You Always Remember Your First - Hopefully
19 February, 2011
I know I do. The first time I cracked a Times crossword by myself, no reference books, no search engines (as you’d expect in 1976.) That would make me 15. I was on a Central bound train, heading off to the Easter Show to meet some mates, and I filled in the last Across before doing the Eddy Avenue bus shuffle. Yes, I was on cloud 9 all through the marmalade section, and even still on the Tilt-A-Whirl.
I kept the grid too, of course. Tacked it like a trophy on my bedroom corkboard, where it slowly turned yellow in direct sunlight, and curled up like a Dead Sea parchment. But every time I sat at my desk, I’d stare back at that memory of triumph. The whole grid completed. Gotcha, sucker!
So tell us your debut as a successful solver. Do you still own the snippet? Was it one setter in particular – an Araucaria, an NS, a Loroso – that had you clicking your heels when the last letter fell into place? Love to hear your boasts, with an eye to a future column.
Mind you, nobody is likely to trump a bloke called Ken. No surname supplied, but Ken sent an email to ABC Brisbane, on hearing the Fidler/Astle interview, and dished it out with both barrels:
Loved the interview with DA , only caught part of it live and podded the whole thing later. Have nailed to my billiard room walls several things , the pelt of the black feral cat that took three years to nail, the best target I’ve ever shot, but the best trophy is the two DA cryptics FULLY SOLVED without any help. Please tell DA that he’s a bastard (in the best Aussie vernac) Ken
So while we wait for Loroso to judge our best clues, tell us your cryptic moment of crowing. Carn, confess, we’re all addicts here.
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