An extract from: 'Live
Voices. Edition 2, Summer 2003. (Issued July 2003)'
Francois
Greeff has written a book which illustrates how to solve cryptic
crossword clues. His method makes visible, graphically, not verbally,
the hidden code of cryptic crosswords and enables us to interpret
the clues.
Francois
is also homeless. He suffers from a severe and enduring mental illness
and sleeps in the rain on the pavements of London, eating and showering
in day centres. He wrote his book partly in a psychiatric hospital
and partly on computers provided in centres for homeless people
in London. He feels passionately about dispelling popular misconceptions
concerning disability and improving services offered to people with
disabilities who are homeless. Ironically, in writing the book,
Francois found himself struggling to find solutions to a series
of challenges. He recalls having to constantly move from place to
place because of restricted day centre opening hours. Many computer
resources were only open for a few hours a day and on different
days of the week. It was impossible to guarantee use of the same
PC all the time, which complicated the process. He wrote things
and lost them through having no back up between centres, or lost
them because the next PC had a different version of Word, or different
page set-up and default settings. What he found most frustrating,
was only being able to work a few hours each day, losing precious
time walking to another centre to use another PC in the afternoon,
while the PC he used in the morning stood idle, the centre closed.
Work time was also wasted commuting for a midday shower because
there are no homeless shower facilities in the evenings. Francois
feels that because day centres only open for a few hours each week,
homeless people are forced to stick to a bizzarre timetable in order
to access essential services. He also feels that more needs to be
done to support people who suffer from mental ill health to get
off the streets. Social opinion has progressively evolved since
the Victorian era and we accept that people with severe physical
disabilities should not have to survive by begging on the street;
"But we" he says, "who have hidden disabilities;
we are left in the rain."
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Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords' link to Adobe.
Hidden
code: cryptic crosswords for the modern world
The
cryptic crossword reaches its highest, most pure form in the daily
broadsheet newspapers; breaking the clues which they present has
taxed the best minds for generations. We mere humans who need
a helping hand now have a champion
The
Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords by Francois Greeff makes two
statements: Firstly, all cryptic clues have a structure that must
be understood before the clue can be solved. Secondly, cryptic
clues use figures of speech, or crossword devices, in the same
way as poetry and prose use literary devices to give words more
meaning than their mere face value.
In his
book, Greeff employs graphics to illustrate the subtlety of language
and differing typefaces are used to explain the function of the
individual words that make up the clues.
The
author, who has bipolar disorder (like Byron, Shelley, Ernest
Hemingway, Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath), is as exceptional
as the book, which was written partly in a psychiatric hospital
and partly on the computers provided for homeless people at day
centres in London. Francois has sold the Big Issue, he has slept,
soaking wet, in the rain, and he has woken up under two inches
of snow, only to be shouted at by a Priest:
The
book argues that every clue has five important parts and names
each one and fully explains it, whereas traditional crossword
theory says that: "A good clue has three parts: a good definition,
a fair subsidiary definition, and nothing else". Its clear
and quickly-understood system of illustrating how clues work gives
it a major advantage over all others in the field.
Finally,
the book does not require the reader to break his head trying
to figure something out. The book sets no questions, nor does
it present any problems. It teaches, explains and informs, and
does so in the simplest and easiest terms.
This
book can be bought direct from the author at hiddencode.co.uk,
or try to win one by sending an email to competitions@breathe.com,
marking your entry with CROSSWORDS as the subject line.
THE TRADER, 3 April
2003
Trader
Competition |
|
| Solving
the puzzle of crosswords |
A
FASCINATING book from Foulsham Publishing will be of great
interest to all cryptic crossword fans. The Hidden Code
of Cryptic Crosswords explains the structure of crossword
clues in greater detail than ever before. No other book
has ever managed to make clues so transparent that you can
see immediately not only the answers, but also the logic
of how the answer was arrived at. Digest this book and you
will gain a strong grounding in modern crossword theory.
It teaches, explains, gives information and does so in the
simplest and easiest terms.
