Christine Lovatt's Desk

Welcome to Christine's Desk

Here you'll find a variety of puzzle themed items and pieces of information to hold your interest. Learn about some of the wonderful words and phrases in our everyday language, find out about the health benefits of crosswords and puzzles, be entertained by Christine's Hello column… and there's much more on offer. The latest submissions appear below. Thanks for dropping by and we hope you enjoy your visit.

Hello – BIG June 2014

I recently received a query about a clue from a general knowledge puzzle in our Colossus magazine that went: ‘seedy fruit believed by some to be Eve’s Garden of Eden fruit.’ The answer is not apple, as many might think, but pomegranate, although some also feel it may have been a fig.

But it made [more…]

What a BIG surprise!

What a surprise. £50 for Big Demon 257. Like so many others this arrived at just the right time. We have two family weddings coming up and this will go towards a new outfit for one of them. Like most men my husband thinks one outfit should do. Definitely not. I so enjoy your [more…]

Hello – BIG May 2014

Rat: a rodent that resembles a large mouse, typically having a pointed snout and a long tail. I’m sure some of you will recoil with horror at the mention of rats, because of the bad press they have had for years...

Hello – BIG April 2014

“Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them” William Shakespeare

Fool Me Once – Don’t Get Fooled This April

Were you taken in by any April Fool’s Day pranks today?

There were certainly a few being dished out around our office this morning, which got us thinking about the origins of this most mischievous of days.

According to most sources, the modern embodiment of April Fool’s Day derives from an ancient Tongan religious festival [more…]

Code Cracker Video Tutorial

A Code Cracker tutorial from puzzle queen, Christine Lovatt.

Acrostic Video Tutorial

Christine Lovatt shows you how to get started with this popular puzzle, the Acrostic.

Binary Video Tutorial

Get started with the highly addictive logic puzzles known as Binaries.

Killer Sudoku (Addoku) Video Tutorial

An Addoku (Killer Sudoku) tutorial from puzzle queen Christine Lovatt.