That daily crossword or Sudoku puzzle has just been elevated from fun time waster to vital task.
Australian researchers have found it’s not grey matter that disappears with age, but connecting white matter in the brain.
The research is rewriting the book on how the brain ages, and shows how important it is to undertake mentally [more…]
Hi Christine
I have recently turned 77 years old and I receive The Works, Mega and Code Cracker magazine. One of your readers asked where people started each crossword and my response is that I start each crossword all over the place depending on my mood , eg. The Colossus is started in the centre [more…]
Thank you so much for all the books of crosswords and puzzles. When they arrive in the mail it is a dash to see who will start them first.
We photocopy the competitions and all the family work on them. My son particularly likes the cryptic and my husband does the pop words.
I get to [more…]
According to John Ayto in his book 20th Century Words the term ‘panti-hose’ first appeared in the New York Times in 1963 – panties being an American word for women’s briefs and hose, an Old English word for stocking. In the UK they are known as tights.One clue over at 12ac ‘Body build’ [more…]
This means in a sudden move or all at once but started out with more sinister connotations.
The expression is often wrongly quoted as ‘one foul swoop’, or even ‘one fowl swoop’, but it doesn’t relate to chickens.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macduff on hearing of the death of his family says;
All my pretty ones?
Did you say [more…]
I’ve had to do this all by hand
So hope Christine will understand
My computer – it is out of ink
Brain won’t work – I cannot think
But I’ll ‘Lovatt’ when the prize is mine
And celebrate with ‘Hardy’ wine
Got writer’s cramp – my head is throbbin’
Here’s my entry – done by ‘Robin’
What a beautiful cover photograph for the May 2009 BIG Crossword magazine. Just had to write and tell you what pleasure it gives me, so thank you.
I’m in my eighties, living alone, and my body is not so active, but my mind enjoys the stimulation from the magazines so much. What clever people Lovatts [more…]
We recently had a letter from a reader querying one of our clues about her favourite book Rosy Is My Relative by Gerald Durrell.
Lynne Watts writes: “This book is my favourite and I have kept my tattered copy for 30 years, recently my daughter found me another in an old shop and they have [more…]
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