Suitable
for casual and serious crossword enthusiasts of all levels,
you can put it to satisfying use by resolving the most respected
puzzles and build yourself an enviable reputation. Written
by Francois Greeff and published by Foulsham at £6.99,
it is available from all good bookshops or on-line from
www.amazon.co.uk, www.bol. com and www.bookshop.co.uk
|
Telephone Macmillan Direct (01256) 302699 for credit card
purchases.
The
Trader has five copies of this book to be won in our latest
competition. Simply answer the question in the coupon and
send your answer to: Hidden Code Competition, The Trader,
49 Victoria Road, Scarborough, YO11 1SH. The first five
correct answers drawn will receive prizes. The closing date
for entries is Monday April 14.
Hidden
Code Competition
Question:
Name the book's author.
_________________________
Name_____________________
Address___________________
__________________________
Postcode__________________
Daytime
telephone___________ |
YRN
employees and their families may not enter. YRN competition
rules apply and are available on request. Entry indicates
acceptance. Entry forms are available from our reception
offices. |
18 March 2003.
HOW
many of us eagerly look forward to the newspapers and the chance
to pit our wits against those devious-minded masters of the crossword?
How
many of us give up in despair after a few hours of almost fruitless
brainstorming? Crossword compilers use a language all of their
very own. To be able to decipher the clues they set, you need
to understand the language.
The
Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords published by Foulsham on March
25, at £6.99 explains the structure of crosswords clues
in greater detail than ever before. Compiled by Francois Greeff,
no other book has ever managed to make clues so transparent that
you can see immediately, not only the answer, but also the logic
of how the answer was arrived at.
Step-by-step
it reveals how clues are constructed. It clearly outlines methods
of clue analysis, increasing the enthusiast’s range of analytical
tools for solving crosswords and instructs by example for a clearer
understanding of solution finding.
Digest
The Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords and you will gain a strong
grounding in modern crossword theory. It teaches, explains, gives
information and does so in the simplest and easiest terms.
Suitable
for casual and serious crossword enthusiasts of all levels, you
can put it to satisfying use by resolving the most respected of
puzzles and build an enviable reputation as a crossword ‘cracker’.
The
book was partly written in a psychiatric hospital and partly on
computers provided by charities who help homeless people to take
control of their lives.
April 2003.
THE
HIDDEN CODE OF CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS
Francois Greeff
ISBN 0-572-02778-8
How many of us eagerly
look forward to the weekend newspapers and the chance to pit our
wits against those devious minded masters of the crossword? How
many of us give up in despair after a few hours of almost fruitless
brainstorming? Crossword compilers use a language all of their
very own. To be able to decipher the clues they set, you need
to understand their language!
The
Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords explains the structure of crossword
clues in greater detail than ever before. No other book has ever
managed to make clues so transparent that you can see immediately,
not only the answer, but also the logic of how the answer was
arrived at.
Step-by-Step
it revels how clues are constructed. It clearly outlines methods
of clue analysis, increasing the enthusiast’s range of analytical
tools for solving crosswords, and instructs by example for a clearer
understanding of solution finding.
Digest
The Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords and you will gain a strong
grounding in modern crossword theory. It teaches, explains, gives
information and does so in the simplest and easiest terms.
Suitable
for casual and serious crossword enthusiasts of all levels, you
can put it to very satisfying use by resolving the most respected
of puzzles and build yourself an enviable reputation!
The
Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords is published by Foulsham, Bennetts
Close.
15 March 2003.
| Crossword
clues laid bare
|
| How
many of us eagerly look forward to the weekend newspapers
and the chance to pit our wits against the devious minded
masters of the crossword
The
Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords by Francois Greeff
explains the structure of the crossword clues in greater
detail helping you see the |
answer and
how the logic of the answer was arrived at. We have a copy
published by Foulsham at £6.99, to give away. To win,
send your name on a postcard or back of a sealed-down envelope
to Promotions crossword Southern Daily Echo, PO
Box 543, Southampton, SO16 9ZQ. Entries by March 25. Daily
Echo competition rules apply. |
 |
6 May 2003.
THE HIDDEN CODE OF CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS
by Francois Greeff
Just the book to ease that furrowed brow when you have been puzzling
over one particular clue for 20 minutes and are no further forward
than when you started. Now with this step-by-step guide to interpreting
clues and understanding the logic behind them, you can face any
crossword grid with confidence.
