Denise Sutherland's Blog, page 5

The First Crossword

This year marks the centenary of the crossword! It was invented by Arthur Wynne, a British journalist working in New York at the time, on the New York World . Part of his job was to put together a page of puzzles for the Sunday edition of the paper.

On 21 December 1913, he put in a new puzzle of his own invention — a Word-Cross Puzzle. A few weeks later a typesetter at the paper made a mistake, and set 'Cross Word Puzzle' instead of its original name, and then another mistake led to the hyphen being dropped — giving us Crossword.

I will go into the further history of the crossword in later posts, but for now, I thought you'd like to see what this first crossword puzzle looked like!


Later on Wynne added more black squares to separate words, and changed the numbering and the shape. But this diamond design was the very first one! Have a go at solving it, if you like  :)
Answers are below (select them to view them). I've given links to more information on the hard words!

2-3 SALES
4-5 RECEIPT
6-7 MERE
10-11 DOVE
14-15 MORE
18-19 HARD
22-23 LION
26-27 EVENING
28-29 EVADE
30-31 ARE
8-9 FARM
12-13 RAIL
16-17 DRAW
20-21 TIED
24-25 SAND
10-18 DOH> definition of answer
6-22 MORAL
4-26 REVERIE
2-11 SERE > definition of answerE
19-28 DOVE
F-7 FACE
23-30 NEVA
1-32 RULE
33-34 NARD > definition of answer
N-8 NEIF > definition of answer
24-31 SIDE
3-12 SPAR
20-29 TANE, possibly T'ANE > discussion about the answer
5-27 TRADING
9-25 MIRED
13-21 LAD

Gemini 6700

This is the Gemini Cryptic from The Canberra Times of 6 August 2013. A quick reminder that this cryptic is from the UK (and isn't Australian).


I'm trying a new thing here — I'll put the answer in white text within square brackets, and you can reveal it by selecting it. Give it a try --> [Peek-a-boo!]. This way you can have a good try of solving the clue without seeing the answer.

So that you can have a chance at solving them, I won't underline the answer, and the 'description' after each clue is more of a set of hints, not a complete reveal. Hopefully this will be more fun for you!

So, on with the clues! After yet another dose of CutePuppy™ from Griff.



ACROSS

1) It's eaten with cream (7) = [CRACKER]
Cryptic definition. A UK-centric clue, so dig out your list of British foods, and think of water biscuits.

5) Balance between September and October (50) = [LIBRA]
A zodiac clue! Cryptic definition.

8) They filled up a form at the same time (13) = [SCHOOLFELLOWS]
Another cryptic definition, and another rather British term, think of students.

9) He is finally snookered in return (5) = [DEREK]
In return in this case indicates a hidden and reversed word. The definition he is very broad!

10) Article reviewing performance of music (7) = [RECITAL]
Anagram clue, performance of music is the definition. Reviewing is the anagram indicator.

11) &&&&&& (Food for thought here) (6) = [VIANDS]
A very clever clue! Think of Roman numerals, and what the &&&&&& are literally ... food is the definition.

15) Perplex with a minus sign? (7) = [NONPLUS]
Another cryptic definition. Perplex is the definition. What's the opposite of a plus sign?

17) Outstanding features of space (5) = [CAPES]
This is an anagram clue, features of is the indicator. I'm really not sure about the definition, though, rather oblique. Definition harks to geographical features.

19) Answer the medium hopes to get at a seance (8,5) = [SPIRITED REPLY]
Yet another cryptic definition clue! There's a lot in this one! The printed crossword has a word missing (the 'at' highlighted above). Think of ghostly voices and spirits.

20) A street in New York that's unpleasant (5) = [NASTY]
Nice little container clue, with two abbreviations. Unpleasant is the definition.

21) Justify being wrongly severed (7) = [DESERVE]
Another anagram, wrongly is the indicator.

DOWN

1) Examined closely and put into a box (5) = [CASED]
A double definition clue.

2) A pointedly obdurate comparison (2,4,2,5) = [AS HARD AS NAILS]
Another cryptic definition clue. Both the 2-letter words are AS.

3) Thumped in an attempt to gain an admission? (7) = [KNOCKED]
Double definition clue.

4) Former arrangement to change for the better (6) = [REFORM]
Anagram clue. Change for the better is the definition.

5) Flower I telephone back about (5) = [LILAC]
Reversal and container clue. CALL some to telephone them ...

6) Absorbing news sheet sought before the ink is dry (8,5) = [BLOTTING PAPER]
Charade clue, kinda. The two words start with B and P.

7) Sailors love to skylark, it's clear  (7) = [ABSOLVE]
Charade clue, with an abbreviation + a little anagram. Clear is a verb, not an adjective!

11) Meat stewed in ovens (7) = [VENISON]
Anagram, indicated by stewed.

13) Registers the best performances  (7) = [RECORDS]
Double definition; put a 'mental comma' after registers to see the two definitions.

