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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


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the National Puzzlers' League

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Under Construction
 BASE FIDDLES

A Base Fiddles puzzle is a variation of a cryptically clued form. Each word in the form is cryptically clued; in each clue is some extraneous material that must be removed before solving. The clues are given in alphabetical order by answer. The answer to each cryptic clue must be transformed according to form another part of a standard Enigma base; a list of the flat types that are to be used is given with the puzzle, and the removed material provides a clue to the transformed word. Finally the transformed words must be arranged to construct a form.

An example:

BASE FIDDLES: 6-SQUARE
Flat Types: metathesis, tail-to-head shift, first-to-second changeover, transposal, first-letter change, backswitch.
Clues:
a. Annoy Ed, backing out of gardener harvest
b. Breasts in back? Point and stare, confused
c. Function among pink porticos in Ephesus
d. Priest-king eats sloppily, gets letter from Athens about religious art
e. She detailed, copied, stacked, organized
f. Thicker poster showed Pole in Jewish feast
= Teki and Lucifer

The solutions to the cryptic clues are as follows. The extraneous material is given in parentheses, followed by the puzzle type and transformed word:

SolutionCryptic
Reading
Deleted
Part
Flat TypeResult
a.garnergar[de]nerannoybackswitchenrage
b.sterna(N. + stare)*in backtail-to-head shiftastern
c.cosineporticos in Ephesuspinkfirst-letter changeeosine
d.patesip(ates*)ireligious arttransposalpietas
e.shapedsh[e] + apedstackedfirst-to-second changeoverheaped
f.senderse(N.)derthickermetathesisdenser

Finally, a square is made out of the words in the last column:

HEAPED
EOSINE
ASTERN
PIETAS
ENRAGE
DENSER

The Base Fiddles puzzle type was invented by Lucifer, and named after a similar puzzle type created by Harth.

 CHEVY CHASE FORMS

A Chevy Chase form has clues which may be cryptic or plain; it is up to the solver to determine which.

CHEVY CHASE DOUBLE SQUARE
(Said one clue to another, "I'm cryptic. And you're not.")
Across:
1. The ones full of beans upset a Scot
2. Space between N region and P area?
3. Country where Latin enters North America
4. Peter backed away from Robin Hood portrayer
5. Connery, Penn and Nelson first diving into wide waters
Down:
1. For example, Jagger standing on head making musical sounds
2. Hue from sky endlessly in verse
3. One winding around heart of jungle
4. It's sliced up, put in bun
5. Refigured sales from Easter symbols
= Rain Man

The solution:

TACOS
OZONE
NUBIA
ERROL
SEANS

The Chevy Chase Form was invented by Rain Man.

 CONNECTED PIECEMEAL

A connected piecemeal is similar to a piecemeal, but the shape formed is two piecemeals connected at one of the words. Also called a piecemeal window; it has also been composed in the form of two squares on top of each other, rather than side by side as in this example.

CONNECTED PIECEMEAL SQUARES
   (8-letter words; one word is +)
ASASATCADGEHENERESHE
LLMIOPRESTSWTITIURYE
= Wabbit

The solution:

YESTREENSWATHE
AS MI DG
TI TI EH
ERASURESCALLOP