Initially Speaking

“Tell me, Actuary,” I wondered aloud, one afternoon. “Are there any other time travellers out there, or are you the only one?”

“There’s at least one other time traveller that I know of,” replied the Actuary. “An Earthling by the name of Herb. Nice guy. Wrote a book about it, although if you ask me, I think he exaggerated a bit.”

Herb? Why did that name ring a bell? “Wait a minute. By Herb, you don’t mean Herbert George Wells, do you? As in H.G. Wells?”

“Oh, you’ve heard of him?”

“Everyone’s heard of H. G. Wells. I’ve read his book, too, but The Time Machine was a work of fiction.”

The Actuary grinned. “That’s what you think. Herb just pretended it was a novel so people wouldn’t think him crazy. Speaking of Herb, the first time I met him, I was so fascinated by the fact he wrote under his initials instead of his name, it inspired me to write a puzzle about it. Would you like to give it a go?”

The answers to this crossword relate to the works of writers with one or more initials in the name under which they wrote.Puzzles_2014_09_Crossword

ACROSS

2. Herbert George Invention (4, 7)

6. James Matthew Fairy (10)

7. Thomas Stearns Musical (4)

8. Pamela Lyndon Transport (8)

9. Alan Alexander Game (10)

12. Gilbert Keith Codename (8)

15. David Herbert Animal (8)

17. Lucy Maud Village (7)

19. Lyman Frank Fraud (6)

21. George Raymond Richard Continent (8)

22. Erica Leonard Number (5)

24. Edward Morgan Destination (5)

25. Jerome David Family (5)

DOWN

1. Lafayette Ronald Religion (11)

3. John Ronald Reuel Meal(10)

4. Terence Hanbury Weapon(9)

5. Elwyn Brooks Spin Doctor(9)

10. Joanne Kathleen School (8)

11. Howard Phillips Monster (7)

13. Philip Kindred Dreamer (7)

14. Clive Staples Doorway (8)

16. Francis Scott Bootlegger (6)

18. Pelham Grenville Valet (6)

20. Virginia Cleo Prison (5)

23. Robert Lawrence Street (4)

MEET THE BEGHILOS

ACTUARIES 193 SOLUTION

In Actuaries 193, you were given three equations and asked to replace phrases within those equations with Beghilos (numbers that map to words when entered into a calculator and views upside down) in order to make the equations balance. The solutions are as follows:

  1. OBOE + 11 x {GOOSE + ISIS + IBIS}– 64 = HELIOS
    →3080+11x{35006+5151+5181}–64=501734
  2. {BELIZE+828}÷{BOISEx10+LOISx2+HELL+972}=BILBO
    →{321738+828}÷{35108×10+5107×2+7734+972}=
    0.8718
  3. 2 x {SLEIGH – HOBBES – ZELIG} + {GOOGLE – GILES – BELLE}
    +0.5xGLEE+160=BLOB
    → 2 x {461375 – 538804 – 61732} + {376006 – 53716 –
    37738}+0.5×3376+160=8078

Eight correct answers were submitted. The winner of this month’s prize, selected randomly from among the correct entries, was Chris Barry, who will receive a $50 book voucher.

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