Home

Get a PDF of the 2024 edition here

2008 Edition of the
Online Guide to the Engima


Preface to the Guide
History of the NPL
Membership Information
Sharing the Puzzles
      Sharing the fun
      Combining Talents
Composing
Editorial Verses
Flats
      Acrostical Enigma
      Alternade
      Ambigram
      Anagram
      Antigram
      Apt. . .
      Backswitch
      Baltimore Deletion
      Baltimore Transdeletion
      Beheadment
      Bigram. . .
      Brookline Letter-Change
      Change of Heart
      Changeover
      Charade
      Combination Padlock
      Consonantcy
      Curtailment
      Deletion
      Diastichal Enigma
      Double-Cross
      Dropout
      Enigma
      Enigmatic Rebus
      False derivative
      FWNFR
      Group flat
      Head-to-Tail Shift
      Heart Transplant
      Heteronym
      Homoantonym
      Homoconcominym
      Homonym
      Homosynonym
      Interlock
      Letter Bank
      Letter Change
      Letter Shift
      Linkade
      Literatim
      Metathesis
      Mutation
      Mynoreteh
      Order Takeout
      Overloaded. . .
      Padlock
      Palindrome
      Phonetic. . .
      Phrase Shift
      Picture. . .
      Progressive. . .
      Rebade
      Rebus
      Redro takeout
      Repeated-Letter Change
      Repeated-Letter Deletion
      Reversal
      Reversed. . .
      Riddle
      Sound Change
      Sound Shift
      Spoonergram
      Subade
      Suber
      Switchback
      Telestichal Enigma
      Terminal Deletion
      Transaddition
      Transade
      Trans-Cross
      Transdeletion
      Transpogram
      Transposal
      Trigram. . .
      Welded. . .
      Word Deletion
      Word Substitution
      Solving the Rebus
      Browse the Flat Pages
Introduction to Forms
      From A to O
      From P to Z
      Form Modifiers
Cryptograms
      Constructing Medium Crypts
      Solving Cryptograms
      Other Solving Approaches
Extras
      Solving Cryptics
      Composing Cryptics
      Observations
Reference Books
Constitution
      Bylaws
Glossary
Supplements
      Non-Guide Flats
      Non-Guide Forms
      Non-Guide Extras
      Where to Find It
      Form Notation
      Italian Picture Puzzles
      Abbreviated Guide to Flats
      Mobile Guide to Flats
      Submissions
Errata


© Copyright 2013 by
the National Puzzlers' League

As the guide is an official document of the National Puzzlers' League, its text is not going to be changed on the website until it is released again. Annotations here, and in the guide, will be linked to each other.

Preface to the Guide

No errata, notes, or updates.

History of the NPL

No errata, notes, or updates.

 Membership Information

ErrataFaro has collected a list of all of the noms known to be used by members of the National Puzzlers' League. This is available as a PDF from the Krewe downloads page.

ErrataAfter publication of the guide, responsibility for passwords was transferred to the Treasurer rather than the webmaster. This allows the Treasurer to create, reset, and disable user passwords as members join, forget, or lapse. (Jan/2005 Webmaster)

Sharing the Puzzles

No errata, notes, or updates.

Guidelines for Composing

Errata The printed guide does not includes a list of where to send submissions since offices tend to change every year or two while the guide is revised approximately every 5 years. The website, however, does include this list here. (Jun/2004 Webmaster)

 Preparing Solution Lists

Errata [Additional submission format information /Apr2007, Webmaster

From: Pebbles
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007
Subject: [NPL] Solution formats for cryptic crosswords and vowelless forms
To: npl-announce

Dear Krewe:

In answer to a number of recent questions concerning the accepted format of solutions to vowelless forms and cryptic crosswords, I am giving some guidelines. For acrostical enigmas, all types of rebi, and vowelless forms, only the answer is required. However, also giving the partwords for AEs, the readings for rebi, or the expanded words for vowelless forms is never disadvantageous and may, in fact, be advantageous. If your answer is correct but the expansion (partwords, reading, or expanded words) is wrong, the puzzle is still counted as correct. However, if the answer is wrong, then the solution editor has to figure out if the answer might be an acceptable alternate; it's more likely that an answer will be considered acceptable if the solution editor can see your justification.

