained | anag. less e |
| 1888 | RASTER (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Tail-ender in speedboat race had dropped fa/n | fan = propeller blade |
| 2007-2008 | ||||
| 1879 | LITTER BASKET | VHC | It takes bits of light rubbish, bottles, everything that’s broken | anag. incl. first letters, & lit. |
| 1875 | GOUTTE / UPREAR (Right and Left) | VHC | Climbing can give a lift to activity above almost sheer drop | up rear; go + utte(r); can, rear = lavatory |
| 1871 | FAIRY GOLD | Second | What’s capital in El Dorado? Should I go for that, it might become faded glory | anag. with I for E D, & lit. |
| 1866 | BINGE | VHC | Imbibing excessively, that’s part of it – and grabbing eats | hidden twice, & lit |
| 1862 | UNALIKE (Spoonerisms) | VHC | Edmund’s virtuous lady love is keen not to be a Sloane | seen … clone; Una like; ref. ‘Faerie Queene’ |
| 1853 | ANTIQUITARIAN | VHC | With first signs of any new tenet I’m off, following older doctrine | a n t + I quit + Arian, & lit. |
| 1849 | AUXESIS | VHC | To the French their art is an extension from the Greek | aux es (Fr.) + is |
| 1836 | POSTHASTE | First | Stop getting tanned, abhor catching sun and treat heatspots immediately | anag. + S in hate, anag. |
| 2006-2007 | ||||
| 1823 | KISS | First | X in ‘billet-doux’ and the ilk is silent | i.e. sign for kiss in love-letter, hidden |
| 1810 | HARE / POSEUR / SERINETTE (DLM) | VHC | I mustn’t run down pop music again, having heard a pretentious fellow claim that some obscure opus for barrel organ was of more interest than Presley. | |
| 1801 | RUSE DE GUERRE | Third | It’s running rings round enemy, as their leaders swallow practised English fiddle | used E gue all in r, r, r, e, & lit. |
| 1788 | ETHEREAL OILS | VHC | Herbal distillates heal it, or else doctors | anag. |
| 2005-2006 | ||||
| 1779 | NEWIE (misprint of U) (Misprints) | Second | Not as it was, Women’s Institute wants end to ‘housewife’: this is jest of the moment | just; ne WI e; ref. recent WI announcement |
| 1775 | ROUGH-AND-READY | VHC | Bully and greens is nice enough (but not refined) | rough and ready |
| 1762 | DUDDERY | VHC | Dude wanders in without sympathy here | anag. in dry, & lit. |
| 1753 | DIAGONAL | VHC | I’m a line that joins and I go aslant | anag. + a l, & lit. |
| 1741 | LORD NELSON | VHC | Foremost of landmarks, with Londoners milling beneath, exhibits me | l + anag., & lit. |
| 1737 | ANIMUS | VHC | What match play between America and ourselves can generate | nim in A us, & lit. |
| 2004-2005 | ||||
| 1724 | MONEYBAGS | VHC | Drunken man goes by – he’s rolling | anag. |
| 1719 | ANHELATION | First | Happiness starts with an H – a rough breathing to the likes of Hippocrates | an H elation: ref. Greek ‘h’ |
| 1715 | RELEASE / RASPING (Right and Left) | VHC | Exodus from prison – about 50 loose: one inside sprang faulty grating | re L ease; I in anag. |
| 1711 | MINUS | VHC | Deficient in sum | anag. & lit. |
| 1702 | WORDSMITHERY | VHC | With dime’s worth tumbling, you should double your small coinage | anag. + yr (rev.); ref. weak dollar |
| 1698 | CROSSTIE | VHC | Ill-tempered match, with clubs sticking to different stories, leaves supporter thwarted | cross tie, C + anag. |
| 1685 | MINO (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Under neat-ho/use vents lies a foul plot | |
| 2003-2004 | ||||
| 1676 | CRINGE-MAKING | VHC | Crown jewel hiding in pocket, leading to a top royal’s shaming | in in cr. gem + a king |
| 1672 | IMPASTOS (Spoonerisms) | VHC | I’m dad to returning boozers, generously dubbed ‘callers’ | daubed colours; I’m pa + sots (rev.) |
| 1667 | CLARINI | VHC | See Gunners in one-nil reverse, and trumpeting stops | C + RA in I-nil (all rev.); ref. Arsenal’s aim to complete League without defeat |
| 1663 | ARMAMENTARIA | VHC | Air force equipped for war switches to deliver medical kits | aria armament switched |
| 1654 | CRESCENT / ENTHRALS (Overlaps) | VHC | A heart exuding love, perfume, a curved shape – charms take in an artist | c(0)re + scent; r in Hals |
| 1650 | SAPHENA | VHC | Drain man’s extremities of nourishing plasma? I help to do that | sap he n, a |
| 1648 | MAGIC LANTERN | VHC | I entrance with glam slides | anag. & lit. |
| 1646 | BLACK | VHC | British want unofficial support to keep the pound | B + lack, L in back |
| 1641 | GADGETEER | Second | Ragged tee shot leaves one with ‘gimmicky’ approach | anag. |
| 1637 | AMNESIC | VHC | Qu. What’s unlike elephants? Ans. Mice, silly | anag.; ‘e. never forget’ |
| 1628 | ENCOMION | VHC | The leader apart, people with case for commendation will get it | (m)en + com(mendat)ion; ref. Prescott’s vain plea for recognition of Blair’s achievements |
| 1624 | BELAY | VHC | Take tip of boulder and lock on it with a turn | b + Yale (rev.), & lit. |
| 2002-2003 | ||||
| 1611 | LEISLER | VHC | With high squeak and round bat’s tail, it gets mistaken for pipistrelle | anag. less pip and t, & lit. |
| 1596 | GENISTA (Definition of Anagram) | VHC | The way Magi went home with information is half legend | easting; gen is ta(le) |
| 1593 | MANSUETE | VHC | Used to men and all clipped and trained | anag. less last letters, & lit. |
| 1589 | JOKESMITH | VHC | All right in most of his humour, you can pull him up about the rest! | OK in jes + t in him (rev.), & lit. |
| 1585 | SHIATSU | VHC | There’s pressure on key points from Asia – has it turned America back | anag. + US (rev.); ref. Iraq crisis |
| 1580 | MARGENT def. BEETLES (Wrong Number) | VHC | According to makers, edging on front of mallets should be white | mallets; m + argent; maker = poet |
| 1572 | SHIELD-MAY | VHC | Mailed she – sounds cross-dressed | Spoonerism & lit. |
| 2001-2002 | ||||
| 1554 | PEARL | First | With this gem, is setting done? No, coral would add further lustre | 2 mngs.; coral anniversary = 35 years, lustre = 5 years; ref. AZ series |
| 1550 | MEMORITER | VHC | Without book, brief summary by author lacks a bit of weight | memo (w)riter |
| 1546 | TRANSPARENT | VHC | Time’s long since passed to leave leaders of new terrorism unpunished, that’s clear | t + ran + spare n t |
| 1544 | PATROL (with jumble of RAPTORES) (Christmas Devilry) | VHC | Brief Arab plot to arrest Potters: ships and aircraft on watch | anag. incl. Ar.; ref. Harry P. |
| 1537 | CAFTAN | VHC | Something containing to hide wobbly fat about and behind one | anag. in can, c. + aft an, & lit. |
| 1533 | MASTER-MARINER | VHC | Rams team languishing with former outside right as captain | anag. + rine r; ref. Derby County’s woes under Craig Burley |
| 1524 | INGRATITUDE | VHC | German and British gunners in duet exploding round it – that’s what Amiens complained of | it in anag. incl. G RA; ref. AYLI 2,7 and WW1 bombardment |
| 1519 | CARRY-ON | First | Wild love affair like this could give you coronary | anag. incl. 0, & lit. |
| 2000-2001 | ||||
| 1515 | SNIDE | VHC | Ill-natured, insinuating – this reflects the core of it | central letters rev., & lit. |
| 1511 | DEEP-SEATED | VHC | Ocean growing rough? Not on the surface | deep-sea + Ted |
| 1500 | GIT (on board ship) (Ship of Fools) | VHC | After docking to load I sail a changed course | CARGITACK; carg(o) I tack |
| 1494 | MARATHON | VHC | Major run to hell’s mouth and beyond | ma. r at h on, & lit.; see OED for abbr. |
| 1492 | The year that Columbus discovered America (Anagram) | VHC | It led me to chart such a brave course, my idea. | |
| 1489 | FRONT-BENCHER | VHC | Leading MP applies Robespierre’s language about top-heavy consumption to our queen | on TB in French + ER; ref. current republican stirrings |
| 1485 | BOURSE / TIFOSO (Right and Left) | Third | For a supporter there’s nothing very convenient about British treatment of Euros as foreign exchange | 0 si fit (all rev.); B + anag. |
| 1476 | LIGNIPERDOUS | VHC | It’s typical of active termite to wind up soldiering | anag.; ref. soldier-termites |
| 1467 | CANAPÉ | VHC | ‘Keep an ace back’ encapsulates this method of bidding | hidden rev. |
| 1999-2000 | ||||
| 1463 | REVERSIONAL | Second | As Rover line is rejigged, it’s making a comeback | anag.; ref. sale of carmaker |
| 1454 | GET-UP | VHC | To make out at college, you need outfit and you have to cram | get up, 2 defs. |
| 1450 | PRETENDANT | VHC | Press release resurrected whopper to discourage old-style candidate | PR eten dant; ref. spin against Ken Livingstone |
| 1446 | NEWSPAPERDOM | VHC | We’d spare no MP going astray | anag. & lit.; ref. sleaze |
| 1441 | Word containing MM displaced by a bug (Millennium Bug) | Second | To start year of historic significance, I’m having a bust | mammate / ked; make date |
| 1439 | JOHN CANOE | VHC | His Christmas revels could make Jamaican’s head ache on and on | anag. incl. J |
| 1424 | HEIST | VHC | ‘He is one who believes in God’ – that’s your prig twice over | i.e. he is theist |
| 1415 | MANATI (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Early railways had steam-e/ngine missions that would be banned today | |
| 1998-1999 | ||||
| 1411 | LOOK-SEE | VHC | Gander needs to go slow keeping right on goose’s tail | OK in lose + e |
