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Diabolically Arcane

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Salon 21 - Sport Heaven

30 June, 2014

Too much sport is never enough, to quote Roy & HG. Well, there is a limit in most diets, though I am relishing the World Cup’s pointy end, as much as other athletic distractions, including the mercurial run of Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon.

Which invites a clue challenge, don’t you reckon? Four names that have hit the headlines lately – ignoring the idiocy of Todd Carney – that will test your clue-crafting chops. With no need for definition, those names are:

NICK KYRGIOSCanberra 19yo into Round 4 at Wimbledon
KEYLOR NAVASCosta Rican keeper, and nemesis of the Greek XI
CYRIL RIOLIhamstrung Hawthorn star, out for 2 months
DANTE EXUManother ACT teen, now worth millions with Utah Jazz

As a different challenge, my last Wordplay column was about rare antonyms, the covert opposites of common terms. These include aestivate (antonym of hibernate), moontan and overdog. Any other obvious un-obvious opposites to add?

If my Sunday Times stab is correct (I’m nervous about it) then I’ll be facing Times #62 in my quest to score a ton. (No dictionary, no Google, no phone-a-friend.) Share the adrenalin, or the best of Brit clues, here as well. Have a wordy week.

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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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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
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