For cryptic crosswords, all entries (including unclued entries) must be given, either in list form or in a grid. In addition, any extra requirements specified in the puzzle preamble must be given. But when a clue answer is altered before entry, it is not necessary to give the original clue answer or to show or describe the nature of the alteration. This is easier to clarify by looking at some recent cryptic crosswords. For last December's X-3 and X-4, January's X-4 and X-5, February's X-7, and March's X-2, either a completed grid or a list of all entries is sufficient. For April's X-4, however, in addition to giving all the entries, solvers must also identify the puzzle's honoree.

The Guide states that forms must be submitted in the intended shape, not as word lists. However, some find it difficult to make the shapes correctly inan e-mail submission. Therefore, while the intended shape is preferred, I will accept a word list rather than a messy, undecipherable attempt to create the form shape. Also, non-MW words in forms can be incorrect or omitted without penalty. That is, if two non-MW answers cross, the crossing letter can be left blank or can be incorrect and, if everything else is right, the form will still be counted as correct.

In submitting solutions for the new 3-D forms, please include all the individual squares or whatever shapes, even if they repeat words. It is much easier for me to see where you are in the puzzle that way. (added Apr 9/2007/webmaster)

I trust the above will be helpful. If there are any further questions, let me know at my usual address.

Pebbles

Editorial Verses

No errata, notes, or updates.

Flats

No errata, notes, or updates.

Introduction to Forms

No errata, notes, or updates.

Cryptograms

ErrataAfter publication of the guide, the "Penrose Cryptogram Tool" (written by Kite) was uploaded to the website. This is an addition to Brutus tool (written by Xemu [Password required]) that provides solutions for Cryptograms that are not in current Enigmas.

Extras

No errata, notes, or updates.

Reference Books

No errata, notes, or updates.

Constitution

No errata, notes, or updates.

Bylaws

The League unanimously elected to amend the bylaws as proposed at the 2006 Convention. From the Oct/2006 Enigma:

PROPOSED BYLAW AMENDMENT — by Kray

The following bylaws amendment (with minor changes in wording) was authorized by the business meeting at the 2006 convention for placement on the fall ballot. It has two principal functions.

Errata CURRENT BYLAW 4: A business meeting shall be held each summer at the annual convention. The order of business at the meeting shall be as follows: reading of the minutes of the previous meeting; reading of the names of members who have died since the previous meeting, and a moment of silence in their honor; reports from the treasurer, and from other officers, individuals, and committees, as appropriate; unfinished business; new business, including presentation of offers to host the following summer's convention, and election of the same; miscellaneous announcements; adjournment.

PROPOSED REPLACEMENT: “new business, including presentation of offers to host future conventions, and election of the same;”

Errata CURRENT BYLAW 6(A): A convention of the membership shall be held each summer. The sites of future conventions shall be decided at the annual business meetings, and a business meeting shall not be adjourned if no site for the following year's convention has been elected, unless the assembly has authorized, by majority vote, a committee to select the site at a later date.

PROPOSED REPLACEMENT: “and a business meeting shall not be adjourned if sites have not been elected for both of the two subsequent years' conventions, unless the assembly has authorized, by majority vote, a committee to select the site(s) at a later date.”

Errata CURRENT BYLAW 6(B): At a business meeting, any member may present to the assembly an offer to host a future convention. When all offers have been presented, and after appropriate debate, the assembly shall vote, and the offer receiving the plurality of votes shall be elected.

PROPOSED REPLACEMENT: “When all offers for a particular year's convention have been presented, and after appropriate debate, a motion may be entertained to vote to select a convention site from among the offers presented.”

Glossary

Errata Terms added after publication:

Errata Related information added after publication:

Supplements to the Guide

As the Supplements to the Guide are outside of the guide, by definition, we are unlikely to add any notes here.