Codewords by Dave Rigby

 

Codewords.

You might have seen these puzzles in the newspaper.

You might be a fan.

A crossword grid … but no clues.

All the white squares are numbered.

Each of the numbers, 1 to 26, stands for one of the letters in the alphabet.

Your task is to discover each letter,

And complete each word on the grid.

 

I’m sitting in my favourite seat, slipper-boots on, pen poised,

Night Tracks on the radio,

Mostly music I’ve never heard before, nothing too frantic or noisy.

A peeled and sliced apple ready to eat.

First step. The setter provides two letters to start you off.

Tonight, it’s I and H and there are a few of each.

I fill these letters in on the grid, double-checking I haven’t missed any.

 

Then the scrutiny begins. Where are the doubles? Where might the E’s be?

There’s usually a lot of them. (But then there might also be a lot of S’s!)

I search the grid for a frequently occurring number,

And spot an eight-letter word with the second, fourth and sixth spaces all numbered 15.

And the third space is an H.

From the positioning, I’m pretty certain that 15 is a vowel.

As there are some double 15’s elsewhere in the grid, the vowel is likely to be either E or O.

(Not many words with double A’s or double U’s and I’ve already been given the I.)

I try out my E theory, writing down different combinations, before the word suddenly comes to me.

‘Vehement’!

Then I’m on to another double – 7 – which I reckon is also a vowel.

But O doesn’t fit.

A while later, I realise it’s one of the few words containing a double U.

‘Vacuum’!

 

I make slow progress, staring at empty spaces and wondering what might fit in where.

I like struggling with a codeword, having little to go on, being on the verge of getting nowhere,

Until there’s a breakthrough! (Though sometimes, there isn’t!)

But this time, the gaps gradually disappear.

Forty-five minutes and I’m done.

 

Codeword complete,

And apple slices finished,

I say goodbye to Night Tracks.

It’s time for bed.