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Diabolically Arcane

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Salon 19

13 May, 2013

Ouch. My back is still smarting from the public thwacking. Puzzles like last week’s themer, where some entries are ‘non-words’, clearly polarise the public. For every bravo, I copped three salvos. Hence the poll you see in the right margin: what’s you response in general to non-word solutions, based on a thematic manipulation?

A reminder, the Sydney Writers Fest is fast looming, with two DA sessions as part of the schedule. Both are free and don’t require booking, but I’d recommend you roll up early (especially for Friday’s crossword powwow) as seats are finite. Say gday if you squeeze in.

(Melbourne solvers, if you want your chance of a personal puzzle session, with a view, and a vino, and a divine meal, then inquire here at the Dandenong Festival for May 25, as there may be a few seats remaining.)

Can’t speak for the rest of the week, but today’s Times is a trimmer. Great definition for 10ac, and a brilliant container: Bacon, perhaps, I put in hot dog (7) Talk more about the Times and the G below, as the week unfurls.

Regarding the Coppola hiccup in last week’s Storm, aplogies to uha if your clues were omitted. All cares are taken by the blog admin – which gracefully has included CL for the last while – but zero culpability. If there is a benign programmer out there who could help establish a shortlist template, then I will reward him/her with a bespoke puzzle, no question.

And last a puzzle to chew on, and extend. If vicburton = vicTIM, or safinhon = MARAThon, then can you restore these other non-words?

  1. uspectorl
  2. tarankain
  3. pahode
  4. parcowelly
  5. pholmo
  6. pafey
  7. haridor
  8. grefalcor

Any more to enlist?

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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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