Possible Clues:

• Appraising, evaluating
• What donkeys do when they get to Bray?
• The way to see how much gin you can give
• Mokes making music
• Reckoning that's what they do when they get to Bray
• Weighing with care
• How 17 acrosses make a song for the reckoning
• In the reckoning of how silly they are to be 18 across
• Reckoning how silly they are to be such songsters
• They way to reckon how 17 acrosses 23 across