Fifteensquared » Blog Archive » Guardian 25,247 / Enigmatist, Paul and Shed Guardian 25,247 / Enigmatist, Paul and Shed Posted by mhl on February 16th, 2011 I’ll leave no spoilers in this paragraph since it appears on the front page and this is a really special puzzle… This puzzle is a wonderful tribute to Araucaria, whose 90th birthday it is today. The theme is that of geniuses, and places John Graham among ALBERT EINSTEIN, THOMAS EDISON, OSCAR WILDE and STEPHEN HAWKING. Indeed, the middle line of the puzzle reads “OUR OWN EINSTEIN” 🙂 The preamble to the puzzle, once resolved, reads “NINETY today, hooray, hooray, for OUR OWN GENIUS, Mr GRAHAM (who appears step-wise in the grid from the middle of 14 down)”.

The stepwise reading of his name appears as so: In the index of the crossword page this is credited to Biggles: in case people weren’t aware of this joke, “Biggles” is actually a team of four of the Guardian setters called John: John Henderson (Enigmatist), John Halpern (Paul), John Young (Shed) and John Graham (Araucaria). (The joke is that the Biggles books were written by W. E. Johns.) This is Biggles without one of the Johns, however – the subject of this puzzle – so in the puzzle itself it’s credited to Engimatist, Paul and Shed. The puzzle itself has many wonderful clues, and I’m sure there are plenty of in-jokes I’ve missed. Many congratulations to Araucaria, and the setters for such an amazing tribute! Across SUM = “problem” reversed followed by CADET = “one training for the police”; Definition: “Drink” 9. NINETY N = “New” + (IN YET)*; Definition: “Ten of these” – this is clue number 9, so 10 times 9 gives NINETY 10,3.

(O[perations] IN THE MOSSAD)*; Definition: “[GENIUS]” 12. (RULE PLAN)*; Definition: “She” – Prunella Scales is famously a fan of Araucaria’s 13. An entertaining clue: O = “nothing” + OH = “I see”; Definition: “I say” 14. (WORN OU[t])*; Definition: “the local community” 17. (OSCAR UU)* (OSCAR is “half of [OSCAR WILDE]” and UU = “Ulster Unionist”); Definition: “Harsh” 20. MONEYS = “Sums” around K = 1000 = “grand”; Definition: “halves thereof” – a “monkey” is slang for £500 23. (ALONG)* around RIA = “water-filled valley”; Definition: “QE1” – referring to Queen Elizabeth the First 24. A lovely &lit: I[ntellects] in GENUS = “class”; Definition: “Foremost of intellects in class” 26.

RAW = “Green” reversed (“back”); Definition: “Mars?” – Mars is the Roman god of war 27. AN followed by TITAN = “imposing character” + K[afka] = “one of Kafka”; Definition: “type of missile” 28,16. (BLARE)*, TEN around I is “10 [divided by] 1” – two of those are put around S = “second”; Definition: “[GENIUS]” 31. Double definition: “Pervade” and “conundrum” 32. NEATHERD (A H TENDER)*; Definition: “A horse tender? Strangely not!” – a NEATHERD would look after cattle (neat) Down MUNCH = “to eat” without the centre (“but no stomach for it”); Definition: “A lot” 2. Hidden in “Cameron’S CAMpaign”; Definition: “Swindle” 4,22. STEPHEN KING = “Author” around HAW = “fruit”; Definition: “[GENIUS]” 5.

(NUN DONE 1)*; Definition: “Funny nun done one (nudge nudge, wink wink …)” 6. UNTAKEN = “Still available” around DER = “the German”; Definiton: “promised” 7. (LUSTY)* around FIT = “attack” reversed; Defintion: “dull mind” (“dull” as a verb here) 11. OR = “Alternative” + R = “resistance”; Definition: “the Guardian columnist”, referring to Deborah Orr 14. [b]OAR = “slicing head off pig”; Definition: “Blade” 15. SCAR = “Mark” + [t]W[a]I[n] = “Twain’s odd characters ignored” + L = “line” in ODE = “composition”; Definition: “[GENIUS]” 18. ATLANTIS ANTIS = “Objectors” around TLA = “URL, say” (TLA is a tongue-in-cheek abbreviation for Three Letter Acronym); Definition: “Fantasy Island” 19.

UNABATED U (you) = “Using mobile you” + NAB = “arrest” + TED = “unruly adolescent”; Definition: “with no subsidence” – I love “Using mobile you” 21. SS = “ship” with O (a hole) inside = “holed”; Definition: “Possible message from holed ship?” 24. AHA = “Eureka!” in GRM = first letters of “Great Reverend Master”; definition: “Great Reverend Master” – a lovely reference to Araucaria, the Reverend John Galbraith Graham MBE, whose 90th birthday it is today 25. IE = “that is” around C = “clubs”; Definition: ” Diamonds” 29. B.O. = “pong” on HR (hour) = “time”; Definition: “Danish physicist” ( Niels Bohr ) 30. RARE R = “right” + ERA reversed = “time to get up!”; Definition: “Bloody” This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 and is filed under Guardian .

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. 78 Responses to “Guardian 25,247 / Enigmatist, Paul and Shed” Conrad Cork February 16th, 2011 at 11:05 am Thanks mhl – I was hoping for something special today, and this lived up to expectations. There are also tributes in today’s Independent and FT, and on the Crossword Centre , where there’s a link to some photos of a celebration at the Guardian. Today’s Independent and FT crosswords, I should have said. Eileen February 16th, 2011 at 11:09 am Many thanks for a superb blog mhl [lucky you!] and many thanks to the other three Johns – I was really hoping it would be you today. And, of course, many congratulations and huge thanks for the decades of pleasure to the man of the moment.