| 1402 | PENTOSE (Definition of Anagram) | VHC | Model, with cleavage, went topless inside greatcoat | posteen; (w)ent in pose |
| 1387 | Dylan Thomas: A Child’s Christmas in Wales (Anagram) | VHC | Did Santa charm this small Welsh scion? Ay | |
| 1385 | PANTRIES | VHC | Cooking article examines where to find butlers | pan tries |
| 1380 | RAPPORT (Misprints) | Third | With right blend of art and pop, this band’s a sensation | bond; r + anag. |
| 1372 | MASTERSTROKE | VHC | Coup needs leaders up front to make it a real coup | masters + troke; coup2 |
| 1367 | SANBENITOS | Third | To be in wrong, without admitting it: these robes might signify that | anag. in sans |
| 1363 | MAVIN def. THONG (Wrong Number) | VHC | Strip side-branches to trim a vinery? That’s for the expert | strip; hidden |
| 1997-1998 | ||||
| 1355 | DIACATHOLICON | VHC | From a cold to endless aching I constitute the answer | anag. less g, & lit. |
| 1342 | ALIENS / RAPINE (Right and Left) | VHC | Take a long spoiling lie in on ancient Sabbath – that’s for otherworldly types | r a pine; lie in an3 + S |
| 1338 | SMART ALEC | VHC | Could this posturing fool make a master-class? Possibly | anag. less ass, & lit. |
| 1336 | STOCKING | VHC | It’s the end of clocks sounding like clocks: mine are ornamental | s tocking; see clock2 |
| 1334 | CATACHRESTIC | VHC | Characteristic – her word for it? – of Mrs Malaprop’s parlance | i.e. Malapropism of ‘catachrestic’ |
| 1329 | PITHOS | First | Greek character, liberal host – this could be his pot | pi + anag., anag., & lit. |
| 1322 | CARPET | Second | Consider jute practical backing for this | hidden rev., & lit. |
| 1316 | FINGERLICKIN’ | VHC | Fabulous models link in grief to bury foremost of couturiers | c in anag.; ref. Versace funeral |
| 1312 | REST-CURE | First | What makes stressed better is sure cert coming unstuck | anag. |
| 1996-1997 | ||||
| 1303 | PONIARD | VHC | Put a prod in viciously | anag. & lit. |
| 1300 | OXFORD (extra O) (Extra Letter) | VHC | The aging steer towards centre of goodly university | godly; ox for d; ref. gathering for AZ dinner |
| 1294 | TRANSENNA | VHC | This could be spread round a representation of St Anne – or vice versa | ran in anag. |
| 1290 | NITERIE | VHC | Place one has evening out in and is then ruined? | alternate (evenly spaced) letters, & lit. |
| 1286 | CHALET | VHC | Cabin service to be cancelled after not very refined tea | cha let |
| 1284 | STALE (3 defs. + sub. ind. of wrapping) (Parcels) | First | Unique gift from God, centre of Christmas story, is housed in a stall | STA(BLES SING)LE; s + tale |
| 1281 | ABLUTOMANE | VHC | I wash all the time by hand in a laundering liquid | to man in a blue |
| 1277 | NOVE(M)BER (Letters Latent) | VHC | Dismal season? No, spring (as Horace said) is about to happen | no + be in ver (L.); ref. Horace Odes 4, 7, 9 |
| 1273 | SIPOREX | Third | ‘DI IN SEX ROMP’ could furnish material for artist with twisted mind | comp. anag. |
| 1268 | ARGIE-BARGIE | VHC | If Barbara leads you to BR, the row you want is AR | i.e. Argie bar gie = Ar |
| 1264 | TREDRILLE / FERVOROUS (Right and Left) | VHC | Let Rugby League’s beginners ride rough in game played with pack of 30 ardent milling over-fours | anag. incl. RL; anag.; t. played with 30 cards |
| 1260 | OUT-AND-OUT | VHC | Might one see Open University project bar beginner as ‘unqualified’? Definitely! | OU +(s)tand out, 2 defs. |
| 1995-1996 | ||||
| 1255 | CATAFALCO | Third | Vehicle of death – might Tomahawk come under that genus in USA? | i.e. cat-a-Falco; ref. US missile |
| 1250 | SONEOCARDIA (STENOCARDIA) (Ten to One) | VHC | To identify this disease in a blurred radio-scan is a chancy game | EO in anag. |
| 1238 | ELASTIN (Printer’s Devilry) | First | “As a non-worker,” the faithful drone, “does the Queen be/g favours?” | |
| 1234 | AVANT-PROPOS | VHC | Cantona’s introduction makes a forward line work in flawed sport | a van + op in anag.; ref. Eric C. |
| 1232 | The world is too much with us; late and soon (Anagram) | VHC | O how ‘I want to sell’ hounded out Christmas! | |
| 1229 | GRUPPETTO | VHC | Italian crew turn up in port and get drunk | up in anag., 2 defs. |
| 1220 | CASSANDRA | VHC | Forecaster who spoke unbelievably about ‘sun, sun and sun again’ | ca. S S and Ra |
| 1216 | CHAPERON | First | To accompany small children, adult individual, leader of school outing | ch. + A per(s)on, & lit. |
| 1212 | HILDING | Second | Nithing’s nothing different, so I’m holding | i.e. as nithing differs from nothing so does hilding from holding, & lit.; hold = assert |
| 1207 | EPOCH-MARKING | VHC | I’m revolutionary: I’m pro change with a bit of killing involved | anag. incl. k |
| 1203 | CLERICALISM | VHC | False claims about relic partly reflected too much church influence | relic with rel rev. in anag. |
| 1994-1995 | ||||
| 1194 | DONET | VHC | Sad end to Kennedy’s great early example | anag.; ref. K.’s Latin Primer |
| 1190 | DENARIUS | First | Plautine piece, ten times as rude as in burlesque | anag.; d. = 10 asses |
| 1181 | SLADE | VHC | Down here it’s damp: up North you’d have glided over the ice – and tobogganed, we hear | ‘sleighed’, 2 defs. |
| 1180 | COLD TURKEY | VHC | Would prison official have power to bar centres for drastic drug treatment? | co(u)ld tur(n)key |
| 1178 | BOOTLEG | VHC | What traffickers do is profit by limited legal protection for calves | boot leg.; ref. concern over transport of live animals |
| 1174 | DINGLE-DANGLE | VHC | Swinging Princess has England agog with endless delight (or depression) | Di + anag. + gle(e) or gle(n) |
| 1165 | YAPSTER | VHC | Pet, stray, mongrel – such would fit this to a T | anag. less T, & lit. |
| 1161 | ADIAPHORON | VHC | In Atherton’s case one sees semi-transparent bit of rubbing between balls – one doesn’t have to believe it right | diaph(anous) + O r O, all in A, n; ref. Mike A., alleged ball-tampering in Test match |
| 1152 | PARACETAMOL | VHC | With a bit of pain take one – and another one in mortal suffering | p a + ace in anag. |
| 1993-1994 | ||||
| 1147 | MAYDAY | VHC | In my lifetime, a socialist celebration has become a cry for help | a in my day, 2 defs. |
| 1143 | DEATH (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Female body-builder advised to go for a lean/er beef | |
| 1139 | BENJAMIN | VHC | What tropical tree with sweet sticky stuff inside yields | ben jam in, & lit.; benjamin2 |
| 1134 | TOVARICH | VHC | Nureyev’s ‘friend’ typically could be actor with HIV | anag. |
| 1130 | AGRESTAL | First | Ace filly laps remainder of the field | a + rest in gal |
| 1128 | CHRISTMAS PRESENT | Second | A thin spectre? – Mr S’s turned out otherwise | anag. & lit.; ref. Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol’ |
| 1113 | EMPLASTRUM | VHC | Application to check corn sample damaged by blast after cropping | anag. + trum(p) |
| 1104 | BURYING-PLACES | Second | Angry public revolts, wanting heads of English selectors. Ashes belong here! | anag. + E, s |
| 1992-1993 | ||||
| 1095 | STINK | VHC | Karadzic’s initial footing isn’t working: it’s the end of his high-level ping pong | anag. incl. K, s + tink; ref. Radovan K., Balkan conflict |
| 1091 | SAPSAGO (Spoonerisms) | VHC | To get possibly leaner choose juice and something like tapioca | lunar cheese; sap sago |
| 1084 | PIERCEABLE / SALESGIRL (DLM) | VHC | What price a bleeding heart? ’Neath thy soft sale No shop-assisant thou. Tigress, all hail! | |
| 1076 | PARLOUR GAMES | VHC | What house-party gets up to might make super alarm go off | anag. |
| 1074 | DEMIREP | VHC | Gross woman with no name to lose pounds per diem | anag. |
| 1069 | (P)OSTICHE (Headpieces) | VHC | Without resource, hospital held in reserve, an unwanted extra | L; lost + H in ice |
| 1065 | TANDOORI | VHC | Indian camp short of a cook before one’s found – with this skill? | tan(a) do or3 I |
| 1056 | ENTRAIN def. ASTHORE (Wrong Number) | Third | French life styles are not ‘in’ without love | love; anag. less 0 + in |
| 1048 | GALLOPADE | VHC | You need some acceleration to bound round a tiny bit of dance-floor in this | gal2 + a d in lope, & lit. |
| 1991-1992 | ||||
| 1043 | PESTO (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Maybe Marie’s to/o kind: Ian’s exposé’s for real | Marie Stopes |
| 1039 | TOLERABLE | VHC | To entice the mob with just one bit of bribery is fair – Liberal balloteer | tole rab(b)le & anag. |
| 1034 | BURLAP | VHC | Archetypal Rubens turns up – there’s a coarse canvas for you | hidden rev. |
| 1026 | LET-OFF | VHC | Fiesta’s spare part, exhaust-pipe perhaps | 3 mngs. |
| 1024 | PRESENT (3 defs + sub. ind. of wrapping) (Parcels) | VHC | Immense crackers, given time, always deliver a maxim | SEM(PRE SENT)IMENT; anag. + t |
| 1021 | BEARD | VHC | In a brush one has to confront and overthrow, not concede | bear d(own) |
| 1017 | SCHAPSKA / PEARMAIN (Right and Left) | VHC | Man spattered with a ripe item from fruit-stall asks wryly about local customer in cap | anag.; chap in anag. |
| 1008 | SPORTSCASTER (Misprints) | VHC | Play actress recreated Swanson’s former role | Swanton; sport + anag.; ref. E. W. S. |
