Dear Readers:
Special alert to our crossword puzzle fans who are still trying to solve last week’s puzzle: put your pencils down. The Roman god of fire is not “MURDER,” as the answers in the Feb. 10 puzzle seem to indicate.
You also need to be advised that there is no “Parable of the Lost IDEAL,” despite what the answer grid says.
If you’re a crossword puzzler, you’ve likely already noticed these and many other mistakes in the Feb. 10 grid. In fact, the entire set of DOWN clues had nothing in common with the DOWN answers—unless by sheer coincidence. Somehow, we managed to publish the wrong DOWN clues in the paper — although the ACROSS clues were perfectly fine for any puzzlers who enjoy solving just half a crossword.
We learned about the situation when a kind reader called to vent her frustration about the crossword puzzle being “broken” — and could we please make sure it is corrected in the next issue.
Not only will we do that, but we’ll also run a bonus crossword as a gesture of goodwill — because we know that messing up a crossword is not something to take lightly.
Unfortunately, this isn’t even our first crossword mishap this year. In January, another very nice reader from Powell River phoned to say, “I just wondered what happened with the crossword this week. Because the clues certainly don’t match the plan.” She then laughed charmingly as she said goodbye.
B.C. Catholic crossword puzzlers are clearly a patient and good-humoured group. At other newspapers when there’s a problem with the crossword—or the comics—it’s not uncommon for editors to find themselves de-escalating angry calls.
The Times of London, for instance, ran afoul of its readers last November when it managed to … well, let’s let their puzzles editor explain what happened.
“Unfortunately, although this puzzle could be found online in all its 13×13 glory, in the paper it appeared one line short of a full grid,” wrote Mick Hodgkin
The result was non-word answers like JECT and ISERY instead of EJECT and MISERY, as well as LUMMOX instead of FLUMMOX.
“We are flummoxed!!” wrote readers Rebecca and Lance Sheldrick.
As were B.C. Catholic’s dedicated puzzle solvers—unless they only solve the ACROSS clues.
As long as I’m in the confessional, let me also admit that we don’t have a photographer named “PHOTO CREDIT.” That’s who got named as the person who took last week’s Page 1 photo of the Jubilee banner being hung at the John Paul II pastoral centre.
Sincere apologies to photographer Nicholas Elbers, who took that photo—as well as several (properly credited) ones inside.
And apologies to our flummoxed readers.
Sincerely,
(NAME GOES HERE)
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