As well as the lovely Simon Hoggart tribute that mhl has given a link to, there’s also one in the leader column: Re 12ac, Prunella Scales wrote the foreword to the Chambers Book of Araucaria Crosswords, saying that she loved going to bed with him, and ending with: “Where will it all end, wonders confused Cruel Penal Lass (8,6).” MikeC A birthday cracker of a puzzle. Thanks to the three Johns for a most entertaining tribute, and to mhl for a splendid blog. And many happy returns to Araucaria, of course. PaulG Thanks for the blog, mhl, and for the excellent puzzle, YE Johns. Biggest thanks of all to Araucaria for all the challenges and smiles over the years. Long may they continue. mhl – perhaps 20ac is a passing refernce to monkey puzzle trees? Geoff February 16th, 2011 at 11:18 am Thanks to mhl and the Johns – the three setters, and especially the blessed JGG. Many happy returns to him.

Wonderful puzzle with so many ingenious and amusing clues that it is difficult to choose just a few favourites. wonderful tribute, & so much new data to absorb. I had a feeling there was a reason for “prunella” but all I could dredge up from my memory was the rev’s own tribute to alan plater last year. an hour & a bit, with some checking in the sw corner. happy ninetieth, sir. A most enjoyable and generous puzzle, and a lovely tribute. Well done to all four Johns. Hamilton February 16th, 2011 at 11:27 am A truly fitting puzzle for the occasion – many thanks to the three John’s, and to mhl for the blog. I first encountered the wonders of Araucaria on a holiday with three friends in the Cotswolds in 1977. After dinner, we settled down with several bottles and a copy of that day’s prize crossword – no. 14842 – I’ve still got a copy of it! We started at around 8, and finally finished (the crossword and the drink) at 2 in the morning.

I was hooked, and I’m profoundly grateful for the countless hours of enjoyment I’ve had as a result. Little did I realise then that one day I would be privileged enough to work alongside him, as it were, albeit in his FT guise. Happy Birthday Rev. Graham; long may you continue to delight us all. Nigel Thanks for the explanations-great puzzle. 27 Across-the K may also refer to the subject of Kafka’s The Castle,known as K. sidey The man may be a very good crossword setter of a particular type, he’s hardly a genius, possibly closer to one than the over-hyped Edison though. I’ll shut up now. liz February 16th, 2011 at 11:37 am Thanks for the blog, mhl. A wonderful puzzle from the three Johns to mark a very special occasion. Too many good clues to single out, but 5dn, which has a Paul ring to it, made me laugh. Happy Birthday Araucaria! You have given me many hours of pleasure (and puzzlement) over the years. Any day when one of your puzzles appears is a good day, but holidays are not complete without one!

Martin H Many Happy Returns and congratulations to Araucaria, with thanks for the great pleasure he’s given over the years – long may it continue. A fine and cheerful tribute crossword with some excellent clues – particularly liked OOH and WAR. But where would this correspondence be without any quibbles? Here are two: not convinced by RIDDLE = pervade. Any image suggested by ‘riddled with’ has to be analogous to being full of holes, comprehensively damaged or corroded in some way, which ‘pervade’ does not suggest. The two anagram indicators in 12 (breaking, dodgy) would only be necessary if the two four-letter fodders led to distinct parts of the solution. Otherwise most enjoyable – thanks to the other three Johns. Gaufrid Regarding your quibble about riddle/pervade, the two seem synonymous to me. Confirmation is given by Chambers: riddle: to fill, spread throughout pervade: to diffuse or extend through the whole of, to permeate Robi February 16th, 2011 at 11:48 am Great birthday tribute and nice blog from mhl.

I eventually saw ARAUCARIA, but not after trying to make sense of alternate (step?) letters in the grid. I got ‘ANAT NEA BACLIO,’ which I thought must be some great Latin tribute! (hope there’s nothing rude there.) At first, I thought that 11 had something to do with Ohm, (the unit of electrical resistance,) but On Her Majesty’s service did not seem to connect well with a Guardian columnist. I did like OOH. Hi Gaufrid – I did check ‘riddle’ in both my, admittedly ageing, Chambers, and in Collins. Neither gives the sense you cite. Odd, as I can’t imagine it’s just a recent usage. walruss February 16th, 2011 at 11:57 am In the world of crossword puzzles surely Araucaria IS a genius. Of this I have no doubt, the Johns don’t even have to try to pass JG off as one. The inventor of so many ruses and guises that are now standard, Mr Graham to me really is the best. Happy Birthday sir!

togo February 16th, 2011 at 11:59 am Great crossword, great blog, great man, to whom happy birthday. Sidey, I think there is room for reflection on what appears to be your narrow definition of genius at . Rev Graham applies breathtakingly wide erudition, playful creativity, consummate skill, humour and hard labour to create beautifully crafted things that bring pleasure on many levels, from the technical to the aesthetic. Give him (and the Johns who so playfully extol him) a break! In any case, I doubt he’d accept the term without checking for warmth and wit – but hope he receives it as a loving birthday present, from three people who’s tongues are so often in their cheeks, but who recognise mastery. (Agree about Edison though – more of a wheeler and dealer I would have thought..) walruss And a GREAT puzzle, that is truly fitting. Nice work gentlement!! Stella Heath February 16th, 2011 at 12:01 pm Many thanks to the Biggles crew, and congratulations to the reverend.

This was indeed very enjoyable, though I needed your explanations for a couple of the answers, so thanks mhl, too. The centre line actually reads ‘raucous monkeys’ – the reference to ‘our own genius’ is a line higher up -; I don’t know if the authors are signing their masterpiece, or if, as suggested @6, this is a reference to the birthday boy’s pseudonym 🙂 John Appleton Happy Birthday, JGG. 24ac very apt. Gaufrid February 16th, 2011 at 12:12 pm Martin H @17 That’s odd. Under ‘riddle’ my Collins has “to fill or pervade the report was riddled with errors“. John H Thank you all for the kind comments on the puzzle. I don’t often comment here, but would like to wish my mentor and friend John Graham all the very best on his birthday – a spectacular achievement! 5dn was Shed, by the way, not Paul! JEnig February 16th, 2011 at 12:31 pm Hi again Gaufrid – my Collins is from 1995, and Chambers from 1992.