| 1004 | OIL PAINTINGS | VHC | ‘What plain folk are not’ isn’t plain – I go for riddling | anag. |
| 1000 | ONE THOUSAND | VHC | How much Azed has contributed to the Observer – and Oxford University hasn’t done badly, too | anag. incl. OU |
| 1990-1991 | ||||
| 982 | ALMANAC | VHC | Calendar has dancing-girl on front of cover – and one inside | an in alma + c |
| 974 | AVANT-PROPOS | VHC | French scholar wanting opening for elevated work has short —— | (s)avant pro + op (rev.) + ’s, & lit. |
| 972 | Anagram of 28 letters (Anagram) | VHC | A hit unfit? No trouble, changeable! | |
| 961 | WAVESON | VHC | As things are coming up round a half-sunk ship, this is what you see | a ves(sel) in now (rev.), & lit. |
| 956 | SPEAR-SIDE | VHC | On the surface rape’s wrong – that’s the male line | anag.+ side |
| 952 | STAR (Spoonerisms) | VHC | Mark, for instance, occupying force’s horrid indications of Saddam’s truly awful regime | horse’s forehead; first letters; ref. Iraq |
| 947 | SHOULDER-SLIP | Second | Make super-solid left hand smash – not with this you won’t! | anag. incl. lh |
| 943 | BARAGOUIN | VHC | You’ll find Beduin, for example, aspiring to extend their half intelligible language | Arab (rev.) + go + (Bed)uin |
| 1989-1990 | ||||
| 939 | A-PER-SE / ESCROC (Right and Left) | VHC | Reformed soccer cheat an Oxford blue? That must be unique | anag.; a perse |
| 934 | LACE-UPS | VHC | You need to sit with head down putting us on | (p)lace + p in us, & lit. |
| 922 | REFORMADO | VHC | Progressive judge briefly imprisoned mother in gold swindle | ref + ma in or do; ref. Pickles controversy |
| 920 | CHRIST-CROSS-ROW | Second | There’s something basic to be learnt about Romania in this extraordinarily angry disturbance | c. + R in anag. + cross row; ref. revolution in R. |
| 900 | (C)HARLATANIS(M) (Letters Latent) | VHC | Hey, suggestion of aureoles shimmering ain’t penned by Tusitala – that’s humbug | ha + a + anag. in RLS; ref. AZ clue to ROSE-LAURELS and pen-name of R. L. Stevenson |
| 891 | CAT | VHC | Bits of commentary amount to enough obfuscation to make a chap sick | first letters, hidden, 2 defs. |
| 1988-1989 | ||||
| 887 | MONSTER | VHC | It requires some distortion to make Mrs T one | anag. & lit. |
| 882 | DOSSIER | VHC | One carries the papers in case one’s hanging about | I in dosser2 |
| 878 | MOUSEPIECE | VHC | It’s primitive to paw woman showing tasty piece of leg | mouse piece |
| 874 | BLUESTOCKING | VHC | Name given by sportive university types to coterie’s first ‘queen bee’ long ago | Blues to c king, & lit.; see king in C. |
| 869 | HOLD-UPS | VHC | What bras provide for bosoms? —— and pads, in the old days | 2 mngs.; pad2 |
| 866 | NECTAREOUS | VHC | Un-acetose, right? That’s another way to put it | anag. incl. r, & lit. |
| 857 | REDCAP / NICETY (Right and Left) | First | Refuse to salute and he’ll reprimand you with half-ironic yet misplaced delicacy | red4 cap; (iro)nic + anag.; ref. MP |
| 844 | THEOLOGASTER (Misprints) | Second | As to those large cracks, a divide may appear (but not a deep one) | divine; anag. |
| 840 | SONDE | VHC | Device that might have saved Icarus weighs on Dedalus’s heart | hidden |
| 1987-1988 | ||||
| 831 | COOLABAH (Spoonerisms) | VHC | AB in inverted ring cipher follows C, triggers D | diggers’ tree; C + AB in halo 0 (rev.) |
| 827 | MICKEY-TAKING | VHC | Mike-grabbing Irishman’s attractive – and annoying | i.e. Mickey taking; ref. T. Wogan; M. offensive sl. |
| 823 | SARBACANE | VHC | Chastising rod, applied to rioting Arabs, can deliver a fatal blow | anag. + cane |
| 818 | EMBUSQUÉ | VHC | Loafer lying in wait to board coach ahead of more than half the queue | embus que(ue), 2 defs. |
| 814 | SPOUSAGE | VHC | Old custom – and without having children beforehand | sp + o + usage, & lit. |
| 801 | LINCHET | VHC | Dividing balk that absorbs little space | inch in let, & lit. |
| 796 | UPHOLSTERY | VHC | Covering trade winds southerly and soft | anag. incl. p |
| 792 | DISTHENE (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | What mend is covering o/ver failing light? | |
| 1986-1987 | ||||
| 783 | CAMPESINO | VHC | I’m a peon, Sc. distressed peasant | anag. |
| 764 | CHILDERMAS | VHC | ‘This day is loveless Herod’s claim confounded | anag. less 0, & lit. |
| 757 | ETHEROMANIAC (Misprints) | VHC | This one’s badly cooked – the nice aroma disguises it | hooked; anag. |
| 753 | SHEEPDOG | VHC | Timid type’s male, protective type usually female | sheep dog |
| 744 | SKIRL-IN-THE-PAN / COFFEE-DISEASE (Right and Left) | Second | Fried dish, Spooner’s gem in the examination, transposing initials of ‘dried fish’, see – i.e. case of the blight drinkers dread | i.e. pearl in the scan; anag. incl. d f; ref. also drinkers’ mumbling |
| 740 | ESCADRILLE | VHC | Squadron using correct procedure for power in flight | escape with drill for P |
| 735 | MALIGN | VHC | McEnroe’s first to get in a row – and run down as a result | M + align; ref. John M. |
| 1985-1986 | ||||
| 727 | WELL-TO-DO | VHC | Spring to finish warm? So people say | well to do; warm colloq. |
| 714 | MOTE | VHC | Battered tome may come down from Shakespeare’s time | anag.; mote2; ref. current vogue for finding Shakespeareana |
| 701 | BALUSTRADE | VHC | Reduced balance on American business: protection on the way up | bal. US trade |
| 696 | ANTIMNEMONIC | VHC | Haydn’s last Tema in C minor, endlessly varied, leading to fugue | anag. less r |
| 692 | FIDIBUS def. PRICKET (Wrong Number) | Third | Cheap lighter in sailors’ bar is about half a buck | buck; fid + bu(ck) in is |
| 688 | CUCURBITAL | VHC | It’s circular and tube shaped, but tails off – like e.g. a cucumber | anag. less r e |
| 1984-1985 | ||||
| 675 | CONSTERNATE | VHC | Fitful rest one can’t disturb | anag. |
| 666 | Any word; subsidiary indication omits an animal (Beasts) | First | Having no sense of guilt some require lessons | re(morse)less; hidden |
| 662 | BARGE-COUPLE | VHC | Push on to bring two parties together. Thatcher’s work begins and ends there | barge couple; ref. miners’ strike |
| 644 | EASY STREET (or STAPELIA) | VHC | Address worth more than one star – yet see, star is misplaced! | anag. & lit.; ref. error in competition |
| 635 | ROSEMARY | VHC | I’m noted for remembering – so rare my lapses | anag. |
| 1983-1984 | ||||
| 610 | DOUBLETHINK | VHC | Line judge makes a habit of inconsistent opinions | double think; double, heraldry |
| 607 | CARNEY | VHC | Rustic humour, as displayed in American Art | 2 mngs.; ref. Art C., US entertainer |
| 600 | Into the jaws of Death / Into the mouth of Hell (Anagram) | VHC | How that famous ‘thin line’ jolted the hot foe! | ref. W. H. Russell’s ‘thin red line’, see ODQ. |
| 594 | DOINGS | VHC | No role playing in travesty of Gondoliers – American extras murder G & S | anag. less anag., do in G S |
| 590 | MINEVER | VHC | Is this ermine vermin? It would be without its coat | hidden & lit. |
| 585 | FLABELLIFORM | VHC | Feminine indeed!, cry I: feminine or masculine, all fans look like this | f la! bell I f or m; ref. unisex pop-fans |
| 1982-1983 | ||||
| 572 | SNAKE-OIL | Second | Duck in lake’s camouflaged: quack might draw your attention to it | anag. incl. 0 |
| 559 | EMBASE | VHC | Ambassadors wanting to yield under pressure, and what Mrs T would do to them | embas(sag)e; ref. PM’s contempt for F.O. re Falklands, etc. |
| 556 | SWEAL (Misprints) | VHC | Enough of Misprints we all mutter | gutter; hidden |
| 552 | NOURICE-FEE | VHC | After negative vote, original freeze ends with fairy money for health service | no + ur-ice + fée; ref. nurses’ pay dispute |
| 534 | DODGEM | VHC | Early poll to get Maggie back? That promises a bumpy ride | dod + Meg (rev.) |
| 1981-1982 | ||||
| 525 | PABOUCHE | VHC | You’ll get the slipper if dad’s stopped while working | pa + bouché |
| 521 | ATTITUDINISE | First | Strike poses a tricky test involving row between one small trade union and another one | I TU din I in a + anag. of test |
| 517 | IMMORTELLE | VHC | I’m Helichrysum, cut to last, or suchlike (French) | I’m m or telle, & lit. |
| 513 | ETYMOLOGICON | VHC | I’m not infatuated with ecology, I’m just devoted to roots | anag. |
| 491 | SEVENTY-EIGHT | VHC | Observe and you’ll find exactly one trough in it (not this many!) | even tye in sight, & lit.; record groove |
| 486 | JUMPED-UP | VHC | Shuffle at halfway stage: Walker promoted – that means over-promoted | jum(ble) + ped up; ref. Peter W. |
| 482 | BODY-SNATCHER | First | Stiff collaring: that’s my trade – shows what can be done by starch | anag. |
| 473 | HERRING-BONE | VHC | Non-U neighbour besotted with semi-modern style of fancy stonework | anag. incl. (mod)ern less U |
| 1980-1981 | ||||
| 469 | APLUSTRE | VHC | Decorative finish added to a ship’s stern | a + p + lustre, & lit. |
| 464 | SIMKIN | VHC | Strong drink corrupted Puritan family | sim kin; see Simeonite |
| 460 | SWOOP | VHC | Warning to go slow in steep and sudden descent | wo in sop |
| 452 | DISSENTERISM | First | Mitredness is wrong? That’s what it says | anag. & lit.; i.e. rejection of bishops |
| 439 | LINGA (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Bad fee/t, old hams, hocks hardened – sporting hacks! | ref. journalistic outcry at trouble at recent Oldham-Sheffield match |
