Puzzles, posts, news and general word-chat.

Diabolically Arcane

Bingo. You’ve reached David Astle dot com, a carnival of words, puzzles and more words. Welcome aboard, and have fun.

Loading tweet...

Ink Awards

16 August, 2014

As predicted, the judging of this prize Storm was no picnic. The influx was modest by historic standards, though the benchmark was high.

A note for new Stormers – please decode your trickier recipes so your craft is luminous. And second, please submit your own final selections! One of the best entries went to Clark Nova (see below) despite that player skipping the latter phase. Just pick your pet entries before deadline – it helps the end-game no end.

So then, who wins? I loved the ambition of Pen & Ink, toying round with ZUSAK. David Agnew’s nude pervert made me rethink Dune. Dahl’s Chickens almost won for his alias alone, while Dickens Smith showed genuine mastery of the dreaded ‘dots’. But there were three clear podium occupants for mine. In ascending order:

POESpooner’s even…
THE RAVEN…better than ever! [Clark Nova constructs a sublime splice]

ANNE FADIMANMania fanned unrest
EX LIBRISRisible novel about Number 10 [Never heard of writer, or work, but Thomas Rowley made me applaud.]

A.B. FACEYFlathead and dab found in Broken Bay
A FORTUNATE LIFETwist of fate, not failure?! [Far from dreadful Penny went ker-ching with her splendid fishing trope, and then a killer &lit anagram. As a pro-cluer, and one-time Nib II, I’m envious of both.]

Congratz to all scribes, and hip-hip Penny for winning The Missing Ink by Philip Hensher. Kindly unmask yourself at your convenience and I will send on the prize. It’s a great read. Thanks for the showdown.

"
comments powered by Disqus

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.

Medal

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

read more +

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.

read more +

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 

read more +

Recent Comments

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
See Results