Perhaps that explains it. ‘Riddled with errors’ still seems analogous to being full of holes – it’s an interesting shift from there to being filled with, apparently, anything. It seems to me a weakening of the idiom, but of course it happens all the time. Bryan Many thanks mhl I had been anticipating something special and I was not disappointed. However, I’d never heard of Deborah Orr. Yes, although I do the Crossword, I NEVER read The Grauniad. I’m still struggling with Gozo’s FT Tribute which I am finding much trickier. Congratulations Reverend! Martin H @25. How about ‘riddled with corruption’? I think that has more of the sense of pervading than being holed. Thanks, John H @24 for stopping by and for revealing who wrote the clue at 5dn! crypticsue Very entertaining birthday celebration. Thanks to the setters and Happy Birthday to ‘our own genius’.

Eileen February 16th, 2011 at 12:57 pm Re 13ac: I initially confidently put in EGO, thinking, ‘I’ve seen this before – but why, ‘I see’?’ and then the penny dropped and I saw! I read somewhere that Enigmatist’s clue, ‘I say nothing’ for EGO is one of Araucaria’s favourite clues, so it was particularly nice to see the witty reference to it here. [The other is, apparently Bunthorne’s, ‘Amundsen’s forwarding address [4]’.] John H (Not the Enigmatist JH) says: February 16th, 2011 at 1:26 pm Happy birthday to the maestro. To paraphrase Woody Allen the Rev has given me the most fun I have had with all my clothes on. My best ever monkey puzzle was a holiday special consisting of two vertical grids with the UK shipping areas arranged around the perimeters in the correct geographical order. That was pure genius. Sidey must go down a storm at parties.

I can see him/her at a christening commenting on how the baby looks like a monkey/Winston Churchill (although to be fair they usuallly do). John Doe February 16th, 2011 at 1:36 pm Nice blog, thank you As you have highlighted the geniuses in Blue, you might consider doing the same with (Neils) Bohr, the Danish Physicist who (with others) gave us the atomic structure we use today. Robi Eileen @29. Oh no, not more clues to solve….. luckily, the answer can be found at the Guardian site 🙂 Chas 1) Happy birthday to The Reverend – long may he continue to tease and amuse us 2) I did the same as Eileen @29 and put in EGO at first 3) I fondly remember (part of) one of Araucaria’s clues Definition=Needlewoman Answer=Cleopatra liz February 16th, 2011 at 2:27 pm John H @30. The shipping forecast puzzle is probably my favourite, too.

(I’ve commented about it on here before.) It was a Christmas puzzle in the early 90s, I think, well before Wiki etc and I remember the whole family getting involved in solving it, including my late father-in-law. The enjoyment we all got from it has really stuck in the mind all these years. Coffee February 16th, 2011 at 2:45 pm Still missing a few top right (sorry, NE!) but it’s bed time here, so I shall sleep on them. Thoroughly enjoying this one, well done the setters & happy birthday Mr 24D! I hope if I get to 90, I can still attempt solving, never mind setting. If newspapers still exist then… REGALIZE This is a conga line I feel I must join. A truly entertaining puzzle, and a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man. It feels good to be a small part of this special occasion. Thank you all. Carrots February 16th, 2011 at 3:33 pm A very happy bithday indeed, Master….and a most fitting tribute from the three Johns, well blogged by mhl.

This is a very happy day in Crosswordland. May all raise a glass to Araucaria tonight. Few can equal and none surpass the pleasure he has provided for all. Long may he continue to do so. Martin P February 16th, 2011 at 4:55 pm Thanks mhl for an excellent blog and the 3Js for a lovely puzzle, I came to this only this afternoon, hence my late comment. The puzzle is clearly a labour of love in honour of a great man, and solving it and understanding it was something of the same. I was pleased to have parsed everything correctly including the fiendish Oscar Wilde. I missed the ‘our own Einstein’ juxtaposiition, but 14,24 says much the same. Many pleasing clues including 13 (I did not know the earlier version), 23, 26, 32, and 19d. I first wanted to put Born in 29 (but it of course made no sense in at least 3 ways!) and then Niels Bohr came to the rescue.

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MASTER Eileen February 16th, 2011 at 5:00 pm Hi William I’m sorry but, for the record, that one is [typically, I think] a Rufus clue. See comment 29 here: Congratulations all round, especially to the great Araucaria. A grand puzzle, too. Thanks mhl for the blog, esp the URL-TLA novelty. Paul B/ Tees/ Neo February 16th, 2011 at 6:35 pm A very happy birthday to the man who some people (include me among them) think is the finest ever exponent of our craft. Alphabetical jigsaws, perimetrical jigsaws, impossibly dense themed grids, all these and more from the great man, and they just keep a-coming. But could it be that the most important thing about Araucaria is his ability to inspire the rest of us? I wonder what the panels today would be like had budding compilers not fallen under his influence. Ooh, it makes you shiver.

Have a great day, John G, and thanks to the other Johns, Tom and Mike for their wonderful contributions to the day. Cheers February 16th, 2011 at 8:13 pm A wonderful puzzle to commemorate the birthday of an utterly incomparable setter. Thanks to Jane and others who posted photos of the day – very glad to see that the Guardian took the opportunity to recognise the enormous amount of joy Araucaria brings its readers week after week. We raise our glasses to you! Alan Moore February 16th, 2011 at 9:02 pm I enjoyed today’s crossword. I failed on 23ac (Gloriana) despite having all the letters and knowing that Ria was a drowned river valley. I guessed 1dn was Much so was pleased to see the reasoning for it. I also needed the blog as to why 15dn was Oscar Wilde. Dinsdale Will just add my endorsement of the comments above, a great puzzle fo a great man. malc95 February 16th, 2011 at 10:01 pm Been busy all day so only just come to the party.