| 434 | JARDINIÈRE | VHC | Two rows I cultivate as of old, one with vegetables in and one for flowers | jar din I ere2 |
| 430 | TEGULA | VHC | Fiddle wrapped in tissue: Nero must have had one loose! | gu in tela |
| 426 | MISL(E)ADING (Letters Latent) | VHC | What dim signal could be | anag. & lit. |
| 423 | ACCOUTRE | VHC | TUC & Co. are jolted by current suit | anag.; ref. court injunction against 14 May strike |
| 1979-1980 | ||||
| 419 | RAMILLIES | First | Marlborough’s second crusher in conclusive quartet of victories | a mill in (victo)ries, & lit. |
| 414 | UNBOSOMER | VHC | Bunnies’ leader with enormous bust reveals what some would hide! | anag. incl. B; ref. Playboy clubs |
| 410 | CUL-DE-SAC | VHC | Short cut gets learner boxed up – could be this | cu(t) + L + cased (rev.), & lit. |
| 401 | GO-AHEAD | VHC | Active, explosive, bursting to move forward | a HE in goad, & lit. |
| 388 | ALEXIPHARMIC | VHC | Sandy hair flying conceals P.M. in charge of counter-measures against snakes | Alex + anag. incl. P + M i/c |
| 384 | OUTSPREADING | VHC | Expanding pound’s a tiger let loose | anag. |
| 375 | SPREATHE | VHC | Chap from Devon mixed with dissolute company in Thorpe case | comp. anag. incl. co.; ref. Jeremy T., Norman Scott |
| 1978-1979 | ||||
| 366 | MONKEY-SHINE | VHC | Gee, this makes a good rag for wax polish | monkey shine; monkey, wax = anger; gee4 |
| 362 | SEA-SOLDIER | Third | I’m jolly worn out, society slacker admits | old in S easier |
| 358 | UPSTART def. NON-TERM (Wrong Number) | VHC | Upper-class leave when street goes in for nouveau-riche | leave; U + St in part |
| 354 | SHEER-HULK | VHC | She’s said goodbye to her last sailor – he abandoned her in a huff | he + anag., all in sulk |
| 349 | ODDCOMESHORT | VHC | Rum issue curtailed – not much left | odd come short |
| 340 | BOOKSIE | VHC | Certainly to be included in the designation of Lord Alfred Douglas | OK in Bosie, & lit. |
| 336 | ELF-ARROW / CUTHBERT (Right and Left) | VHC | Old flint, symbol of long distant strife, shaped to cut and butcher early saint | el far row; anag. + t(o); el = l = long |
| 314 | MERIL (Spoonerisms) | VHC | ‘Geese that pose in triple rows’ – from naughty limerick (end censored) | piece that goes; anag. of limer(ick) |
| 1976-1977 | ||||
| 249 | RUDOLPH THE REINDEER | VHC | The peril under Herod spoilt Christmas’s friendly character for children | anag.; ref. slaughter of the innocents |
| 247 | FLIVVER | VHC | ‘Floruit 4 & 5 Qu. Eliz.’ might describe Morris Minor | Fl. IV V ER |
| 243 | OLYMPIC | VHC | Monopoly (sic) might make this rating soon | comp. anag. & lit.; ref. proliferation of ‘Olympic’ events |
| 234 | HOROSCOPIST | VHC | Scorpio occulted by sun – I’d get excited about that | anag. + S in hot, & lit. |
| 229 | METRICATE | Second | Switch to Olympic distances satisfied – i.e. track shortened and remade | met + anag. less k |
| 225 | VALETA | VHC | World leaders in two-hundredth anniversary dance | vale + t a; ref. US bicentennial |
| 216 | SCANTITY | VHC | Cover with beaming girl’s the ultimate in sexy bareness | scan tit + y |
| 212 | SURCINGLES | VHC | Sounds as if schoolmaster is selecting straps (for thrashing) | ‘Sir singles’ |
| 1975-1976 | ||||
| 203 | BOGY | VHC | Fare rises, having all round multiplied into something terrifying | go (rev.) in by |
| 200 | The Extra Guest (minus CC) (Letters Latent) | VHC | Enticer’s victim? She was one | Lucrece; luree |
| 195 | SHILLY-SHALLY | VHC | Stupid swaying – drunk and sober | drunken pronunciation of ‘silly sally’ |
| 190 | CASSANDRA | Second | In Paris’s case, the foremost of sisters – also pursued by the Sun-god | s in cas (Fr.) + and Ra, & lit.; ref. Paris of Troy |
| 187 | POWDERING-TUB | VHC | Special bath that helped sufferer with broken rib get up and down | anag. |
| 183 | PICKLE | VHC | Brat in distress having to eat a little cabbage | 4 mngs.; cabbage2 |
| 174 | EPEOLATRY | VHC | In which – to adapt early poet – ‘words’ are ‘truly hallowed’ | anag.; ref. Henry VIII ii, 3, 68 |
| 169 | THUGGEE | VHC | You see Ulster’s foremost urge reflected in the sectarian killing | U + egg (rev.), all in the |
| 1974-1975 | ||||
| 152 | ENAMORADO / ESCLANDRE (Right and Left) | VHC | Romeo and a mismatched sweetheart – some of Montague’s clan dreaded a scandal | anag.; hidden |
| 146 | CHARADES | VHC | With puzzles like these Azed heartlessly interrupts the housework | A(ze)d in chares, & lit. |
| 139 | PIEPOWDER | VHC | In place of the market’s rough justice we have confusion over what’s hidden in a compact | pie2 + powder; ref. Social Compact; Court of P. |
| 135 | GABIONADE | Third | One container piled up on top of another – a segment of defence | I bag (rev.) on a de, & lit. |
| 127 | FRITHSOKEN | VHC | What’s this for, roughly? A place for criminals to resort to | anag. + ken2, & lit. |
| 123 | SCATTERGOOD | Third | Tax a Tory’s capital – then, gad! he’ll spend it | scat T ergo od!; ref. wealth tax |
| 110 | GALLOWS-RIPE | VHC | Returned convict loose in Gorbals, about to do some slashing – must be this | lag (rev.)+ rip in lowse, & lit. |
| 1973-1974 | ||||
| 97 | TREBUCHET | VHC | Traces of early bombardment in ruins of Utrecht? Made by this, perhaps | e b in anag., & lit. |
| 92 | BRAINWASH | VHC | Intellectual oppression – something the Women’s-Libber doesn’t mind losing | i.e. bra in wash |
| 88 | BLOOMERY | VHC | A place for flowers? – where they smelt, anyway | i.e. bloomer-y |
| 84 | MIRLIGOES / ILL-OMENED (Right and Left) | VHC | Some girl I wronged in a giddy spell – most unfortunate – has done me wrong after wrong | anag.; ill + anag. |
| 75 | GROCETERIA | VHC | It could make catering more complicated if it had no bits of merchandise named | anag. less m, n, & lit. |
| 66 | NONSENSE | VHC | It’s absurd the President putting out his second and third interpretation | N(ix)on, sense; ref. Watergate |
| 53 | ALEXANDERS | VHC | Dig that arrangement for sax learned in Berlin band! | anag.; ref. Irving B.: A. Ragtime Band |
| 1972-1973 | ||||
| 45 | NEMORAL | VHC | Shooting men have spoken of a wood or an elm covert | men (rev.) + oral and anag. |
| 43 | A neologism (Neologisms) | VHC | ANTONYMIATE | C |
| 36 | CRUSADER | VHC | For someone like Mrs Whitehouse, sex-appeal’s getting more blatant all round | SA in cruder; ref. campaigner Mary W. |
| 27 | VINEGAR | VHC | Season starts with a bit of violence, then anger explodes | vi + anag. |
| 18 | EPIGONE | VHC | Successor, when heroic strain peters out, is weak | epi(c) gone, & lit.; successor, i.e. that which follows |
| 14 | Terrapin, hermit, elephant, armadillo, rhesus (Anagram) | VHC | Animals in peril pair up at threshold marked ‘shelter’ | |
| 5 | SCEUOPHYLAX | Third | A cox helps you at sea – missing nothing, he keeps an eye on vessels | anag. less 0 |
| Ximenes competitions | ||||
| 1970-1971 | ||||
| 1162 | BEAM-ENDS | VHC | Radio failures are a feature of ships in distress—airline does better | beam ends, BEA mends: radio, beam, vbs. |
| 1158 | ELEPHANT-SEAL | Third | Take a pea, shell ten and sort for the biggest in the pod | anag. |
| 1145 | GENIPAP | VHC | Mother’s half-baked, Dad’s not all there—and my cousin’s madder | geni(trix) + pap(a) |
| 1140 | CALLOUS | VHC | It’s hard to bid with America behind the ring | call o US: ref. Velázquez painting sold for $5.5m |
| 1135 | HILAIRE BELLOC | VHC | Versifier, first-rate one who rises in uncrowned eminence | A1 rebel in hilloc(k) |
| 1131 | CAROUSER (Misprints) | VHC | Rooster—the countryman’s first alarm | roister; c(ountryman) + arouser |
| 1127 | TRAYBIT | VHC | I go twice to tester—for test involving one minute | a in try + bit; tester2 = 6d. |
| 1119 | RONDE (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | First-class ba/ck won’t admit “hands” | |
| 1115 | FLESH-POTTERY | VHC | The ultimate in luxury, with bodily appetites and dalliance put first | flesh potter2 + (luxur)y, & lit. |
| 1110 | IMPERSONATE | Third | Pose as ordered naughtily by some painter | anag. |
| 1969-1970 | ||||
| 1106 | LEXICOGRAPHY | VHC | Age and pox richly dressed was Webster’s speciality | anag.; ref. lexicographer, playwright—“much possessed by death” |
| 1100 | BEAU(C)LER(C) (Letters Latent) | VHC | “The Scholar”, a rebel and leader of university rioting | anag. incl. u |
| 1091 | WENCESLAS | VHC | Purveyor of seasonal meat—fresh, dry and salt, all done to a turn | new, sec, sal (each rev.) |
| 1084 | ANGEL-FOOD | First | Ten-bob coin row is all very old-fashioned: in America they’d swallow it | angel food2 (= feud); ref. introduction of 50p coin in Oct 1969 |
| 1080 | ANDROMEDA | VHC | Put us under Heath and we’d be done with drama on reshuffling | anag.; us = shrubs |
| 1076 | NEFAST (Misprints) | VHC | Leaders of nudist experiment must have secure hideout | hideous; n, e, fast |
| 1071 | ORACLE (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Mistress sketches outré bust of lo/ver-boy | |
| 1062 | CALLING-CRAB | VHC | Fiddler’s reckoning to sidestep business depression | calling crab1, calling crab3 |
