(no subject)
Authors in one of the top scientific journals, Nature, start getting sent the "metajournal" Nurture. Nurture contains a lot of information about authorship, the act of editing, getting the cover image, information on new Nature publications, .... It also contains puzzles on its back cover, which for awhile has been its most noteworthy feature to me. In each issue are a British-style cryptic and two su|do|ku puzzles from Wayne Gould/pappocom.
While most people might assume I'd rush to the su|do|ku, I always tell them the cryptic is a lot more fun to try out and certainly more challenging. I've gotten a couple clues into them before, but never a whole puzzle. Today, with the help of a coworker similarly inexperienced in cryptics, let alone British cryptics, we were able to crack the whole thing and it was indeed a lot of fun. It also marks the first time I've ever finished a cryptic. I don't know if I'll be solving the Financial Times one the next time I'm flying internationally, but I feel I can give it a shot. Also of note, I now know the etymology of the word ahoy. I had a rather forced answer of "hoy" that was a ship, and while I was not familiar with the name, it sure makes a lot of sense in the context of the word ahoy.
While most people might assume I'd rush to the su|do|ku, I always tell them the cryptic is a lot more fun to try out and certainly more challenging. I've gotten a couple clues into them before, but never a whole puzzle. Today, with the help of a coworker similarly inexperienced in cryptics, let alone British cryptics, we were able to crack the whole thing and it was indeed a lot of fun. It also marks the first time I've ever finished a cryptic. I don't know if I'll be solving the Financial Times one the next time I'm flying internationally, but I feel I can give it a shot. Also of note, I now know the etymology of the word ahoy. I had a rather forced answer of "hoy" that was a ship, and while I was not familiar with the name, it sure makes a lot of sense in the context of the word ahoy.