Just wanted to say thanks to Biggles in toto, and in particular of course to Araucaria for so many hours of puzzled enjoyment. A very happy birthday to you; I look forward you to reaching three figures – more Don Bradman than Michael Slater, as it were! Davy February 16th, 2011 at 10:25 pm Thanks mhl and thanks also to the three Johns for this marvellous tribute to the great man. He may be 90 today but I hope that he will continue to entertain us for many years to come. Who else could produce the great bank holiday puzzles ?. The younger compilers will have to start practising. I just failed on UNABATED today and I still don’t understand “Using mobile you”. I will think about it if I wake up in the night. Many happy returns Araucaria and thanks for so many years of crossword delight. malc95 February 16th, 2011 at 10:33 pm Davy, mobile texting shortcut “u” for “you” – coincidentally a similar partial clue appeared in the Indy tribute puzzle today.

Davy ‘Where were you when Arauacaria turned 90?’ Well, at post #64 at Fifteensquared. Quite unique – can’t remember ever have posted my first comment so late. 🙂 But what a lovely tribute, one I was hoping for (like many others, I presume). ‘Genius’ was an appropriate theme but adding ‘our own’ in the preamble made it just as it should be. Many Happy Returns, dear John (if I may say so). As to the crossword itself I have only three things to say. Firstly, I liked the step-wise inclusion of Araucaria very very much. Furthermore, I appreciated the lightness of clueing, making this puzzle accessible to anyone who would like to be part of the celebration. Even the less experienced must have felt the Joy. But most importantly, this crossword – one that could have been so ostentatious – was just the opposite: modest. This is the word I associate most with Mr Graham, although I have never met him. He is actually the only Biggle I haven’t met so far, so hopefully when I buy a packet of crisps tomorrow, it will include the missing Biggle that makes it a perfect quartet ….

🙂 When I started doing crosswords in the Summer of 2008 [My Summer of Love :)] , Araucaria’s puzzles were the first British crosswords I encountered. I tried and tried, failed and failed, but eventually learned what it is all about in Crosswordland. Without Araucaria (and, to be fair, one of the other Biggles too) I would never have been the one I am now in Crosswordland. Let’s drink a MUSCADET (8ac) to celebrate!! PS, Thank you Tom J. (Gozo) for what looks like an amazing tribute, in the FT. Will surely do this crossword tomorrow (Arsenal and Barcelona took my time tonight, though). And another thank you to eimi’s contribution in the Indy – an alphabetical, clearly spoiled by Crossword Compiler on the Indy website – but even so, much appreciated. malc95 Thanks Sil, but I think that may have been in the FT; Eimi’s crossword was fairly standard. Roger February 16th, 2011 at 11:36 pm Hope I’m not too late to scribble my best wishes in the corner of Araucaria’s birthday card.

Thank you Sir for past challenges and here’s to those in the future. And thanks mhl for nicely unpicking this one. I did wonder though whether the definition in 26 was in fact “from Mars?” (…Mars, the bringer of war). Only a small point and I expect everyone’s past caring now anyway ! Sil van den Hoek February 16th, 2011 at 11:38 pm Sorry, malc95, I do not really understand what you are saying. When you go to the Indy online, the puzzle can be solved as a normal crossword, so with Across and Down clues – like “Song about gold vehicle and tree” given as 1 Down. But in the Dead Tree version it is NOT indicated that this word should be entered at 1 Down. The puzzle is an (Araucarian) alphabetical like in the FT. I have not visted the eimi blog at Fifteensquared, because I haven’t done the crossword yet, but I can imagine that some solvers might have commented on this. Sylvia Well, Sil, you aren’t the last!

I was late in switching on too, but want to add my congratulations to the great and good Araucaria! Shed February 17th, 2011 at 12:37 am Thanks to mhl and all who commented. I’m glad so many of you thought it fitted the bill. It was quite a challenge. Paul B/ Tees /Neo #55: spot on. I think I speak for all three Js (of whom, at 51, I’m the oldest) in saying that JG has been our biggest inspiration. We may not be quite in the same league but we wouldn’t have got as far as we have without him. Pedant’s corner: Dinsdale #58: the protagonist of The Trial is indeed Josef K, but the protagonist of The Castle is referred to throughout merely as K. But since K is (by some strange coincidence) the first letter of ‘Kafka’, I figured people didn’t need to have read Kafka at all to solve the clue.

(That was one of mine.) Bannsider February 17th, 2011 at 10:09 am Coming to this topic very late, but I’d like to add my own praise to the Johns for a puzzle which, I suspect, was designed to be done in the style of the great man himself. All I’d say about geniuses is that if you can’t call the author of SURPRISINGLY CHASTE LORD ARCHER VEGETATING as a clue for THE OLD VICARAGE GRANTCHESTER a genius then your definition is indeed a narrow one. Joshua's mum February 17th, 2011 at 10:58 am This will probably be the latest tribute here. I only opened 15 squared because I didn’t get ‘much’ (thank you mhl) and am persuaded to add my gratitude for years and years of tackling Araucaria crosswords. Our children have grown up with them and now inculcate their own broods. Trying to have a sight of the clues when we all gather is a challenge. We look forward to the next decade of offerings.

Tramp February 17th, 2011 at 11:45 am Wonderful tributes in yesterday’s papers to a brilliant setter. I seem to remember reading around the time of his 80th birthday that Araucaria was “the Tiger Woods of crossword setting”: Tiger’s reign didn’t last 53 years and he’s not number one anymore! The man is one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. Here’s to his 100th! It’s all been said above. Thanks to everyone involved in this – all the Johns, and all the rest. I had a brilliant time solving the 3 tribute crosswords We must do this again sometime … Huw Powell February 17th, 2011 at 9:47 pm Happy birthday indeed to the Master! Thanks to the 3 Johns and mhl for such a wonderful tribute and blog. Sil, I agree that it was nice to have this puzzle be on the easier end of the scale, while still demanding some thought, of course. Letting everyone in on the fun by letting us all blow out all the candles, as it were.

