Ɖ Gardịn vy on croswrdz: nt jst a hobi fr men lîc Inspctr Mors
Transcription of a Gardian editorial of 27 August 2023
In ɖ rît handz, criptic puzlz cn edycet az wel az entten. Jst asc sm v ɖ wimin hu set ɖm
Súnde, 27 Ōġst 2023
It z an old sō in ɖ nyzpepr biznis ɖt ẃl y cn gt olmst enʈñ roñ – ɖ scorrz in ɖ cupfînl, ɖ winr v ɖ 4.10 at Hêdoc – n fy rīdrz wl bat an îlid, f y mc a mstec in ɖ croswrdpuzl ɖen y wl b dīlñ wɖ cmplents fr wīcs. Croswrdluvrz r obsesiv, n ɖer hǎlz v dspleźr f y pt in ɖ roñ ansr fr sevn acrs wl b enʈñ bt criptic.
Bî ɖer folowrz, setrz r rgardd az smʈñ acin t fochiroz, īvn f ɖe r onli noun t most bî ɖer ełsz. Ẃn ɖ gret Gardịn setr Jon Greym, yṇvrṣli noun bî hiz nom de plume Araucaria, anǎnst in a siriz v cluz in wn v hiz puzlz ɖt h hd trminl cansr, it unlīśt a flud v afx́n amñ rīdrz. Wn sd h hd plantd a muncipuzl tri in onr v Mr Greym’z monicr. Az a Cembrij-edycetd pilr v ɖ istabliśmnt, Greym – a Ćrć v Ñgḷnd prīst – fitd ɖ yźl mntl imij v a croswrḑeṿtī, or crūṣvrḅlist. Colin Dxtr, ɖ crietr v Inspctr Mors, wz anɖr inʈyziast n nemd hiz dtctiv aftr a felo cmpettiv solvr, ɖ Lôdz Banc ćermn Sr Jeṛmi Mors.
Bt ɖs picćr z dsptiv: wimin r recnd t b in ɖ mjoṛti ẃn it cmz t gtñ a dêli croswrdfix. It z in setñ n cmpettiv solvñ ɖt men doṃnet. Ɖ irońs bt pvesiv tîpcastñ me xplen ɖ xîtmnt amñ crūṣvrḅlists at a rīsnt twīt bî ɖ Cnedịn sñr-soñraitr Carli Re Jepsn. “Wns upn a tîm I wz ɖ ansr in ɖ Ny Yorc Tîmz croswrdpuzl,” ś inʈyzd. “A tru c’rirhîlît. Mî faɖr n I ʈt I hd pīct.” Ś apndd hr ǒn puzl, plugñ hr lêtist albm t hr 9.3 miłn Twitr folowrz.
Ɖo croswrdz cn tres ɖer rūts bac t ɖ midl v ɖ 19ʈ snć̣ri, ɖe riyli tc of a snć̣ri ago wɖ a “wrdcros” puzl set bî ɖ Ñgliś-born jrṇlist Arʈr Wín in ɖ Crisṃs 1913 iśu v ɖ Ny Yorc Wrld nyzpepr. Wrdcrosz morft intu croswrdz, n wɖn a fy yirz evri nyzpepr in ɖ YS hd wn, wɖ ɖ xpśn v ɖ Ny Yorc Tîmz, ẃć in 1924 dscrîbd ɖm az ɖ “utrli fytîl fîndñ v wrdz”.
Fîv yirz lêtr, it boldli dclerd: “Ɖ croswrdpuzl, it sīmz, hz gn ɖ we v ol fadz.” In 1942, it fîṇli rec̣gnîzd its err n intṛdyst wn, at ɖ promtñ v Marġrit Farar, ɖ prsn hu dd most t popyḷrîz ɖm. Ś recnd ɖe wd hlp tec Americnz’ mîndz of ɖ wor, n ɖ Ny Yorc Tîmz croswrd, ẃć ś eḍtd fr olmst 30 yirz, bcem ɖ YS’z fōrmost puzl.
Ɖ rīsnt deʈ v anɖr croswrd-luvñ Marġrit – Marġrit Ŕvin, hu set croswrdz fr ɖ Gardịn az Nutmeg (n elsẃr az Mês) – wz olso cmeṃretd ʈru a croswrd bî hr colīg, Aracni (riyl nem: Sẹra Hêz). 1 acrs: Incmpaṛbl ledi inʈrōlñ ol at last (8); 5 acrs: Eṿgrīn hed grl (6). In an rlịr inṭvy, Mz Hêz rvild ɖ unixpctd valy v croswrdz in xpozñ n ćaḷnjñ preɉdis. Ɖ iśu arouz ovr a clu involvñ fīmel drîvrz, ɖ riax́n t ẃć apird t sjst an astoniśmnt ɖt ɖe xistd. Sins ɖen, ś sd, ś hd md a ptiklr eḟt t “yz fīmelz in cluz”. Ɖs z nt jst enttenmnt bt p’liticl edyceśn.