| 1058 | Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard, Parr (Anagram) | Second | Very scared group, Hal’s royal women—bar one | |
| 1968-1969 | ||||
| 1049 | SLANGWHANGER | VHC | An orator like Paisley combines cant with extremes of wrath and passion | slang w(rat)h anger; Ian P. |
| 1045 | SPLIT / MOUTH (Right and Left) | VHC | There’s a bit of flotsam out here in the estuary—wrecked on the Adriatic coast | hidden; 2 mngs.; Split, Yugoslavia |
| 1041 | TEA-LEAD | VHC | I’m attached to bare chests and get elated about a bust | anag. |
| 1019 | DISCORD (Misprints) | VHC | Earring, circular shape with point, old-fashioned | jarring; disc ord |
| 1006 | CHROME-PLATING | VHC | Open car might upset with learner in it—in which case this would suffer | L in anag. |
| 1967-1968 | ||||
| 1000 | THOUSAND | First | Up-to-date product of X and C | 10 × 100; Ximenes, Chambers |
| 993 | JONATHAN | VHC | For the Americans, Johnson’s lead forward to Hanoi has petered out | J on at Han(oi) |
| 989 | GRENADINE | VHC | Small West Indian Islands produce singularly fine material for batting in explosive surroundings | in in grenade; Grenadine(s), WI |
| 987 | THING (Printer’s Devilry) | Third | Do babies in? Swa/b and sweep less? Ask snappy weary mother! | swathing-bands, nappy-weary |
| 984 | Word containing a first name (Anonymous) | VHC | It’s a critical time to go slow with recovery barely beginning | CLIMACT-ERIC; Ambler, author; amble r |
| 975 | HALE | VHC | With a hogshead you should get beer to draw well—and strong | h(ogshead) + ale; 3 defs. |
| 971 | MAGOTPIE / ANECDOTE (Right and Left) | VHC | Mother procured mixed-up type for bird in Elizabethan style travesty of a decent love story | ma got pie; anag. incl. O |
| 962 | PALING | VHC | WHITING might be clued: “The first of playwrights and a cousin to the cod” | p + a ling; ref. John W., fish |
| 958 | DRY MEASURE | Third | As a test of capacity, you’ll find being off drink a strain | dry measure |
| 1966-1967 | ||||
| 941 | HYPODERMIC | VHC | Drug-taking is often the basic force linking depression with random crime | od1 in hyp + anag., & lit.; hyp = hypochondria |
| 936 | MINI SKIRTS | VHC | With these you have to lift up and, disregarding the awful risk involved, sit askew | nim (= steal) (rev.) + anag. of risk, sit , & lit. |
| 935 | MALAPROP | VHC | Mum having an argument in liquor was notorious for her vocabulary | ma + pro in lap |
| 933 | COTTABUS | VHC | What kept young Athenians amused? First cutting off tyrants’ heads, then ostracisms | c, o, t, + tabus: ref. Gk. hist. |
| 916 | DIAPASON | VHC | Depression surrounds one with the pound being supported by a full-scale stop | a in dip + a S on; reimposition of £50 travel allowance, 1966 |
| 911 | DRAGON | VHC | Drake, with an eye on treasure, would set sail into the Spaniard’s midst | rag in don; drake2 |
| 907 | SORITES (Misprints) | VHC | A string of prepositions, such as backward learners put on the end of sentences | propositions; tiros (rev.) + (sentence)es |
| 1965-1966 | ||||
| 900 | PARAMECIA or PAREOEANS | Third | America’s crazy to follow our “pops”—they’re one of the lowest forms of life! | paramecia; pa + anag. |
| 898 | POCHARD | VHC | Bird that might be clued as fish if included among a number of aquatic creatures like whales! | char in pod |
| 894 | WITENAGEMOT | VHC | Tory leader with new image to upset Harold’s advisers | T + anag.; ref. Harold I and H. Wilson |
| 890 | DEBENTURE | VHC | Bond has to live in an artificial set that comes out at night! | be in denture |
| 884 | MASHER (Printer’s Devilry) | Third | Debarred from jazzing up, Pa? No, ra/rin’ to go, says gossip columnist | Ned Sherrin |
| 882 | SNAPDRAGON | VHC | In which one has to seize and pull a little bit sunk in liquor | snap drag on, & lit. |
| 878 | ENTOMOSTRACA | VHC | Inferior versions of the Shrimp—enough to break the heart of every Ascot matron! | anag. incl. (ev)e(ry); ref. model Jean Shrimpton at 1965 Melbourne Cup |
| 1964-1965 | ||||
| 847 | FRENETICAL | VHC | Reinflate with the crisis only just beginning—that’s crazy, absolutely crazy! | anag. incl. c; ref. Labour economic policy |
| 843 | PRISTINE | VHC | Sanctimonious talk’s what used to vex people about Farrar’s sixth former | r in pi’s + tine; ref. Frederic F., ‘Eric, or Little by Little’ |
| 839 | GINGER (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | To whom does it fall to comb the bookstalls? Cave! N/ot I,—Cato the Censor! | scavenging erotica |
| 829 | FAREWELL | Third | What makes the cost of travel keep on rising for so long! | fare + well |
| 825 | COACHES | Second | Trains and buses are what one might call associated forms of continuous discomfort | i.e. co-aches; 2 defs. |
| 821 | SOMERSET | VHC | Somewhere to go to ground after a little bit of rough and tumble: Alfred found it so | some r set (= badger’s burrow); s. = somersault; ref. Athelney Abbey in S., founded by King Alfred after taking refuge there |
| 817 | WYLIE-COATS | VHC | Clever sounding Shakespearean quotes: one of them comes in the sleep-walking scene from “Macbeth” | i.e. wily coats; coat2 |
| 812 | ABRUPT / TISANE (Right and Left) | Second | Medicine in yoghourt is an excellent unexpected way to make a naughty brat swallow up | hidden; up in anag. |
| 808 | WAGONER | First | My style of driving’s old-fashioned—one wiggle, then wallop! | wag + oner |
| 1963-1964 | ||||
| 804 | DETRUNCATE | Second | Dexter, except for two blank patches, hooked and cut savagely | De(x)t(e)r + uncate; ref. Ted D., England batsman |
| 786 | METAMERES (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Clowns distract lion: some anti/c apes its fury | |
| 769 | PENNY | VHC | Unit of expenditure—nearly obsolete | (ex)pen(diture) + ny (= nigh, obs.), & lit. |
| 764 | SHIMMY-SHAKE | VHC | A pulsating romantic role for Valentino (we hear) made the Twenties shiver with delight! | shimmy2 + ‘sheikh’; ref. Rudolph V. in film “The Sheikh” |
| 760 | METAMORPHOSE | VHC | In a dissolute atmosphere introduction to models appears to turn men into animals! | anag. incl. m,a |
| 750 | SEVEN-FIFTY / CROSSWORDS (Right and Left) | VHC | In Stepney’s confines a regular riotous tiff means more than a big D—in fact 50% bad language, represented by lots of blanks! | even + anag. all in S,y; cross words; i.e. 500 + 50% |
| 1962-1963 | ||||
| 746 | INTERMIT (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Being modern, Swedis/h R.A.s to put up an office block | ref. Roman temple unearthed in London |
| 743 | CHEMIST | VHC | Anyone following Boyle’s line has stormy times with the middle range of teachers ahead | (tea)ch(ers) + anag.; ref. Edward B., Min. of Education, and Robert B. |
| 734 | NASALITY | VHC | The litany meanders about so, it tends to make people drone! | as in anag. |
| 730 | ARCH-PIRATE | VHC | Pre-eminently one of the roving kind—jolly good value for a Paul Jones, according to his enemies! | arch pirate, arch pi rate; ref. John P. J., privateer and Paul Jones dance |
| 721 | KERB-MERCHANT | VHC | Common marketeer whose interest is on the verge of flagging | cryptic def. |
| 717 | STAR-MAN (Misprints) | VHC | Forecaster who studies his horses carefully—he’s only gone wrong once! | houses (astrology); 2 mngs. |
| 712 | RHEUMATICKY | VHC | What’s uncomfortable about the joint? It sounds positively spacious with the top storey included | ‘attic’ in ‘roomy’ |
| 708 | HEARTS | VHC | Spurs’ equivalent among the Scottish clubs—you won’t find clubs ranking higher than them! | 2 mngs.; spurs, vb.; football teams |
| 703 | SCAPEMENT | VHC | Chronometric device could expose a hundred Piltdown types hidden in half-jest | C apemen in (je)st; ref. Oakley’s fluorine test |
| 700 | SOLOMON | VHC | Single at first, he ended by getting married continually! | solo m on, & lit.; 700 wives |
| 1961-1962 | ||||
| 694 | OSIRIS (Printer’s Devilry) | Third | For destroying: important unpublished work, 250-year sag/a, “Accursed Diamond” | Story of Newton’s dog, see Brewer |
| 690 | ASCERTAIN | Second | “A canter is, when unorthodox”—that could be SECTARIAN, but you want to make sure! | anag. & lit.; puzzle offered alternative solutions |
| 686 | FEMALE | VHC | Even a woman slightly scorned has to hit back in return! | lam (rev.) in fee |
| 678 | TESSELLATED | VHC | Checked when about to deceive one, boy pursues girl after girl—and is still checked! | sell a in tested, Tess Ella Ted |
| 676 | TRELLIS (DLM) | VHC | Ye Olde Elizabethan Grille serves traditional “Boar’s-head” suppers till Twelfth Night | |
| 673 | ERISTICAL | VHC | Controversial article is re-edited—and characteristically loses half its strength! | anag.; hidden |
| 669 | DRUM | VHC | Just a roll and a bit of cold rumpsteak?—the party must have been overcrowded! | hidden, 2 defs. |
| 664 | MANIPULATE | VHC | Cook gets out of bed in the morning the wrong way—and far from early! | up in a.m. (all rev.) + late |
| 656 | FIDDLESTICKS | VHC | Toy spears and bows,—pooh! You play with them when you’re in leading strings! | fiddle sticks; toy, spear, vbs. |
| 1960-1961 | ||||
| 638 | BUREAUCRAT | VHC | This desk-ruler should help one cope with a difficult form! | cryptic def. |