One thing that impressed me was the relative lack of clunkiness considering what had to be worked into the grid. I really liked the way all the “theme” bits worked together to help with the solving – especially pencilling in ARAUCARIA which gave me RAUCOUS and OSCAR WILDE! I suspect I would have had a much rougher time of it if it weren’t for reading 225 sometime in the last day or two, which included mention of the coming celebrations. One little note about the discussion of RIDDLE (that has died down) – it certainly does mean “pervade” – consider “the house was riddled with vermin”. However, “riddled with holes” has become so common that “riddled” has become a convenient shorthand for the phrase. At least, that’s my thinking about the misunderstanding. So thank you, once again, John, John, John, and John, for inviting us to the fabulous party! Fascinating Facts about Setters' Pseudonyms ~ Crossword Unclued Tweet Have you ever wondered why a crossword setter chose that pseudonym for himself/herself? Is Rufus a redhead, Cryptonyte a Superman fan?

Why does Dean Mayer call himself Anax and Loroso? Three of John Henderson's pseudonyms (Enigmatist, Nimrod, Elgar) come from Enigma Variations ; what's with the fourth - "Io"? Read on to know the stories behind some intriguing pseudonyms of our cryptic crossword setters. 1 Neil Shepherd, an ardent Wagnerite, sets as Alberich in the FT and Klingsor in the Independent. Both his pseudonyms are based on characters from Wagner's operas. 2 Roger Squires derives his most popular id Rufus from his initials RFS (Roger Frank Squires). Roger's father Frank Squires, born in 1888 before the advent of the modern crossword, loved playing with words. Roger recalls him entering wordplay competitions in the magazine John Bull; one of his winning entries was for the word CONTENTMENT - "Wife, whiff and woof" (in those days everyone smoked). 3 All of John Halpern's pseudonyms are words of four letters. He is best known as Paul in the Guardian, named after his elder brother . When he began setting for the FT, he called himself Bats, which was the nickname of his girlfriend at that time.

After they broke up John changed his pseudonym to Mudd as "his name was then mud". 4 On the Daily Telegraph Toughie, his latest entry as setter, John Halpern calls himself Dada – he says he has chosen this name as it is anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anarchist. 5 Don Manley's pseudonyms - Duck (Listener), Pasquale (Guardian), Quixote (Independent), Bradman (FT), and Giovanni (Daily Telegraph Toughie) – are all linked to the name "Don" or "Donald". 6 John Galbraith Graham, best known as Araucaria of the Guardian, takes his name from the Latin word for The Monkey-puzzle Tree . He also sets in the FT as Cinephile, which is an anagram of Chile Pine , a synonym for the tree Araucaria. 7 "The Unpronounceable One" as he has been dubbed by FT bloggers, Phssthpok gets his name from a character in Larry Niven's 1973 science fiction novel Protector.

8 For a long time, Indian crossword solvers recognised CG Rishikesh as " Chaturvasi ", unaware that he is none other than The Hindu Crossword setter Gridman. It is a wonder that solvers did not make the connection between the two from their pseudonyms alone – Chaturvasi is Hindi for "one who dwells in a grid", meaning roughly the same as Gridman. 9 Setter Dumpynose of the Spectator gets his pseudonym from the anagram of the word "pseudonym". 10 Anax is a reversal of his daughter's name Xana. That name itself was an invented one, derived from the parents' AOL screennames: Anax was Xwordmaker, his partner's screenname ended with '-ina'. They came up with Xina at first but because that was very similar to Xena (the Warrior Princess) the name was altered slightly to Xana. 11 For his pseudonym on FT, Anax wanted something with an Italian 'feel' as a reminder of his family that lives in Italy. He hit upon the perfect Italian-sounding name Loroso by looking at his home address for inspiration - LOndon ROad SOuth.

12 Two more pseudonyms that come from the setter's home address: Hodge and Bower, formerly used by Roger Squires in the Independent. Roger Squires lives on the road Hodge Bower in Shropshire. He had further reasons for naming himself Hodge - it is the shortened name for Roger, and also the name of Dr Johnson's cat (Roger loves cats). In addition, Hodge means "rough peasant" and his "friends" think that suits him. 13 Michael Curl sets as Cincinnus in the FT. Cincinnus is a Latin word meaning 'curl', a word used figuratively to describe a flourish in the art of rhetoric – almost like the art of cryptic wordplay. The choice of pseudonym had an additional attraction - if one pronounces both Cs as 'hard' rather than 'soft' the word is a near homophone of 'kinkiness'. 14 Orlando, Michael Curl's pseudonym in the Guardian, is a Spanish/Italian variant of his middle name Roland. 15 Tony Sebastian 's moniker Cryptonyte in The Hindu comes from cryptic+Tony.

The word is also a soundalike of Superman's nemesis Kryptonite – the implication being that this is what "Superman" solvers are up against. 16 Raich is the pseudonym of Niall MacSweeney for crosswords in various publications like The Independent, The Listener and Enigmatic Variations in the Sunday Telegraph. The pseudonym refers to Raich Carter , probably the best player in Sunderland AFC's history. Niall MacSweeney is a lifelong supporter of the club. 17 Setter Boatman of the Guardian takes his pseudonym from his 100-foot Dutch barge, which he spent 10 years converting from a working vessel into a floating home (have a look at the sketch of his boat on his website ). That's all there was to it at first but he soon realised that the pseudonym was amenable to wordplay in clues - Boatman could mean not just I or ME but also TAR, AB and other shipboard characters. So the name, and the way of playing with it, stuck. 18 Paul Bringloe calls himself Tees in the Independent and Neo in the FT.