14) Dances arranged to scale (6) = [ASCEND]
Another anagram clue, indicated by arranged.

16) Ordinary people have a bet about it (5) = [LAITY]
Another word for bet is LAY (as in 'She laid money on it'). Ordinary people is the definition.

18) Pen has the French way of writing (5) = [STYLE]
A charade clue; a pen = STY (not a writing implement).

How did you go?

A knitting puzzle competition!

Catherine Eagleson from the Clue Detective Puzzle Agency has set up a blog competition which involves knitting my 1 Across Beanie on Knitty, and submitting your photo for judging.


The best / silliest photos will win. There are a range of prizes, including a signed copy of Solving Cryptic Crosswords For Dummies, and subscriptions to her puzzle service.

Check out the details here!

Revenge by Index

An index can be many things. Usually it's a helpful guide to the contents of a book, a friendly way in to the information. A helping hand...

BUT ...

There lurks a darker side ... the index as revenge!


Détente by Index: On Earl Sprague’s Invitation to a Subheading
This article by Matt Seidel is one of the most hilarious things I've read in a long long time! It is fictional, but so utterly wonderful ... Matt clearly knows a little about indexing, as he's come up with a very convincing and vengeful index! 
It's not often that indexes are a source of comedy, or even mentioned in cartoons (although this is a notable recent exception!). This article is making indexers around the world laugh immoderately and possibly pee a little too — thank you Matt! (His other articles are very funny too, check out his website!)

Peep chirp chirp tweet

At the suggestion of dear Chris Coleman (my radio host on ABC Statewide Afternoons), I now have a Twitter account. My handle is @PuzzlingDenise.

I'm posting one cryptic clue a day. Plus occasional random content about indexing, funny things, and noms. Please follow me and tweet your solutions, if you're interested, and retweet my clues to your network  :)

You can blame Chris.

CrypticGuide launches today!

I'm so happy to announce that our latest app, CrypticGuide, has been approved by Apple today, and is now available on the App Store!

CrypticGuide has a cryptic dictionary with over 6,900 entries in it, with cryptic synonyms, indicator words, abbreviations, and homophones.

So you can type in a word or short phrase from a cryptic clue, like 'see' - and the app will tell you that see can lead to the words ELY (a UK diocese, or see, name), LO, or VIDE (see in Latin); the abbreviations C (sounds like see), V, or VID (see in Latin again); it can indicate a container or hidden word wordplay device; and it's a homophone for sea! So this will hopefully help you a lot with cracking cryptic clues.

The app also has a wildcard search for filling in gaps in the grid you really can't get out, and an anagram solver, which brings up exact anagrams and subwords. Very helpful if you feel like getting a little cheaty in Scrabble®, Words With Friends, Boggle, or even Draw Something  ;)

You can choose between a full word list for the wildcard and anagram searches – which includes proper nouns and short phrases — or you can use the 'word game' list which is approved for use in games like Scrabble®.


As you can see, it works beautifully on iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches ... and you can change the colour theme. If orange isn't your thing, maybe blue, or grey are!

My husband Ralph did the very complex programming involved in making my idea from May last year actually come into existence. And I've spent untold hours compiling the cryptic dictionary, putting together the vast database, editing words lists, and creating the graphics for the app.

I must thank our awesome beta-testers, Karen McLoughlin, Peter Johnston, and Jenny Cox, for their help in checking the app. It was a long and often nit-picky job, and their help was invaluable.

You can check out CrypticGuide on the App Store, and read its User Guide on my website. Enjoy!

Another medical book!

In December 2011 my co-author and I published A Guide for Adults with Hip Dysplasia,  a world-first book for adults with this condition. We've just sold over 500 copies, and it continues to help patients all around the world.

This week I've started work on a new medical book, on neurosarcoidosis — drawing on personal experience yet again! (Sigh)

Anyway. It will have a few chapters on the current understanding of this rare disease, how it's diagnosed and treated, and some chapters on proactive strategies for living with it.

The second part of the book will be collected patients' experiences, arranged by topic. So, if you have confirmed neurosarcoidosis, and would like to be involved, please drop me a line! There is a permission form to fill in, and a questionnaire. You can write as little or as much as you like, and you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't want to. You can also appear under a pseudonym, if you wish.

The deadline for submissions is the end of September 2013.

Hope to hear from you!

The Bull, The Moon, and the Coronet of Stars

I've had an enjoyable job these past few weeks, creating a promotional crossword for the HotHouse Theatre. It's themed around the myth of the Minotaur, and facts about their upcoming play, The Bull, The Moon, and The Coronet of Stars  by Van Badham, and starring
If you live in the Albury/Wodonga region, you can get a hold of a copy of The Border Mail today, solve the crossword, and enter the competition. And you can still have a go at the crossword here!
Enjoy!

An easy competition!

Here's the thing — we don't pester our users in-app for reviews and star ratings, and never will. But we would still appreciate them!

