The Guardian's crossword editor has revealed that August's Genius puzzle by Glyph concealed a SOAP OPERA THEME, and that a new novel embeds solutions to Guardian Quick Crosswords from 1985. The editor, Alan Connor, also announced the winning clue for EERIE and invited solvers to submit clues for THEME.
Novel Embeds 1985 Guardian Quick Crossword Solutions
Tony White's novel Phantom at the Feast opens with a foreword claiming that words emboldened in the text are the solutions to successive Guardian Quick Crosswords that appeared through sixty days in 1985, from 3 April to 1 June. Connor notes that this is a rare way to get his attention, and readers can learn more at Prospect magazine.
Connor also acknowledged responses to last month's assurance that all Guardian crosswords are created by human beings. One solver, Kazoom, summarised the sentiment: "Am glad you've posted this. The 'created by AI' comments, often supported by zero evidence, have become quite tedious to read. It's OK to fail, or just not get into the groove on a particular day, but just accept that's a you problem."
Genius Puzzle Hides Sheet Music and Soap Opera Theme
Once solvers had progressed with Glyph's Genius for August, it became clear that the preamble demanded a SOAP OPERA THEME. The grid was also secretly a piece of sheet music. This month's Genius is by Turnstone and awaits attention, and Connor suggests it could be a good entry point for those who haven't tried a Genius before.
Winning Clue for EERIE Announced
Connor thanked solvers for their clues for EERIE. The audacity award went to Wellywearer2 for the clue "Becoming cheerier, then sneerier, then leerier, when getting beerier? It's time to find the weird commonality within!" Runners-up included Mr_Rob_T's "Weird European TV show Naked" and 10FootClaudicant's "Sinister eyes raised oddly". The winning clue was the refreshing "Headless beer that is chilling".
Connor, who is the Guardian's crossword editor, also mentioned his book What Would Reacher Do? The Official Jack Reacher Puzzle Book, published by Transworld at £16.99. Solvers are invited to leave clues for THEME below, along with any favourite clues or puzzles they have spotted.
