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Diabolically Arcane

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Anzac March [April 25 - 30]

25 April, 2011

How sound is your knowledge of London theatre? As a fan of things thespian, I could list the Lyric, the Garrick, the Peacock. I can tell you The Mousetrap has been playing for a month of Sunday matinees, and the good people of Half-Tix knew be my first name in the winter of 1986/87, but I’ve never heard of the theatre revealed in today’s 11ac of the Times crossword.

That said, the wordplay is pretty kind, and good diggers with exhume the truth, but don’t expect No 8986 to be a stroll in the park. In keeping with Anzac Day, the puzzle is a genuine battle. Join the fray from now till Saturday, with this post your chance to register your efforts and triumphs as the campaign rages.

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Rewording The Brain

Focus & memory, lateral leaps & logic - every aspect of cognitive health is lit in Rewording The Brain, a book revelling in how puzzles boost your brain. Part 2 equips your brain to conquer any twisty clue, plus the wild crossword finale. Pop science meets neural gameplay, Rewording is rewarding, and out now.

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Rewording The Brain

Care to renew your noodle? Rewording The Brain explores the latest neural studies, seeing how puzzles (and twisty clues) boost your neurons. Part 2 helps you crack such clues, and prep the grey matter for the crossword showcase to finish. More here

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101 Weird Words (and 3 Fakes)

From Ambidextrous to Zugwang, this mini-dictionary teems with rare or alluring words, plus bonus riddles, puzzles and fun word-facts. Dictionary detective will also nab the collection's three fakes. Ideal for late primary schoolers, or word-nuts in general.

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Gargantuan Book of Words

Sneeze words. Fake pasta. Viking slang. Gargantuan is a jumbo jumble of puzzles & games, mazes & quizzes, tailor-made for that wordy wonderkid in your life. Or anyone in love with letters, secret codes, puns, rhymes, emoji & all things languagey. More here 

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Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
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