| 634 | BEDSTEAD | First | To lie still is not enough here; both sides of the sheet must be tucked in | be + s(hee)t in dead, & lit. |
| 630 | STREAKY | VHC | One rare old spree in a real hot spot, and I’m barred! | reak (= prank, obs.) in sty2 |
| 624 | PSYCHIATER (DLM) | VHC | Buy “Beachmaster” deck-type chairs, the 20th century type with couch extension | |
| 621 | CHASE | VHC | With the onset of Christmas you see the male, clutching a pound, go hunting for something to buy without a murmur | C + a S in he, (pur)chase |
| 608 | CUSTOMER | VHC | There’s a lot of advantage—as far as I’m concerned—in a little credit | us(e) to me in cr & lit. |
| 604 | APOSTROPHISE | VHC | An express cable must include the man’s address | his in a post rope |
| 595 | INORNATE / OMADHAUN (Right and Left) | VHC | This is just plain gold in a natural setting. Fool! I want a decoration to be decorative, d’you hear? | or in innate; OM + ‘adorn’ |
| 1959-1960 | ||||
| 590 | STATANT (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Ximenes makes our so-called Sunday, re/alising torment solvers feel | |
| 586 | HEBDOMADARY | Third | The Deadly Sins are a typical example of what you’ll find all over any provincial weekly! | hebdomad ary |
| 578 | GATHERED def. LEVANTER (Wrong Number) | VHC | Near the front of the Gazette you’ll find what the account of any defaulter is in aggregate | defaulter; Ga(zette) the red; aggregate, adj. |
| 573 | SCAPEGALLOWS | VHC | Why is this picture of countryside with cows (16th century) still unhung? | -scape gallows; g.= frightens, Shakesp. |
| 569 | PROPOSAL | VHC | What the young spinster looks for in a mate is the reverse of lethargy! | sopor (rev.) in pal [see comments] |
| 564 | SHE-BEAR | VHC | The honey that appeals to the mature honey-lover will soon have youngsters wanting a lick | cryptic def.; 1st honey = sweetheart |
| 560 | CONGENITALLY | VHC | Study Genesis—then you’ll see how infancy begins in sin | con Gen. i(nfancy) tally, & lit.: tally = in concubinage |
| 555 | JURYWOMAN | VHC | Don with an eye for women circumvents the retreat of a pouting little junior lady examiner | mow + yr (all rev.) in Juan; pouting, n. |
| 551 | PITCHER | Second | I’m a promising slip, but my bowling action would be banned at Lord’s—in crude terms it’s a flick! | ‘picture’, 2 defs. |
| 547 | STORMY | VHC | The violent element in escapist or mystery fiction involves the ultimate in sadism | hidden, m in story |
| 543 | NUTRIA / ERMINE (Right and Left) | VHC | 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 |
| 1958-1959 | ||||
| 538 | BANISHING | VHC | Relegation’s a heavy blow, involving the ego—the footballer’s most vulnerable spot! | I shin in bang |
| 534 | RAIL-SPLITTER | VHC | What American’s interested in fencing?—messing about with sawn-off little rapiers! | anag. less e of little |
| 521 | SOUP | VHC | Get well to windward! This meat extract is very high | so up, twice |
| 517 | CAROTID | VHC | Distort the guttural end of this artery and I’ll sound as if I was garrotted | i.e. change initial ‘c’ to ‘g’ sound, & lit. |
| 512 | NAYLOR (Libel) | VHC | No penniless peer for her—only a Rajah’s capital could supply all she needs! | nay lor(d), anag. incl. a R |
| 508 | CUMBERGROUND | VHC | The twisted curmudgeon with heart of marble is no use to anyone | anag. incl. (ma)rb(le) |
| 504 | LEAD-LINE | First | Here’s this ice-bound water system—and the plumber has to let me down! | lead line; lead = channel among ice, line = system |
| 500 | MOTHERS-IN-LAW | VHC | They irritate husbands and bore their wives (or vice versa) | cryptic def.; bore = gave birth to |
| 495 | PARTISAN | Second | What one inevitably becomes when following exciting matches! | partis + an, & lit. |
| 1957-1958 | ||||
| 486 | BARACAN | VHC | It takes a really reactionary bedouin to preserve this old camel-cloth! | Arab (rev.) can, & lit. |
| 477 | SEDATENESS | VHC | For the avoidance of confusion, the letters N.S. should be added after revised dates | anag. + en + ess; see New Style s.v. style |
| 473 | LISSOME (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Winnie there be/llowed, “Now he’s less Puck than Prospero!” | ref. Winston Churchill |
| 464 | STRAWED | VHC | Spenser’s diffuse—but that’s natural in his period | raw in sted |
| 456 | PLAFOND | VHC | “Above-the-line” bridge makes players open short—then get foolish and flop disastrously | pla(yers) + fond, anag. |
| 451 | MEGAPODE | VHC | You’ll find me with a fabricated hatching-place in the earth (Greek form of name) | me + a pod in Ge, & lit.; pod = silk cocoon |
| 447 | TOUSLE | VHC | Complicated locks use the action of tumblers | 2 mngs.; tumbler = part of a lock mechanism |
| 443 | HALF-SEAS-OVER | VHC | Amazing! Safe solver foully misrepresented—clued as semi-inebriate! | ha + anag.; ref. last puzzle [see comments] |
| 438 | MACARONI | VHC | Large bird, good eating—mixture of Leghorn and Minorca with a variegated coxcomb | anag., 3 defs.; types of chicken; L. = Livorno, Italy |
| 1956-1957 | ||||
| 434 | CARTON | First | Contra-revolutionary hero who made the tumbril proceed | anag., cart on, & lit.; ref. Sydney C., ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ |
| 425 | TRAVERSE | VHC | Just one curtain—the gallery’s cross! | 3 defs.; ref. theatre |
| 421 | DOVETAIL | VHC | Get fit the artisan’s way—treat first and diagnose the disease afterwards | do vet ail |
| 417 | SINECURE | Second | Established Church practice in former days, ignoring original sin | i.e. sin EC ure1, & lit. |
| 415 | When the snow lay round about (Anagram) | VHC | Bounty shown on earth we laud | |
| 412 | SERVIETTE | VHC | Brought in to help diners, it conceals the outline of the embonpoint! | e,t in it in serve, & lit. |
| 408 | BILLET | VHC | An old-fashioned design, these cylinders—but still firing! | 2 mngs. |
| 400 | Word with 400 theme (Quatercentenary) | Second | The work of X in x puts all sorrows to rout (9) | crossword; anag. in CD |
| 390 | HESITATE (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | After one catc/all Ike, it’s related, ducks—soon grows tame | |
| 386 | CLEITHRAL | Third | As a variation, “hermetical” would do with a little latitude for me | anag. with l. for me, & lit. |
| 1955-1956 | ||||
| 382 | ABSTAIN | Third | You’ll find Australia’s opening bats reformed at the wicket—it’s all to be very sober | A + anag. + in |
| 369 | BERET | Second | Small round object eaten by overconfident Frenchmen? Sounds like wild fruit! | ‘berry’; “I’ll eat my hat” |
| 364 | HELLEBORE | VHC | Greek girl stopped on cross-channel flight was carrying dope | Helle bore; ref. the flying ram (Krios Khrysomallos), who rescued Helle |
| 360 | WRINKLE / EGG-BIRD (Right and Left) | VHC | A depression is forecast: also a ridge, a stormy ridge encircling Great Britain—a rare phenomenon around our shores | 3 mngs.; GB in anag. |
| 356 | METOPOSCOPY | VHC | With me you find a trace of disposition in the surface likeness | me + (disp)os(ition) in top copy, & lit. |
| 351 | LUSTRE | VHC | Holy man beset by temptation to think longingly about material splendour | St. in lure, lust re |
| 347 | TELEVISOR | VHC | Live set—or showing movement, anyway | anag. & lit. |
| 334 | CHEROOT | VHC | Even in bed the Great Man produces a cigar | hero in cot; ref. Churchill |
| 329 | HAMADRYAD | VHC | Hardy’s varied characters include a wild female “woodlander” | a mad in anag.; ref Thomas H. novel ‘The Woodlanders’ |
| 1954 (2) | ||||
| 306 | CHICANE / RAMPART (Right and Left) | VHC | A stunt finesse may help to defend a hand without a trump trick | ramp1 art; 2 defs. |
| 304 | ORLEANS | VHC | Where we set rings round the outside of ancient defences to coop up the French for a year | an (Fr.) in orles, & lit.; ref. Siege of Orléans |
| 302 | MARTIN | VHC | The entertaining Dean—Swift might be called that by a superficial observer | 2 mngs.; ref. Dean M. and Dean (Jonathan) S.; swift similar to martin |
| 300 | COCCO | VHC | clue not given; 3 changes—23 cocco, 30 Pucio, 33 stogs (old Chambers’s, not new) | |
| 297 | CONTRAPUNTAL | VHC | I’m half stupid after having to learn by heart a catch in the style of Byrd | con3 + trap + untal(ented); ref. William B., composer, b. 1540 |
| 295 | SENSE-ORGANS | Third | Nasser’s gone mad! We’re the ones equipped to deal with any disturbance from outside | anag.; ref. N.’s pressure on Britain’s to agree cession of Suez Canal |
| 293 | CAB | VHC | Homer too large a volume? Then try this. It’s for people in a hurry—the modern shortened version | cab(riolet); cab2, homer1 |
| 291 | APAGOGE | VHC | For example, the interval between nought and one is plainly not descending—therefore the reverse is correct | e.g. + gap in 0, a (all rev.), & lit. |
| 287 | MANCHESTER | VHC | Can this be the place to make a chap umpire whose name is linked with the next county? | man Chester, & lit.; ref. Frank C., Test umpire, and C. in Cheshire |
| 285 | PARALYSES | VHC | The number the experts take, one less y (variable), performs the function of any number | par a + anag.; i.e. numb-er |
| 1954 (1) | ||||