Tees because it sounds like 'Tease', and Neo is inspired by the lead character in the movie The Matrix. 19 John Young sets in the Guardian as Shed, an undergraduate nickname he got for looking sloping and ramshackle. 20 In the FT, John Young uses the pseudonym Dogberry, named after the comic constable in Much Ado About Nothing who keeps getting his words in a muddle (e.g. 'comparisons are odorous'), of whom somebody says 'this learned constable is too cunning to be understood'. John Young took on this pseudonym on the sugggestion of the FT crossword editor Colin Inman. 21 John Dawson's pseudonyms Armonie (FT) and Chifonie (Guardian) are both alternative names the hurdy-gurdy or the 'wheel-fiddle', a musical instrument whose strings are played using a cranked wheel which rubs against the strings to produce sound. 22 Mick Hodgkin sets as Morph in the Independent. Morph because, at the time, he was a programme editor for More 4 News - the pseudonym is homophonically indicated at the start of that.

He was also attracted by the malleability of the childrens' TV character Morph which seemed appropriate for the way setters play with language - and there was the additional plus of the pseudonym containing all of Mick's initials MOH. 23 Mick Hodgkin's pseudonym Micawber in the Daily Telegraph Toughie is named after the optimistic Dickensian character . The start of the name Micawber also sounds like his real name 'Mick'. 24 Setter Spiffytrix of The Hindu is a fan of Calvin and Hobbes and Asterix comics. The Spiff in his name comes from Calvin's alter-ego Spaceman Spiff, and the -trix is a tribute to the Gaulish spirit. 25 Roger Squires met the great American magician Dante during WWII during his tour of Britain, and from him caught the magic bug. After joining the RN in 1947, he would put on variety shows in whatever ship he was in. On leaving service, he initially earned his living through magic, acting and crosswords. Roger's pseudonym Dante in the FT is his tribute to the great magician.

26 Brian Greer sets as Virgilius in the Independent, named after an Irish monk in the 6th century who worked on manuscripts. To make the time pass more interestingly, he composed acrostics. 27 Brian Greer emigrated to the US in 2000. When he began contributing to the Guardian he chose the pseudonym Brendan, named after St. Brendan, the Irishman who came to America long before Columbus. 28 A long time ago, John Henderson set a thematic puzzle featuring all of the known moons of Jupiter - except Io, which as a 2-letter word wasn't valid as a grid entry. So he used it as his pseudonym instead. Although it appears initially to have no connection to his other pseudonyms Enigmatist (Guardian), Nimrod (Independent) and Elgar(Daily Telegraph) , cryptically IO is a part of the 'VariatIOns'. 29 As you will know, Icarus of Greek mythology flew by means of wings invented by his father Daedalus. He flew too near the sun, the wax fixing his wings melted, and he crashed.

On 9th March 1961, Roger Squires was flying in the Fleet Air Arm from HMS Hermes off Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), when his aircraft stalled just before landing on the carrier. He managed to escape from about 60 feet below the sea and was picked up by a helicopter in seconds. His co-pilot did not survive the crash. Roger Squires used the pseudonym Icarus for his early Independent crosswords, as a reminder of how lucky he was on that fateful day. 30 The pseudonym Biggles of the Guardian comes from the author WE Johns , creator of the character Biggles. Biggles is not an individual setter but a team of four crosswords setters whose first names are all John (therefore, "WE Johns") – Araucaria (John Galbraith Graham), Enigmatist (John Henderson), Paul (John Halpern) and Shed (John Young). 31 P.C. Jayaraman sets for The Hindu as Sankalak, which is a Sanskrit word for 'compiler'. 32 Neyartha of The Hindu is Sanskrit-inspired, too. Neyartha means "provisional intent" – i.e.

something that requires interpretation, not to be taken at face value – just like cryptic crossword clues. 33 R D Anderson's pseudonym Crucible came about when he submitted his first puzzle to the Guardian, themed on the World Snooker Championships. He suggested Crux to the Guardian crossword editor Hugh Stephenson, but found out it was already in use. Hugh then proposed Crucible, the name of the venue in Sheffield. His other pseudonyms - Radian in the Independent and Redshank in the FT - are simply based on the name R D Anderson. 34 Dean Mayer's brother and his wife emigrated to Canada with their four young girls about five years ago. His pseudonym Elkamere in the Telegraph Toughie comprises the first two letters of each of his niece’s names. 35 Arden and Mover of The Hindu derive their pseudonyms from prominent letters in their names: Arden is A R DEvanathaN and Mover is MOhan VERghese Chunkath. The link between 'Mover' and his preference for moving letters (anagrams) is, in the setter's words, Jungian synchronicity. 36 In college and later at work, close friends used to call Bhavan 'B'.

When he joined The Hindu as setter, Bee or Buzzer sounded like a natural extrapolation. Buzzer currently lives in Australia where his colleagues have given him a local nickname of Baz, short for Bazza - a coincidental homophone the setter is happy with. 37 Vinod Raman's pseudonym in The Hindu Textrous, in addition to being a portmanteau of 'text' and 'dextrous', is anagram of the name of Vinod's favourite author, Rex Stout. 38 The adjective 'scintillating' impressed Shyam very much when he came across it at the age of ten in The Hindu's sports column. The word became part of his first email ID (something he uses to this date) and then made its way into his pseudonym as crossword setter for The Hindu. The choice of Scintillator is also in line with Shyam's love for Physics . 39 Paul Henderson sets as Phi in The Independent, formed from the initials of his name plus a self-referential 'I'. The name has become so much a part of his identity that on moving to NZ, he acquired the numberplate PHI 1 for his car.

