XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 400

Word with 400 theme

1.  R. Postill: A result of stirring up s-e-x in one (13) (concupiscence; anag. & lit.; x = CCCC).

2.  C. J. Morse: The work of X in x puts all sorrows to rout (9) (crossword; anag. in CD).

3.  S. Goldie: x years before Napoleon was beaten, a Geneva assembly settled the French hash (9) (Agincourt; a gin court; x = 400; ref. battle of A. 1415, and Waterloo 1815).

H.C.

F. D. H. Atkinson: Half the terrorists (about x) did it; his wife and children were massacred (7) (Macduff; CD in Mau (Mau) + ff; ref. Macbeth IV.3).

L. E. Eyres: Mother’s up against x: she’s got an ’orrible temper too—all too ready to “lay on” (7) (Macduff; ma + CD + (h)uff; ref. Macbeth V.8).

M. S. Y. Fowler: Described by Jaques (a Frenchman, of course) as “a Greek invocation” of the x spirit (7) (ducdame; du + CD + âme; ref. As You Like It II.5).

E. Gomersall: Ah! x, you old ruddy soak! (6) (lac-dye; la + CD + ye).

S. B. Green: Miss, swallowing a x, cried “O horror! horror! horror!” (7) (Macduff; a CD in muff; ref. Macbeth II.3).

G. G. Lawrance: Steady increases in the complexity of xs are seen (12) (accrescences; anag.; x = CCCC).

H. Lyon: Half the rebel gang—about x—very loudly commanded to lead on (7) (Macduff; CD in Mau (Mau) + ff; ref. Macbeth V.8 [see comments in Slip no. 404]).

P. H. Morgan: Like that x with the rotund figure—extraordinarily large whopper of a guy! (10) (socdolager; so + CD + O + anag.).

F. E. Newlove: P.M. reveals the old man collapsed after swallowing an x (9) (MacDonald; a CD in anag.; ref. Ramsay M.).

E. C. Pattenden: Initially x, the Home Service may be got if you have only a tattered 5d. licence (5,7) (Civil Defence; anag. of five d licence; i.e. abbreviated as CD).

Maj J. N. Purdon: Though quartered in an unhealthy spot, x has got rooted here (5) (score; C in sore; i.e. quarter and square root of 400).

C. M. Sherrell: The formula for this medicine is x
o + 54 e: stir up thoroughly (3-5,3) (cod-liver oil; i.e. CD divided by o + LIV + e + roil).

Miss D. W. Taylor: Cave! There’s a master around with a dark look—and this is where x got in a hole! (7) (Adullam; a dull + MA (rev.); ref. 1 Samuel 22, David went with 400 men to cave of A.).

D. H. Tompsett: Mr. Melancholy’s burden—universal x in the grip of a woman! (7) (ducdame; U CD in dame; ref. As You Like It II.5).

H. S. Tribe: In the place of x young virgins an assortment of big hale jades! (6-6) (Jabesh-Gilead; anag.; ref. Judges 21:12).

H. T. R. Twyford: “Greek invocation, to call fools into a circle.” You can get x plus a thousand in exactly (7) (ducdame; CD a M in due; ref. As You Like It II.5).

R. A. Wells: With x in view out East, baby, it looks like the beginning of a strip-tease act! (7) (ecdysis; CD in ey(E) + sis).

H. T. Young: At rest, one year back (about) my light had shone for x (6) (Ridley; idle in yr (rev.); ref. Bishop R., “we shall … light such a candle …”, 400th anniversary of martyrdom in 1955).

RUNNERS-UP

D. A. Andrews, Maj P. S. Baines, T. E. Bell, J. A. Blair, R. F. S. Chignell, R. N. Chignell, A. N. Clark, F. J. Clark, D. L. L. Clarke, Miss L. M. Collins, Cdr H. H. L. Dickson, J. E. Dorrington, Brig W. E. Duncan, W. J. Emerson, J. A. Fincken, M. Freeland, C. E. Gates, D. S. Gordon, J. A. Maxtone Graham, P. Graystone, F. H. W. Hawes, D. Hawson, R. N. Haygarth, D. Henderson, G. T. Holden, V. Jennings, I. W. Macpherson, Grp Capt G. Struan Marshall, D. P. M. Michael, P. M. Newey, A. E. North, A. P. O’Leary, G. Perry, E. G. Phillips, E. R. Prentice, C. Quin, E. J. Rackham, M. Reilly, M. R. Sampford, T. E. Sanders, W. K. M. Slimmings, O. Carlton Smith, R. I. Sutherland, J. Templeton, L. K. Upton, J. F. N. Wedge.
 

COMMENTS.—258 entries, 209 correct. The chief trouble was ISOGON: it was unfortunate for those who had no old C. available that other letters than G could be thought to fit the subsidiary part of the clue, but attention to “meeting places” in the definition, plus derivation and word-probability, might have saved them, perhaps. Great ingenuity was shown in clue writing, and a surprising variety of words was chosen: 16 different ones answer the 21 clues quoted above, and I should say well over 50 were used altogether. I have not given the answers to the clues (apart from the brilliant first prize winner, quoted in the paper), since you may like to solve them: as you have to do this “from scratch,” I have given some abbreviated hints showing the type of clue each one is and its main features [see Archive note]. Alas, a few competitors assumed that I meant “any word they like in the diagram”: I can only assure them that when I mean something in a preamble I try to say it, and I didn’t say “in the diagram.”
 
I am glad this novelty was enjoyed in spite of the extra difficulty: and I should like to thank very sincerely the many competitors new and old, who sent kind messages, which I greatly appreciate. Someone asks how many “Torquemada Style” crosswords of mine appeared in The Observer before the present series, with its competitions, began. There were 111 of mine between Feb., 1939, and June, 1945, the last 51 of which bore the pseudonym “Ximenes”: for about two-thirds of that time I had colleagues with whom I took turns. The present series started on June 24, 1945. The first “slip” was issued for No. 11 in November of that year: the idea of “slips” was suggested by a solver, and I am most grateful to him for the very pleasant personal contacts with solvers which have resulted. Thank you again, very much, for your friendliness, and please excuse this substitute for individual letters of thanks.
 
P.S. I hope my award of the 2nd prize does not seem too immodest, and that it is clear that I am rewarding the clue’s ingenuity and not its sentiment!
 
[Archive note: in all clues x = 400 in some sense. Clues were originally given without solutions, and with the following notes: † = anag. P = parts of word. (†) = anag. of part. B = biblical ref. H = historical ref. L = literary ref. & lit. = clue as a whole giving definition as well as indirect indications, a = ref. to an abbreviation (other than Roman numerals).]