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The Allusionist

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A PODCAST ABOUT LANGUAGE
BY HELEN ZALTZMAN

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The Allusionist

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Allusionist 62: In Crypt, Decrypt

September 1, 2017 The Allusionist
A62 In Crypt, Decrypt logo.jpg

Crossword-solving is often a solitary activity - over breakfast; on the train; on the loo... But a few times a year, crossword puzzle enthusiasts gather in their hundreds to compete to be the fastest, most accurate crossword-solver.

This episode comes to you from a church basement on the Upper East Side of New York City, wherein takes place America's second largest crossword puzzle tournament: Lollapuzzoola.

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In episodes Tags words, crosswords, crossword puzzles, crossword compiling, cryptic, crossword setting, puzzles, Lollapuzzoola, contests, competitions, tournaments, Bruce Ryan

Allusionist 8: Crosswords

April 8, 2015 The Allusionist

iTUNES • RSS • MP3

Cryptic crosswords: delightful brain exercise, or the infernal taunting of the incomprehensible? Either way, crossword setter John Feetenby explains how they're made and how to solve them. Visit theallusionist.

Cryptic crosswords: delightful brain exercise, or the infernal taunting of the incomprehensible?

Either way, crossword setter John Feetenby explains how they're made and how to solve them. He reveals how he composes clues (even one for 'Zaltzman'), why crosswords reign supreme over sudoku, and why 'jacuzzi' is rarely the answer.

ADDITIONAL READING:

  • If, like me, you suck at cryptic crosswords, to start off here's Cryptic Crosswords for Dummies.

  • I'll never be able to do The Guardian's crossword, but if that's the crossword mountain you want to climb, here's the Guardian's Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners series. I can do the Telegraph crossword a bit, so here's the Telegraph's guide too.

  • This is a very handy compendium of what words mean in crosswordese.

  • Here's a summary of the differences between UK and US crosswords.

I'm aware that crosswords from other countries work differently to British ones, so do illuminate me about your own local crossword practices.

RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
waterbrash

Say hi at facebook.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/allusionistshow, and come back in a fortnight for the next episode.

- HZ

CREDITS

  • John Feetenby's crosswords appear every Sunday in one of Britain's major newspapers. He is @feexby on Twitter and his website is feexby.com, via which you can find his own podcasts.

  • This episode was presented and produced by me, Helen Zaltzman.

MUSIC:

  • 'Allusionist Theme' - Martin Austwick

  • 'I don't Get It' - Cowboy Junkies

  • 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' - The Animals

In episodes Tags words, puzzles, crosswords, crossword puzzles, cryptic, clues, anagrams, newspapers, waterbrash, junk, The Tasting Room, confusion, vocabulary, synonyms, puns, etymology, jokes, language, Google, general knowledge, grids, crossword setting, crossword compiling, puzzling, double meaning, sudoku, ZZ Top, em, en
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Allusionist 200: 200th episode celebratory quiz!
Allusionist 200: 200th episode celebratory quiz!
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live tour of the UK!
live tour of the UK!
Creative Commons Licence
The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.