cross-word puzzles

[George Thompson]

In his message of 29 Jan 2005 Barry gave references from a Proquest
Hist Newspapers search for "crossword" and "puzzle", the earliest
result coming from the Washington Post of April 27, 1884.

That reference is to a column called "Our Puzzle Department", giving
answers to puzzles from previous Sundays, and new puzzles.  Somehow the
Proquest search missed the column from 2 weeks before giving the
original.

[puzzle #] 637 -- Cross Word Enigma.
  In goat, not in sheep;
  In much, not in heap;
  In great, not in less;
  In Dish, not in bowl;
  In ask, not in beg;
  In after, not in now;
  In uncle, not in neice;
  In ill, not in well.
The whole is a cape projecting into the Indian ocean.  FAN and HAT.
[this is the signature of the puzzler.]

There are also mathematical puzzles, riddles, rebuses.

# 633 -- Reversals:
  1.  Reverse an aquatic palnt and give an animal.
  2.  Reverse a working implement and give plunder.
  3.  Reverse a number and give a snare.    [signed] W. S.

# 638 -- Enigma.
  the whole 12 letters will name a novel by William Black;
  The 10, 9, 5, 1 is a kind of earth.
  The 6, 2,3 is to fill.
  The 4, 7, 8, 11, 12 is an animal.  [signed] Delmonte.

All from Washington Post, April 13, 1884, p. 3, col. 7.

No cheating.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.