| 283 | SOBER | VHC | It’s not like Puck to sadden his Oberon’s heart | hidden, 2 defs.; sober (vt.) = sadden |
| 281 | SCRAPS def. LOCALS (Wrong Number) | VHC | Those who work hard for exams should get a credit in “smalls” | exams; cr. in saps |
| 273 | COUSIN | First | General name for any sovereign or noble about me, as a monarch might put it | us in coin, & lit; us = me (royal use) |
| 271 | TRIPLET | VHC | Cheap excursion service cancelled for three lines with the same terminus | trip, let |
| 269 | ASCENT | VHC | Being born without capital and growing up without an allowance—that’s uphill work! | (n)ascent, a(dole)scent |
| 265 | THERMAE | First | Geysers rattle and knock about 3 a.m. (The heater blows up about noon) | anag. of three am, m. (= noon) in anag. |
| 259 | AGANIPPE | VHC | As Pope says, something to drink in with wide-open mouth | nip in agape; ref. Alexander P., “Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring” |
| 1953 (2) | ||||
| 257 | PYROTECHNICS (Straight Clue) | Third | It’s the study that makes the fifth form such an exciting prospect for schoolboys! | |
| 255 | SCUTTLE | VHC | A gaping hole in the rear of the forecastle | cut in (foreca)stle, & lit. |
| 253 | DERATION | VHC | Since the Doctor’s abandoned self-restraint, let everyone eat as much as he likes! | (MO)deration |
| 251 | UNMETHODICAL | VHC | Irregular and varying much on detail | anag. |
| 245 | GLAMOUR / SOPRANO (Right and Left) | Second | Parson’s wild with love for a lady chorister. It’s just a passing affair to the heartless girl | anag. incl. 0; g(ir)l + amour, & lit. |
| 239 | GENISTA (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Priam would have thought thee u/ninhibited, wretch! | eugenist; P. supposedly fathered 68 sons |
| 235 | ASPHETERISM | First | In which the State’s end is to reorganise all mastership around itself | e in anag., & lit. |
| 233 | SAWDUST | VHC | Received money in the form of chips | saw dust |
| 1953 (1) | ||||
| 227 | CATEGORIES | VHC | Aristotle first discovered the predicaments that an erotic sage might get into | anag. |
| 225 | TOUCHSTONES | First | Basanites: a tribe of fools, said to use their bulls as stalking-horses! | 2 mngs; AYLI V:4:112, T. “uses his folly as a s.-h.”; cf. Psalm 22.12 “bulls of Bas(h)an” [see comments] |
| 223 | MELODRAME | VHC | For a romantic play, give me the old mixture dressed in the old grand style | me + anag. + ramé |
| 217 | DEPOSIT | Third | It’s difficult for the liberal to save money in the bank! | 2 mngs.; ref. Liberals’ poor 1950 and 1951 election results and lost d. |
| 215 | BUCKFASTLEIGH | VHC | Try to throw quick fifty followed by double four. No, not quite. Dart’s just outside it | buck1 (vb.) fast1 L eigh(t); Dart, river flowing past B. |
| 213 | LEMONADE | VHC | Many a Frenchman’s breakfast reading is interrupted only by a drink of fruit juice | a in Le Monde |
| 209 | ELAPSION def. IMPERIAL (Wrong Number) | VHC | A gliding coral-snake, not quite the animal to beard in its den! | beard; elaps (l)ion |
| 207 | PAGEANT | VHC | A piece of pantomime about some great period of history | age in pant(omime), & lit. |
| 1952 (2) | ||||
| 205 | CANTANKEROUS | VHC | Countersank screws round an axehead liable to fly off the handle unexpectedly | i.e. a(xe) in anag. |
| 204 | ROSTER (Printer’s Devilry) | VHC | Doc ai/ms at tract, “London isn’t Eden.” Going to tell us something! | Cairo’s terms; ref. Suez crisis, Anthony E., Foreign Sec. |
| 203 | WEATHERS | VHC | The sound of rams goes to the heart of the ewe at her silly seasons | ‘wethers’, hidden |
| 201 | AMETHYST | VHC | I used to make drinkers stay sober; now I make them stay drunk | anag. |
| 200 | ACCOUNT | VHC | Judge that criminals should be brought to for a balanced summing-up | 3 mngs. |
| 199 | HONESTY | Third | JUSTICE might be clued as “A good man surrounded by palatable fluid” | St. in honey; also St. in juice [see comments] |
| 197 | SCALES | VHC | One of the Company of Twelve, an all-star group, climbs ladders, balancing dishes and plates | 6 mngs. |
| 194 | KNOWLEDGE BOX | First | It takes skill to hit the coconut | knowledge box2; coconut (19C sl.) = head |
| 1952 (1) | ||||
| 188 | Beware the Ides of March (Anagram) | First | Show Cimber the deaf ear | |
| 186 | ASHMOLEAN | VHC | Possibly a manhole’s one of the best places for archaeological study | anag. |
| 185 | STOUT | VHC | You have to give a shilling in advance to every French porter | s + tout (Fr.) |
| 182 | MISTLETOE | Second | With me about, it’s wrong to hinder love | anag. + let + 0, all in me, & lit. |
| 1951 (2) | ||||
| 175 | HAIR-LINE | VHC | One wants a good fly on the end of this | i.e. ends with airline, & lit.; fishing line |
| 174 | ANACREONTICS | VHC | Verses made by a Greek who was a prince among jesters | a Creon in antics, & lit.; ref. mythological ruler of Thebes |
| 172 | GARNISHER | VHC | A short sherry laced with gin is a good one to set dinner off | anag. of a sherr(y) gin |
| 169 | HOUSE | VHC | One star’s not good enough for me: I like several, and I get thousands | 3 mngs.; inn (star rating), audience, astrology |
| 168 | PIPS (Misprints) | Second | Trulls like nestling on officers’ shoulders | trills; 2 mngs. |
| 1951 (1) | ||||
| 166 | RACHIDES | First | You can’t strip the skin from them without showing a sign of a sore back | i.e. r. less hide = scar (rev.), & lit. |
| 164 | NEWTON | VHC | Unfortunately I had that Diamond, or I could have won ten by ruffing | anag.; ref. bridge and Newton’s legendary dog called D.; see Brewer or ODQ |
| 162 | TITANESS | VHC | Point gets the bird with a woman like Phoebe | ness following tit, a; ref. P. Meryll in ‘The Yeomen of the Guard’; P., Titan in Greek myth |
| 159 | SPANIEL | VHC | No mean springer? On the contrary. Springs about an inch in an upward direction | in. in leaps (all rev.); springer spaniel |
| 156 | LAVEROCK | VHC | The possessor of a delicate tongue leaves for the dining-room before the cocktail | laver1 + (c)ock; lark’s tongues valued as delicacy |
| 155 | LYTERIAN | VHC | Healing is a word that makes the hymn-writer almost gay | Lyte rian(t); ref. Henry L., writer of ‘Abide with me’ |
| 1950 (2) | ||||
| 153 | SAMISENS | VHC | The Japanese enjoy their music without limiting expenditure | mise in sans |
| 151 | OPEN-SESAME | VHC | Passepartout, perhaps, but this one went round the world in 1,001 nights | cryptic def.; ref. valet in ‘Around the World in 80 Days’, and Arabian Nights |
| 145 | STEWART | VHC | For packing in haste, war-time invention, a glorified Gladstone, perfect for the family | hidden, St. Ewart (W. E. Gladstone); G. bag; Stuart royal family |
| 1950 (1) | ||||
| 130 | MODERN | VHC | It’s late, but never too late to mar or mend | anag. |
| 128 | AMMETER (Printer’s Devilry) | First | A D/r. Inge vetoed the line, and repeated the error | Adam and Eve |
| 1949 (2) | ||||
| 115 | MISNOMER | VHC | A wrong name given in baptism is no mere trifle | hidden |
| 1949 (1) | ||||
| 103 | MOSES | VHC | Suffers from strange disease. Is that why he was given those miraculous tablets? | 2 mngs.; mose = to have glanders; tablets of stone |
HCs awarded to C. J. Morse
Clues | Annual Honours | Other competitors | See also: C. J. & R. S. Morse
Clues | Annual Honours | Other competitors | See also: C. J. & R. S. Morse
2015-2016
2265 ESPRIT FORT
2261 GANGSTERLAND
2250 MILESTONE (with missing O) (Missing Letter)
2014-2015
2248 WAISTLINE
2226 DOUBLE-PARKING
2218 FOREIGNER
2213 SOLECISM
2200 BRINDISI
2013-2014
2152 STUFFED SHIRT
2012-2013
2139 DE RIGUEUR
2122 NICETY
2105 TITANIC / ICEBERG (Overlaps)
2011-2012
2087 ROCKET
2078 RÉCOLLET
2070 MISTREATMENT
2065 DERMESTIDAE
2064 COLD TURKEY
2049 PARTY-POOPER
2010-2011
2036 AL CONTO
2031 EMBROIDERY
2023 CHAMBRANLE
2014 HACKETTE
2006 GROAN (Spoonerisms)
2009-2010
1988 PERIQUE
1975 SEPTENTRIONAL
1953 TRAUMA (misprint of T) (Misprints)
1940 SCANT def. SNEAP (Wrong Number)
2008-2009
1918 PALAMPORE
1914 VE(S)TAL (Letters Latent)
1910 BARPERSON
1908 WE THREE KINGS
1906 MORSE
1897 WASH-OUT
2007-2008
1884 FREELOADER
1858 HUMONGOUS
1845 UPBRAID
1840 W(I)NN(I)E-THE-POOH (Letters Latent)
2006-2007
1831 MARGINALIA
1827 AMAKOSI def. DENUDED (Wrong Number)
1818 POISSO(N) D’AVRIL (Letters Latent)
1814 HIPSTER
1806 INEBRIANT
1804 CLOTHES SENSE (Spoonerisms)
1792 APPALOOSA / ESTAMINET (Right and Left)
1784 TEARAWAY
2005-2006
1771 PARTERRE
1758 BIMBETTE
1752 MIDWINTER
1750 PLOUGHMAN
1746 ENTOMIC
1733 PALESTRA
2004-2005
1700 FIVE-O’CLOCK SHADOW
1694 MISINTERPRET
1689 SYNOD
1680 PILLOW-CUP
2003-2004
1659 SCAREDY-CAT
2002-2003
1619 GISMO (Printer’s Devilry)
1606 TEOSINTE / INTELSAT (Overlaps)
1602 FENESTRA
1598 PHRASEMONGER
1576 FACADE
2001-2002
1567 QUEEN
1559 THEOLOGASTER
1541 CHUPRASSY
1528 STROP (Spoonerisms)
2000-2001
1506 BARE(-)BONES
1502 RAPPEL
1480 SAMARITAN
1472 TORAN (Printer’s Devilry)
1999-2000
1437 MISTLETOE
1433 NEANDERTHAL
1428 CRICETID
1998-1999
1406 CHASSEPOT
1398 PERMETHRIN
1394 BERGAMOT
1376 LOGO
1997-1998
1360 BOG-ASPHODEL
1346 PHARISEE
1325 UPROOTAL
1996-1997
1307 AGILE (Spoonerisms)
1995-1996
1247 PREDICANT
1242 KNOCKERS
1225 CURRY
1994-1995
1186 GRISELDA
1169 BLITHE / URSINE (Right and Left)
1156 TERPSICHOREAN
