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...

Salon 45

11 November, 2013

GAMES magazine is another indulgence of mine. This puzzle periodical, first appearing back in 1977, has given me untold inspiration and anguish, a bi/monthly that promised outre ideas, inventive formats, game-play history and talk of frontier software. Before the net, GAMES embodied the puzzle community.

I own about 120 of the 200 issues (and desperately seek to fill the gaps). The title is still around, though in shadow form, often reproducing old articles and puzzles.

This year, I tracked down three issues from the first year. And the earliest, Nov/Dec 1977, has a neat game we could well extend. If a logger comedian is Lumberjack Benny, and a typical governess is a Customary Poppins, then who are these people:

  1. Spectral Scientologist (7,6)
  2. Smoothie chemist (10,5)
  3. Clone actress (9,9)
  4. Nomadic Irish singer (7,8)
  5. Horn-blowing quickie (9,6)
  6. Undecided actress (7,6)

Blab your answers in the Comments. And set us your own examples, using byline and number. (And don’t forget to share the peaks and gullies of the week’s crossword landscape. Have a wordy week.)

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