Paul Henderson's pseudonym Kcit (pronounced with the 'c' silent) in The Sunday Telegraph is also based on his initials: since HP (hire purchase) is 'tick', it follows that PH would be 'kcit'. 40 Sarah Hayes chose Arachne as a nom de guerre when she debuted in The Guardian, since she was a keen amateur weaver of cloth at the time embarking on a career as a weaver of words. The mythological character Arachne appealed to her as she was not only a very good weaver, but also rather headstrong, causing Athena to turn her into a spider (Arachne means 'spider' in Greek). Her pseudonym Anarche in the Independent (an anagram of Arachne) ties in with her philosophy of life, what she calls 'anarcho-horizontalism'. 41 In the FT, Sarah Hayes is Rosa Klebb, named after a villain in the James Bond film "From Russia with Love". Rosa Klebb is a play on the Soviet feminist slogan khleb i rozy, meaning "bread and roses".

The idea for the name came from Big Dave : when he met Sarah for the first time at an S&B event, he said he had the ideal pseudonym for her should she ever need another one. 42 Geoff's initials are GLO (from Geoff Lewis Oxley), so he was called Glow-worm at school, but in addition Geoff realised that glow-worms create "lights". When he had to choose a pseudonym for the Independent's puzzles, Glow-worm was his ready choice, which he continued to use in The Listener and the Enigmatic Variations puzzles. Geoff sets The Telegraph Toughie as his alter-ego Firefly, another "light" creator. Related Posts/Links: Interview: Sarah Hayes (Arachne) ~ Crossword Unclued Tweet Fondly called The Amazing Spider-Woman by fans in Crosswordland, Sarah Hayes (Arachne/Anarche) is known for her teasing, tricksy clues that sparkle with good humour. She answers my questions in this interview with her characteristic wit, talking about - among other things - her penchant for smut and spiders, her socio-political views, and the Guinness World Record she holds for something worlds apart from crosswords. Q1.

When and how did you get interested in crosswords? Sarah: At an early age, at my father's knee. He only solved the barred puzzles in the Sunday broadsheets so I had a fairly rigorous training. While other girls were reading Bunty or Diana, I was enraptured by my dad's battered copy of Chambers; dog-eared and sans spine, it was probably my favourite object in the whole world. Q2. How did you get into setting crosswords? Sarah: When I learned in the mid 1990s that the Independent's Saturday Magazine barred puzzle (now the Inquisitor) was open to freelancers, I sent a piece of work to the late and lovely Harold Massingham, its editor at the time. He was extremely encouraging and accepted several puzzles from me. It was such fun that I also started setting for the Listener and the Sunday Telegraph's Enigmatic Variations. Some years later I was approached by the Guardian to help with the launch of the Quiptic and found my spiritual home. A slot in the paper eventually followed.

In 2011 Anarche began setting for the Independent, whilst a meeting with Times crossword editor Richard Browne at Rufus' 80th birthday party early in 2012 led to my setting for that paper, too. Q3. Why the names Arachne and Anarche? Sarah: In Greek mythology Arachne was a headstrong young weaver, and when I started setting I loved to make rugs on my treasured Swedish four shaft loom. It also seemed to me that there was something of the spider's web about a crossword – an intricately woven piece of work intended to entrap the unwary – so the name was doubly apposite. The loom is long gone, but the admiration for spiders has endured (witness the acres of cobwebs in my house). Anarche – which I pronounce with three syllables – is an anagram of Arachne. Which leads us on to the next question… Q4. You describe yourself as "anarcho-horizontalist". What does that mean? Sarah: It basically means that I'd love to be an anarchist but am too busy lying down.

Some years ago I got as far as founding the UK Horizontalist Party, with the aim of standing for Parliament. Unfortunately it was, naturally, pointed out that no true Horizontalist would 'stand' for anything (and there were already more than enough people 'lying' for Parliament). One day, if a 90 degree manoeuvre can be successfully maintained, I would still like to have a pop at being Britain's first Horizontalist MP, in which role I would of course do absolutely nothing, thereby improving the body politic no end. Q5. How challenging is it to adapt your crosswords to the styles of the different publications you set for? Sarah: The Guardian and the Independent are very accommodating, although, as I'm drawn to smut like a banker to a bonus, Guardian crossword editor Hugh Stephenson has had to banish me to the naughty step a few times. A lot of Guardian readers apparently have yet to discover the joy of smut.

Of course individual editors have their preferences, but both papers give the setter a lot of leeway; so much so that Mike Hutchinson at the Independent courageously published my Levenson-themed puzzle of May 2012 (of which more later) even though it caused "apoplexy" in the paper’s legal department. Working for the Times, as I've been doing since last year, is quite a different kettle of fish. There, consistency is all and the editor's aim is that solvers should not be able to tell who has set any particular puzzle. There is a Times 'style handbook' which has to be followed to the letter and includes rules, for example, about the number of anagrams allowed per puzzle (no more than five), which single letter abbreviations may be used (very few), and the type of language permitted (must be suitable "for the drawing room"). Whilst this is of course constricting, it is also very good discipline. Q6. Does being a woman in Crosswordland - where men far outnumber women - have an impact on how you work as a crossword setter, and how others see your work as a crossword setter? Sarah: Isn't it strange how few female setters there are.

I have no idea why. As a feminist I try to set traps for sexists such as using "she" for "he" where either will do (the traps usually work, I'm afraid), but I like to think I'd do the same if I were a man. It's hard to say how others see my work in this context, but perhaps they might notice more of a "human interest" angle to some clues, with an emphasis on story-telling. Or is that a sexist thing to say? Q7. Your crosswords clearly mirror your strong opinions – I remember a clue that defined YODELLING as 'horrible noises' and another that said of GEORGE BUSH '...bugger invaded Iraq'. How do crossword editors/solvers react to your forthrightness? Sarah: Fortunately my political and social positions gel well with those of the Guardian and the Independent, so I've been allowed a lot of freedom to express them.

