bout de papier, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1987) — Summer 1987 // Été 1987, p. 61
Another classic puzzle by A Aalto
“Just what I didn’t need, Leibnitz — another obscure report from Jimmy the Turk!” the Chief of Intelligence fumed. “We sent him to the Middle East to check out the rumour that the Chinese were about to unearth an ancient secret that could destroy the entire Swiss economy, including all those numbered accounts. The secret had something to do with a certain Macedonian general having used a strip of old cloth to tell the time — a lot cheaper than a Rolex! The Turk sent back a report, all right — on this computer disk. But it’s locked with a code phrase and we don’t know what it is. His covering note says that the 21 letters of the code phrase (three words, 10-3-8 letters) are the ones that would appear in the dotted squares of this skeleton puzzle once it was filled in. To fill in the skeleton, he adds, you must use modern English words or allusions derived from the names of people, mythical figures or places from classical antiquity. Here are the clues — he says the words are in alphabetical order and that the numbers tell how many letters are in that word:
(a) love potions — 12
(b) ideally rustic — 8
the final battle – 10
collection of maps – 5
uppermost storey – 5
drunken revelry — 11
complicated, underhanded — 9
(h) West Indian music — 7
(i) unheeded but accurate forecaster – 9
very wealthy person – 7
ambiguous, especially advice – 7
referring to reflected sound — 6
(m) female version of word #x (looks good in black) – 7
(n) centre of commerce — 8
(0) eye-catching flower — 4
(p) conviviality, heartiness – 9
(9) of tew words, like Stewart or Peck – 7
(r) gay lifestyle — 10
(5) relating to war or the military – 7
(t) to wander idly – 7
(u) volatile, sprightly – 9
(V) lucky ability to prosper (2 words — I letters including an
“x” substituted for the space)
(W) extreme self-absorption — 10
(x) describing a complex excess of mother-love — 7
(y) vitriolic speech or invective – 9
(z) confined to words or sentiment, not deeds — 8
(aa) a type of triumph not to be repeated – 7
(bb) once crossed, you can’t change your mind — 7
(cc) simple rugged approach or condition – 7
(dd) outstanding tigure in industry, science etc — 5
(ee) relating to sexual activity — 8
“Interesting references,” mused staff logician LDC Leibnitz, after a few minutes with a pencil and paper. “Seven Greek or Roman deities, three Greek regions, two Greek cities and two Greek city-colonies, a town in Palestine, a Greek island, a river in Asia Minor and a river in Italy, an Athenian philosopher, two mythical giants, two mythical kings and three real ones (two from northern Greece, one from Asia Minor), one of Ulysses’ lovers, someone who loved Agamemnon and someone he brought home with him, and a pair of mythical might-have-been lovers. Some of the connections are a bit “iffy”, but I dare say all the words themselves will be found in the Oxford Concise. The code-phrase of course is a reference to the goal of the Turk’s mission, but I’m sure that I’ve heard it before, in another context.”
Can you duplicate “Lucky Ludwig” Leibnitz’s feat by (1) filling in the skeleton and (2) working out the code phrase? Ollie would be pleased.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1987) — Summer 1987 // Été 1987, p. 61. Read the rest of this issue →
