XIMENES CROSSWORD No. 99

SCARABEE

1.  E. B. Stevens (Morden): How Caesar came to be twisted round Cleopatra’s little finger? (anag. of Caesar be; scarab charm; Antony and C.).

2.  Rev E. B. Peel (Fleetwood): Caesar be blowed! Cleopatra found me charming (anag.; scarab charm; Antony and C.).

3.  A. H. Taylor (Peterborough): Had Cleopatra some unusual charm, for Caesar to be led astray? (anag. of Caesar be; scarab charm; Antony and C.).

H.C.

E. S. Ainley (S. Harrow): A flier, in form, a real gem! (Remark about a 100 to one National horse) (c Arab in See!; scarab jewel).

C. Allen Baker (Wishaw): Amulet: see the seventh line of the Abracadabra triangle worked into it! (anag. of see ABRAC; inverted triangle with word reduced by one letter each row).

W. Darby (SE21): Might adorn Cleopatra, or be involved with Caesar (anag.; scarab jewel; Antony and C.).

Cdr H. H. L. Dickson (Fareham): South, with ace bare, upset East’s completion of the contract (anag. incl. S; scarab used as seal).

J. Duffill (Ickenham): Has six legs and should fly in popular Lincoln races (anag. incl. Abe).

Brig W. E. Duncan (Montrose): Sacrifice the charm of Cleopatra to be Caesar? (anag.; scarab charm; Antony and C.).

E. G. Durham (Liverpool): Arab advance in centre, with two flying and two armoured wings! No wonder Abe is in a panic! (i.e. …arab…, Abe in scare; beetle wings).

Mrs J. O. Fuller (Southsea): Spades turn up and ruff bare aces! East’s good luck is quite creepy (anag.; archaeology; scarab charm).

S. R. Gibbs (Sheffield): Car’s gone wrong! Something in the bonnet? Just an insect (anag. + a bee).

I. C. Gilchrist (SE23): Cicatrice an insect! Aren’t you thinking of cockatrice? No, it’s cockchafer! (scar a bee).

D. Hawson (Malton): Aces bare after shuffling—a gem of a hand! (anag.; scarab jewel).

C. Koop (Ferring): When is a dor not a dor? When it’s a charm! (cryptic def.; dor = mockery and dung-beetle).

A. F. Lerrigo (Pinner): It could be Cleopatra’s charm that made Caesar be so confused (anag.; Antony and C.).

T. A. Martin (W14): Bare aces can make a gem of a hand, although not usually in diamonds (anag.; scarab jewel).

P. M. Newey (Reading): A car’s troubled with something in the bonnet; look at the wings in case (anag. + a bee; beetle’s wing-case).

T. Wilson (Ulverston): Curiously shaped stone; found by a sailor lost among débris at foot of cliff (a and AB among scree).

COMMENTS.—293 correct, and neither many errors nor much that calls for comment this week. I got a bit tired of the rather pedestrian “Lincoln in a panic,” but the “Caesar and Cleopatra” idea was a really good one and came out loaded with honours. Among the H.C. clues I liked Mr. Ainley’s and Mr Newey’s best; in fact these two ran the prize-winners very close.
 
Thanks for many friendly references to the approaching century, some of them showing apprehension as to what may be in store on April 10th! I hope it will fill the bill and not disappoint too many of my kindly wolves with their varying tastes.
 
Runners-up.—D. Ambler, Mrs Caithness, F. A. Clark, F. S. Danks, J. C. B. Date, J. M. Doulton, Mrs N. Fisher, Mrs D. Fuller, S. Goldie, P. Gross, Mrs B. P. Hall, Miss M. Jenkins, G. G. Lawrance, E. L. Mellersh, T. W. Melluish, C. J. Morse, I. Paterson, R. C. Payn, E. J. Rackham, D. G. Randall, A. J. C. Saunders, J. C. Saunders, O. Carlton Smith, Mrs A. L. Stevenson, H. S. Tribe, F. L. Usher, Rev W. Waddell, J. A. Watson, J. F. N. Wedge, J. S. Young.