1993-1994
1126 CHEATERY
1117 STAMNOS (3 Consecutive Letters)
1108 GREEN
1100 CONCORDANCE
1992-1993
1087 OLD SOLDIER
1078 KIRBEH
1061 MAGIC
1052 AGANIPPE
1991-1992
1030 PASTILLE
1013 ALVEARY
1990-1991
991 BRASH (or BRUSH)
978 DOUBLE-CENTURY
969 BUNTER
965 EARBASH def. NECKLET (Wrong Number)
1989-1990
930 SABULOSE
926 NERD
917 HOOLIGANISM
913 ARCHIBALD
908 INDIGO (Printer’s Devilry)
904 VOETGANGER
895 TONE DEAF
1988-1989
862 OFF-AND-ON
849 VISITE
1987-1988
835 PROSAICAL
809 DOLCE VITA
788 CROW
1986-1987
779 MISSING LINK
774 VICTORINE
766 GUBBINS
762 OBELISE
1985-1986
731 STRING
722 SUPERNACULUM
718 FLO(GG)IN(G) (Letters Latent)
712 PANTOMIME HORSE
709 GINGER
705 MUSICOTHERAPY
1984-1985
679 ESTOVER (Printer’s Devilry)
670 TURNIP-FLEA
660 Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (Anagram)
657 SILLY-BILLY
653 INTERNUNCIO
649 AUSTRALORP
640 MACHETE
1983-1984
627 AMBIENT
618 CRETISM
615 HISTORIETTE
603 FIGULINE
581 SPADROON def. MAVERICK (Wrong Number)
1982-1983
576 TOP-NOTCH
568 TETHER (Printer’s Devilry)
558 MINCEMEAT (with one extra R) (Extra Letter)
543 STAYING POWER
538 INGRAIN
530 PROMETAL
1981-1982
508 POSTURE-MAKER
504 SIMMENTHALER
500 BEFOOL (two extra Ds) (Extra Letter)
1980-1981
456 BALADINE
447 URTICARIA / APOGRAPHS (Right and Left)
1979-1980
406 BOIL
397 BIJOUTERIE (Misprints)
393 INTRACARDIAC
371 GRADIN
1978-1979
332 NUT-CASE
327 HEMLOCK
323 (C)U(C)KOO (Letters Latent)
319 PODESTA
1976-1977
221 PADDY-WHACK
1975-1976
165 Lance, pompano, bonito, porbeagle, thornback, menhaden, albacore, huso (Anagram)
156 OMBROPHOBOUS
1974-1975
148 BALLYHOO
130 EADISH (Printer’s Devilry)
1973-1974
100 CENTENARIAN
95 THUNDERCLAP
70 GESTAPO (Misprints)
62 SOLITAIRES
57 MINARET (Printer’s Devilry)
1972-1973
50 CORPULE(N)T (Letters Latent)
23 SCLERODERMIC
1 ORGIAST
Ximenes competitions
1970-1971
1154 CLARIONET
1143 MORGIANA
1123 MAXIMIST
1969-1970
1097 PANTOPHAGIST
1093 MARTINET
1089 ENCLOISTER
1066 RAVE / PAIR (DLM)
1968-1969
1054 PINACOTHECA
1039 TEGMEN def. LEGION (Wrong Number)
1036 CORONETED
1032 TENONER (Printer’s Devilry)
1023 CONSOLE
1015 HOAR-HEADED
1010 MOTORIST
1967-1968
1002 PILLAGE
997 TREACLE
980 OMNIBUSES
967 CREMOSIN
1966-1967
954 CERATE (Printer’s Devilry)
945 OBLITERATE
929 AMPHITHEATRE
924 MIMESTER / PECULATE (Right and Left)
920 ARISTATE (Printer’s Devilry)
1965-1966
902 WINCOPIPE
885 GALIMATIAS
873 VETERANS
868 DANDER / TOUPEE (Right and Left)
864 PATERNAL
860 CORSAGE
1964-1965
856 RODOMONTADE
851 Sire & Dam (Sire & Dam)
834 CARRIED
832 PENNY-WISE (Misprints)
1963-1964
800 Charlemagne, Emperor of the West (Anagram)
796 STRAKE (or STRAIK) (Misprints)
782 SWELL
777 TAILOR-BIRD
1962-1963
738 ANAESTHETIC
728 ALDERMA(N) (N’s missing in def.) (Letters Latent)
725 SILENUS
1961-1962
660 RUBBER (Misprints)
651 NIPCHEESE
647 MADCAP
1960-1961
642 SEETHER (Printer’s Devilry)
626 WOMAN-TIRED
617 COLOPHONY
612 CARGO (Misprints)
600 The Light Brigade, noble Six Hundred (Anagram)
1959-1960
582 MARRY
1958-1959
529 BUTTY-COLLIER
525 MORALE (Printer’s Devilry)
519 RIDICULE (DLM)
490 CLEAR def. WEIGH (Wrong Number)
1957-1958
482 LEASING-MAKER
469 DAISY
467 A humorous definition (Humorous definition)
460 ASTONISHMENT (Misprints)
1956-1957
430 GAMIN (Printer’s Devilry)
404 POLENTA
395 SCALE-ARMOUR
1955-1956
377 MALISON
373 PRESTONPANS
343 EPIGONI
338 SHE-ASS
1954 (2)
325 MARRYING
289 CISTERN
1954 (1)
279 CRYPTOGRAM
277 PRODIGALLY
275 ESTOVER (Printer’s Devilry)
267 TRADE
263 We think so then and we thought so still! (Anagram)
261 DECANTER
1953 (2)
247 VAMPIRE
243 LODESTAR
237 BASTINADE
1953 (1)
231 PREAMBLE
229 MASCOT
221 BUNTHORNE
211 CAROL-SINGERS or HOLLY-BERRIES
1952 (2)
206 PIEPOWDER
202 SPALPEEN
198 THIRD
196 SHAMAN / SERIAN (Right and Left)
195 WALLABAS
1952 (1)
193 TRADUCER
192 WATSON
191 DENIGRATE
189 SALTIRE
187 GROWLER
184 MEREST / WYOMING (DLM)
183 SAUSAGES
181 HANGABLE
1951 (2)
180 HESPER (Printer’s Devilry)
178 HIDEOUS
177 DESOLATE
176 SPIGOT
1951 (1)
165 CABBAGE
158 RATING
1950 (2)
147 GATHER
146 BELDAME
135 STRIPPED
1950 (1)
126 RASPBERRY
122 LEATHER
121 SNAPSHOT
1949 (2)
117 LION
112 SHEET (DLM)
109 PERI
108 HACKNEY
107 STRAMASH
1949 (1)
100 Word containing ADDING
99 SCARABEE
1947 (2)
56 SHEEP-RUN
| Year | Prizes (1, 2, 3) | VHCs | HCs | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2016 | 0 | 1 | 3 | – |
| 2014-2015 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| 2013-2014 | 3 (2, 0, 1) | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012-2013 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 4 |
| 2011-2012 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 2010-2011 | 2 (1, 0, 1) | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 2009-2010 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| 2008-2009 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 16 |
| 2007-2008 | 2 (1, 1, 0) | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| 2006-2007 | 2 (1, 0, 1) | 2 | 8 | 11 |
| 2005-2006 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 2004-2005 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 2003-2004 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 2002-2003 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| 2001-2002 | 2 (2, 0, 0) | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| 2000-2001 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| 1999-2000 | 2 (0, 2, 0) | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| 1998-1999 | 2 (0, 0, 2) | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| 1997-1998 | 3 (2, 1, 0) | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| 1996-1997 | 2 (1, 0, 1) | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995-1996 | 4 (2, 1, 1) | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 1994-1995 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 1993-1994 | 3 (1, 2, 0) | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 1992-1993 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| 1991-1992 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| 1990-1991 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 1989-1990 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 1988-1989 | 2 (1, 1, 0) | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 1987-1988 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 1986-1987 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| 1985-1986 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 1984-1985 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 1983-1984 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 10 |
| 1982-1983 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| 1981-1982 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 1980-1981 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1979-1980 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 1978-1979 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 1976-1977 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 7 | 1 | 4 |
| 1975-1976 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 1974-1975 | 2 (0, 0, 2) | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1973-1974 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 1972-1973 | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Ximenes competitions | ||||
| 1970-1971 | 2 (0, 0, 2) | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 1969-1970 | 2 (1, 1, 0) | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| 1968-1969 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| 1967-1968 | 3 (1, 0, 2) | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1966-1967 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| 1965-1966 | 2 (0, 0, 2) | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| 1964-1965 | 4 (1, 2, 1) | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1963-1964 | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 1962-1963 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| 1961-1962 | 2 (0, 1, 1) | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 1960-1961 | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 1959-1960 | 2 (0, 1, 1) | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958-1959 | 2 (1, 1, 0) | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| 1957-1958 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 3 |
| 1956-1957 | 4 (1, 2, 1) | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 1955-1956 | 2 (0, 1, 1) | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| 1954 (2) | 1 (0, 0, 1) | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1954 (1) | 2 (2, 0, 0) | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| 1953 (2) | 3 (1, 1, 1) | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1953 (1) | 2 (1, 0, 1) | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1952 (2) | 2 (1, 0, 1) | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 1952 (1) | 2 (1, 1, 0) | 2 | 8 | 7 |
| 1951 (2) | 1 (0, 1, 0) | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| 1951 (1) | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1950 (2) | 0 | 3 | 3 | – |
| 1950 (1) | 1 (1, 0, 0) | 1 | 3 | – |
| 1949 (2) | 0 | 1 | 5 | – |
| 1949 (1) | 0 | 1 | 2 | – |
| 1947 (2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |