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Diabolically Arcane

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Salon 38 [and Huh 42]

23 September, 2013

Lately I’ve been poring an old Guardian collection of crosswords. By old, I mean 1973, a volume published 40 years back. You’ll be hearing more about the clues (and answers) I’ve found this week, both here and a coming Wordplay column.

Before then, I’m wondering whether anyone can illuminate how these clues operate? I can see how fragments belong, but not the entire wordplay sequence. Can you:

  1. Plain meal? = ORDINARY

  2. Toadflax for Eve? = MOTHER OF MILLIONS

  3. Psychosomatic French phrase = ESPRIT DE CORPS

  4. Clay with staff? = CHURCH WARDEN

  5. Rise to a fashionable height = MOUNTAIN

  6. Remains round behind the shed of the old people’s home = HUT CIRCLE

The Salon is also the forum for Brit puzzle chat, or anything with a puzzle twist. Appreciate any inklings you may have on this vexatious half-duzz. Have a vibrant & verbal week.

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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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