Steve Craggs.
Puzzled Supplement,
Friday April 18 2003.
CRYPTIC
CORNER
We usually try to
ban Cryptic Crosswords and book reviews from the pages of Puzzled.
They’re easy enough to find elsewhere in the paper. But
when a book comes out explaining how to solve cryptic clues, it’s
bound to interest Puzzlers everywhere.
The
Hidden Code Of Cryptic Crosswords, by Francois Greeff, teaches
the reader to get to grips with the various devices used by crossword
setters to lead solvers astray. Every cryptic clue includes both
a definition of the answer, and a coded message indicating how
the answer may be built up.
So,
for example, in the clue “Tells a new girl (6)”, the
definition is “girl” indicating that the 6 letter
answer is a girl’s name. The word “new” is the
key to the code, indicating an anagram or “new” arrangement
of letters. So “tells a” written in a new way becomes
STELLA, which is the girl we’re looking for.
As Greeff
explains, however, the clue could just as easily have signified
that we’re looking for a girl’s name that sounds like
(indicated by “tells”) a word meaning “new”.
It’s the possible ambiguity of clues that makes a well-constructed
crossword such a challenge.
As an
aid to de-constructing clues, Greeff invents a whole new vocabulary
to identify the various tricks, and also adorns clues with a variety
of symbols to explain what is what. Once you see “Tells
a new girl” as “Tells a new / \ girl”, you know
immediately which part is the definition, which specifies the
design, and which words are the raw material for constructing
the answer.
We cannot
illustrate the full power of the method without giving a full
glossary of the symbols used, instead, here are three clues to
try, with a translation of Greeff’s notes:
1) River
Severn starts in the United Kingdom (3)
Construction: “River” is the clue. “Seven starts”
means the start of the word “Severn”. This has to
be put “in” (i.e. in the middle of ) “United
Kingdom”. So the three-letter answer is …?
2) Had e.g. repeatedly confused the intellectual (7)
Construction: The definition is “the intellectual”,
“confused” usually suggests an anagram, but where
are the seven letters coming from? HAD + EG gives five of them,
“repeatedly” tells us to use “EG” again.
So the answer is an anagram of HAD + EG +EG.
3) Wise old Greek gets emergency call about case (8)
Construction: The definition is “Wise old Greek” –
so we’re probably looking for a philosopher. The answer
is formed from two parts, one is “emergency call”
the other is “case”. So write an emergency call about
(i.e. around) a type of case, and you’ve got the old eight-letter
Greek.
The
Hidden Code Of Cryptic Crosswords may be ordered from www.hiddencode.co.uk
Dorset Echo Magazine. 19 April 2003.
The Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords
by Francois
Greeff.
I HAVE a confession. Every evening I sit and stare at the back
page of the Telegraph, scratch my head, and make a few notes and
sometimes smile in triumph, for the best part of two hours, before
I throw the paper down in disgust. I am addicted to the Telegraph
cryptic crossword. Once I finished the whole puzzle (I had to
phone my dad on the last clue), sometimes I complete three-quarters,
often I will stare at it for over an hour get one measly anagram
clue. Well, this book is my saviour, opening up the language,
and frankly, warped minds of those dastardly crossword compiliers.
Step-by-step you can work out how the clues are compiled in simple
and easy terms. The book was written partly in a psychiatric hospital
and partly on computers provided by charities who help homeless
people like the author, Francois Greeff, to take control of their
lives.
(Sue McQueenie)
The Daily Mail - Books on
Friday.
Business in the Community
reviewed the book on their website.
Breathe reviewed the book on their website. It was also
offered as a prize on their site.