As I remember, I did get a bit of stick from some presumably Swiss solvers over my less than kind definition of YODELLING, but if Chambers can define 'track suit' as something worn 'in an error of judgement' then I think a setter can be forgiven for slipping the very occasional prejudice into a clue. Q8. You have studied an interesting variety of subjects – Russian, intelligence and international relations. Tell us more. Sarah: I've got two degrees in Russian, which I taught for almost twenty years at Manchester University. My MPhil on English shipbuilding terms in 18th century Russian was later turned into a book - in what can only have been part of a publishers' tax dodge – and is rumoured to have won the Order of Stalin (4th Class) as Most Boring Book of the Year at the Omsk Salt Miners' Gala. Having developed an urge to infiltrate proto-al Qaeda cells in Bosnia and single-handedly end the Balkan war, I gave up teaching to do a Diploma in Intelligence and International Relations. Unfortunately I neither sorted out Bosnia nor improved my intelligence very much.

It was suggested, not for the first time, that I join M15 but luckily for national security I decided to work on a burger van instead. Q9. If you had to pick two clues of your own that you are proud of, which would they be? Sarah: Can't remember any. Oh dear. Once my work's been published I forget all about it. Is that a terrible confession? Having said that, I was very proud of the above-mentioned Levenson-themed puzzle, which allowed me to chuck some muck back at gutter journalists, meretricious media types and venal policemen after the phone-hacking scandal. The Independent is, I fear, not too keen to give this puzzle another outing. My other favourite of my own puzzles was Guardian 25,721 of 22 August 2012. It was a normal puzzle, but the squares along the the top and bottom read JUSTICE NOT DONE, whilst those at the sides spelt out the name of DANIEL MORGAN, a murder victim whose case was never solved because of appalling police corruption.

His brother Alastair has been campaigning for a judicial inquiry into the case, and I was thrilled to have done my bit towards getting "Justice for Daniel". Once reassured that I wasn't going to make a habit of shoving "ishoos" down their throats along with their cornflakes most solvers received the puzzle generously and some went on to join the campaign. Q10: Which crossword setters do you most admire? This will sound evasive, but I honestly and truly admire all of them. There is particular pleasure in seeing brilliant young setters coming onto the scene, such as Tramp/Jambazi, Rorschach and Donk . Q11. What is your method of setting? How long does it take you to set a typical 15x15? Sarah: Have a few satisfactorily clued words in advance. Choose grid to suit. Pull hair out trying to fill rest of grid. Have a drink. After that anything can happen. Sometimes it all comes together quickly, sometimes it takes ages. Once I've 'finished', though, I always return with a soft cloth and polish all the surfaces until I feel they are simply as good as they can be.

No routine, no set hours, and never the remotest idea what I'm going to do next. For many years I used paper, pencils and ink pens and sent puzzles off in the post, but modern editors generally require one to use Crossword Compiler software and therefore a dratted computer. I have pretty much every dictionary going, plus three thesauruses and various reference works such as Brewer . Q12. How important is it for a crossword setter to be a good solver? Sarah: Not very important at all, I hope, otherwise I might as well chuck out my Chambers now. Q13. Would you describe yourself as Ximenean or Libertarian? Sarah: Hmm. Well, as I've been told off by both Ximeneans and Libertarians I suppose I must be somewhere in the middle. It seems a shame to spoil a witty clue just for the sake of sticking rigidly to a rule, but of course fairness must prevail. Q14. When you're not solving/setting crosswords, what do you do? Sarah: Lie down a lot (see above).

Though sometimes I also like to run, and have completed 37 marathons and ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles) over the last two and a half years. I once ran five marathons in five days, and my longest ultramarathon was 75 miles. I hold the Guinness World Record for Running a Marathon as a Bottle (Female) (4 hours 36 minutes, since you ask). I have a deep affinity with bottles. When not running I reread Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire , listen to JS Bach and undergo regular pummellings by my grandchildren Aaron, Isla and Isobel. Work-wise I write word puzzle apps for a US software company but am pretty much a full-time crossword setter these days. And at the moment I'm arranging a wedding. Mine. To my wonderful and very long-suffering Nick. [Since the time the interview was conducted, Sarah and Nick got married, on the 23rd of Feb 2013. Congrats and best wishes! – Shuchi] Picture 1: Nick and Sarah at the Adidas 24 Hour Run, where she ran for 24 hours non-stop.

Picture 2: Sarah at the Chester Marathon just after she'd broken the World Record in October 2011. She says she tried persuading Nick to let her wear the bottle costume at their wedding but "for some reason" he wasn't very keen on the idea. Q15. Any memorable crossword-related experiences you'd like to share? Sarah: The memorable ones mostly involve violence to computers, but I think my best crossword-related experience was being lucky enough to attend the legendary Araucaria 's 90th birthday party at the Guardian. It was my first meeting with the Great Man and I was beyond star-struck. Not only is he a genius of enormous charm and wit, he's also still extremely handsome! Yes, I fell madly and irretrievably in love at first sight and barely noticed the luminaries such as Simon Russell Beale, Timothy West and Prunella Scales – all Araucaria fans – who had come to pay tribute to him. Picture 3: At Araucaria's 90th birthday party.

Left to Right: Tom Johnson, Neil Walker, Sarah, Paul, Hectence, Cyclops, Hugh Stephenson (Guardian crossword editor); Araucaria, Pasquale, Orlando, Jane Teather, Shed. Front: Enigmatist, Jane Howell (one of Araucaria's vetters). Photo courtesy: Dave Tilley . A year later I was once again transformed into a stuttering schoolgirl when I had the honour of presenting an 80th birthday crossword, which I'd helped to compile, to our funny, brilliant and inimitable Rufus at his Guardian party. I've been in the presence of greatness. Q16. Parting words: Sarah: Crosswords are, or in my humble opinion should be, ludic. Let's have fun, let's laugh, and let's never get too po-faced about our shared pastime. Setters are entertainers, not interrogators for the Stasi, and I'd hope that in a very small way we add to the gaiety of life. Thank you Sarah, it was a delight to interact with you over the interview. - Shuchi Related Posts:

Question: Araucaria, Shed and Paul are names connected with which pastime?
Answer: Crosswords