ETA: I've just realised that I can only gift apps to other Aussies, curse you App Store regionalisation! If you're not in Oz, and you win, I will post you another little gift  :)
Here's what to do:

1) You already need to own one of our apps, and have used it.

2) Leave a review on the App Store for that app.

3) Leave a comment on this post with your App Store username, and telling me which app you'd like to win, so I can contact you if you win! (I will need your email address if you win, so I can gift your prize to you.)

I will select 5 users at random from the list of new reviews.

If you're one of the lucky ones, you will win a free copy of one of our other apps, your choice.

The four apps you can choose from are:

Crosswords For Kids

QuickBreak, Volume 1

QuickBreak, Volume 2

Gourmet Crosswords


The review comp 'closing date' is the last day of this month, so 30 June 2013. I will announce the winners here on 1 July.

Gemini Cryptic 6639

This is my explanation of the clues from the Gemini Cryptic Crossword #6639, from The Canberra Times yesterday (6 June 2013).

As usual, the definition is underlined, except in cryptic definition and double definition clues.

My new app, CrypticGuide, in use ... it will be ready for
release in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
Across

1) A Royal in Canadian capital surrounded by a crowd (8) = PRINCESS
Nothing to do with Ottawa! A container clue — put IN + C (the capital letter of Canadian) inside (surrounded by) PRESS (a crowd).

5) Book of plays (4) = ACTS
Cryptic definition, of sorts. I guess Book might refer to the Bible, and Acts of the Apostles.

9) As you can see it forms a ring (5) = ATOLL
Charade, A + TOLL (ring), as in the tolling of a bell. And an atoll does form a ring. Maybe an &lit clue? What do you think?

10) Twice mother holds the hat for a revered sage (7) = MAHATMA (Ghandi)
Twice mother = MA + MA. They hold the HAT. So you get MA-HAT-MA.

11) Goes ahead and plays the star part (5,3,4) = TAKES THE LEAD
Double definition. Goes ahead is the first definition, and plays the star part is the second.

13) Agreement to attempt to get some food in (6) = TREATY
Container clue. Put EAT (get some food) in TRY (attempt).

14) Vessel — showing its nationality? (6) = FLAGON
Cryptic definition. If it has a FLAG ON, it might be showing its nationality?

17) A rap or tumble upsets one out for a stroll (12) = PERAMBULATOR
Anagram clue, indicated by upsets. The anagram fodder is A rap or tumble.

20) Not for advantage in a way (7) = AGAINST
Container. GAIN (advantage) in a way = A ST (street). A-GAIN-ST.

21) Fly to an away match (5) = ELOPE
A cryptic definition clue. Run - or fly - away to make a marriage, or match.

22) Stone used to make a badger's home (4) = SETT
Double definition. A SETT is a paving stone used to make roads, and a badger's home .

23) Chairs or soft settles (8) = PRESIDES
Charade. Soft = P (piano, or softly, in music) + RESIDES (settles).

Down

1)  Somebody's work oddly enough (4) = PLAY
Cryptic definition. I guess what's work for one is play for another? And that's odd ...

2) Keep away from others (7) = ISOLATE
Cryptic (?) definition. Although this really just reads as a straight definition to me, nothing much cryptic about it. Anyone have any better interpretations?

3) Remembered and rang for a baby-sitter? (6,2,4) = CALLED TO MIND
Double definition. Remembered is the first definition, rang for a baby-sitter is the second.

4) Abraham ties me in knots (6) = SEMITE
Anagram of ties me. The anagram indicator is in knots.

6) Copper to marry a pretty girl (6) = CUTIE
Charade. Copper = CU (chemical symbol for the metal copper) + TIE (marry)

7) Reputation for being upright (8) = STANDING
Double definition. One's reputation is your standing in the community. And if you're upright, you're standing up.

8) Supporters who arouse enthusiasm (12) = CHEERLEADERS
Again, a cryptic definition that reads more like a regular definition clue to me. Anyone have any better thoughts on it?

12) Allow no openings for substitutes (8) = STOPGAPS
Charade. Allow no = STOP + openings = GAPS.

15)  A line in gold showing age (4,3) = GROW OLD
Container. Put ROW (a line) in gold. G-ROW-OLD

16) A rowing boat blade (6) = CUTTER
Double definition. A cutter may be a small boat that services a larger boat (ie a tender), and this *might* be manned with oars. Although calling a cutter a rowing boat is drawing a long bow, to my mind. And, more obviously, a blade is definitely something that cuts.

18) Responds to encore call? (5) = REACT
Cryptic definition, I think... or double def? Using a coined definition - RE-ACT, as in 'act again', therefore encore call. I think it ought to be 'respond to', not 'responds to', though. With the clue as it stands, the answer ought to be REACTS.

19)  They know how to treat animals (4) = VETS
Sort of cryptic definition. Treat as in providing medical aid.

They really do run to cryptic definition clues, don't they? Eight in this crossword ...