Derrick Somerset Macnutt

Derrick Somerset Macnutt
Born
Derrick Somerset Macnutt

(1902-03-29)29 March 1902
Eastbourne, East Sussex, England
Died29 June 1971(1971-06-29) (aged 69)
Five Oaks, West Sussex, England
Alma materMarlborough College
Occupation(s)School master, crossword compiler
Spouse
Mary Long
(m. 1936)
Children3

Derrick Somerset Macnutt (29 March 1902 – 29 June 1971) was a British crossword compiler who provided crosswords for The Observer newspaper under the pseudonym Ximenes. His main oeuvre was blocked-grid and "specialty" puzzles. Even though he only provided conventional blocked puzzles once a week for the Observer Everyman series for about two years his strong views on clueing, expressed in his 1966 book, have been a source of debate in the cryptic crossword world ever since.