Curiouser-Acrostic X-8-6-1

Acrostic X-8

DOUBLE ACROSTIC X MINUS EIGHT

Joanne Schott

(In Looking Glass Land, things go in reverse.
X minus nine is also in this issue.)

You will need to print the acrostic in order to solve it. When the diagram is filled in, it will contain a quotation from a published work. Numbered squares in the diagram correspond to the numbered blanks to be filled in with the answers to the clues. The first letters of each answer, when read downwards, will spell the name of the author and the title of the work from which the quotation comes. The letter following the number in each square indicates the clue whose answer includes the letter to be entered in that square. Nearly all the clues have something to do with children's literature. You do not need to know more than about 8 (some say 6) answers to begin. As skeletons of words begin to form in the diagram and some initial letters of author and title are in place, work back and forth. Soon the parts of the puzzle will solve one another. Answers will be posted on the site on August 2, 2002.

Note: Depending upon your printer and page setup options, some of the right hand columns of the acrostic may not print. If the printed version does not match what you see on your screen, try going into the print setup menu and change the page orientation from Portrait to Landscape. If your printer supports output scaling (and your eyesight is good!) you can instead try reducing the output scale from 100% (try 90% to start) until all of the columns appear on the printed copy.

The White Knight thinks that since there are two acrostics, one of them excessively long, that it should help a very little bit to know that they are by the same author (in two moods). And he thinks solvers should know that if they remember their English lit classes, they might really be able to steam ahead in X minus 8's grid. He supposes all the Harry Potter clues are a sort of antidote to the frequent heavy dose of historical ones. He's read about Harry, by the way, as he likes to see what some of the new authors are up to. He feels a bit sorry for him, though he admires his character -- old-fashioned virtues and all. But Harry can't make anything! Does everything by magic! Where will he be if the magic stops working? Stranded, that's where. He needs to learn just a little elementary carpentry, nothing fancy or advanced -- just survival tinkering.

Companion acrostics X minus 8 and X minus 9 are likely the final ones to appear in The Looking Glass, though puzzle-maker Joanne Schott and the White Knight may make a surprise appearance from time to time. For more of these deliciously difficult puzzles, go Down the Rabbit Hole and check for the Acrostic in our back issues. -- Ed.

10U

11E

12CC

13A

14C

150

16P

17K

18H

19AA

20K

21M

22S

23D

24I

25C

26Y

27U

28R

29G

30P

31T

32A

33N

34F

35J

36S

37W

38U

39D

40P

41X

42N

43K

44A

45C

46T

47CC

48AA

49L

50Z

51F

52J

53V

54H

55BB

56D

57S

58P

59K

60C

61CC

62I

63U

64W

65A

66Q

67O

68R

69L

70N

71Z

72Y

73E

74U

75I

76F

77P

78Z

79B

80P

8IH

82C

83D

84L

85F

86S

87CC

88A

89T

90W

91P

92N

93BB

94R

95V

96F

97Z

98K

99M

100E

101Z

102J

103P

104X

105W

106G

107U

108S

109K

110F

111C

112Q

113K

114L

115B

116Y

117E

118D

119H

120N

121V

122U

123K

124L

125P

126T

127A

128F

129C

130E

131V

132H

133D

134A

135G

136S

137P

138I

139F

140C

141BB

142J

143K

144AA

145O

146B

147U

148I

149W

150Q

151C

152D

153X

154K

155P

156C

157V

158L

159B

160A

161N

162G

163P

164CC

165H

166U

167K

168Y

169Z

170A

171E

172R

173BB

174V

175W

176Y

177D

178F

179K

180W

181I

182P

183A

184AA

185R

186D

187V

188U

189CC

190CC

191W

192E

193H

194O

195K

196X

197T

198A

199U

200Z

201L

202H

203K

204R

205A

206Y

207C

208Q

209X

210B

211P

212D

213U

2140

215G

216K

217CC

218H

219N

220U

221C

222W

223A

224T

225H

226K

227F

228E

229F

230U

231S

232W

233C

234V

235X

236CC

237A

238G

239P

240N

241M

242U

243I

244H

245D

246BB

247F

248L

249S

250O

251Q

252Z

253Y

254N

255K

256G

257J

258W

A ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  134  32 237  65 170  44 223 205 127 160  13  88 183 198
Miss Frizzle's vehicle, The … (3 wds)

B ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  115 210 146  79 159
Here am I, little jumping Joan; when nobody's with me, I'm always…

C ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  25  82 207  45    5 233 156 129 140  14  60 221 111 151
Strange Moominland characters who can neither hear nor speak

D ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
  177  56 133 212  39  83 186 245 118 152  23
Length of the Owl and the Pussycat's voyage to the land where the Bong-tree grows, a … (4 wds)

E ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  100  11  73 192 171 130 117 228
This is the man all … and torn that kissed the maiden all forlorn

F ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
    8 227 110  34 229  96  51 139 247  76 128  85 178
Mrs. Heelis (née Potter) was the first woman to chair the Breeders' Association for these (2 wds)

G ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  135  29 215 256 106 238   9 162
Poem disowned by Christopher Robin Milne who said, "If I had made a brake it would have WORKED"; The &hellip

H ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
  132 193 218  54 244 165 202  81 225 119  18
Haunting and poignant time fantasy by Jill Paton Walsh about a boy who finds his true place in the Industrial Revolution; A …(2 wds)

I ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  243 148  75  62 138  24 181
Musical term directing the player(s) to go directly to the next section without pause

J ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  142 257 102  35  52
"My! What big … you have, Grandma!"

K ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  195  98  59 255 203 109  20 123 154 179 113 167   3 143 226  17 216  43
The Jumblies' next purchase after a cranberry tart, … (5 wds)

L ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   69 114 124 248   2 158  49  84 201
Much honoured author-artist whose picture books dealt with California themes (2 wds)

M ___ ___ ___
  241  21  99 
Frequently (poetic perhaps)

N ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   92 240  70 254 161 120  33 219  42   4
Harry Potter's House at Hogwarts

O ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   67 194 145 250 214  15
Known for her collections of Japanese fairy tales and her recent Depression-era trilogy about Rinko growing up in California

P ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___  
  211 182  80 163  16  30 239  58 103   1 125 155 137  91  40  77
One of Ronald Welch's Carey family novels, set during the French Revolution (3 wds)

Q ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  66 208 112 150 251
"My Bonny lies over the …"

R ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  94 172 204  28 185  68
The phoenix belonging to the Hogwarts headmaster

S ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  7 108  57  86 136 249  36  22 23
M. De Angeli's story based on her father's boyhood in northern Michigan, Copper- … (2 wds)

T ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   46 197  89 126  31 224
One who aids or assists

U ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  122 166 242 199  63 107  74 220  38 230 188 147  10 213  27
Author of the Italian classic, Cuore (3 wds)

V ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  174 121 157  95  53 234 187 131
Zoom the cat's role model (2 wds)

W ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  175  90 258 149 105 232  37 180 222 191  64
Where the poem of clue G can be found (4 wds)

X ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  235 153 104  41 209 196
A spontaneous, unrehearsed or impromptu bit of entertainment (short or informal form)

Y ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
  168 206  72 116 253  26 176<
First Newbery winner (2 wds)

Z ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   78 169  97 101  50 200  71 252   6
"The Hunting of the Snark; an Agony in …" (2 wds)

AA ___ ___ ___ ___
   184  19 144  48
…, scissors, paper

BB ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   173 246 141  93  55
A small porch, esp. in the American Midwest

CC ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
   189 236  61  47 190  87 164  12 217
Moralistic, didactic but often lively author whose best known story now is probably "The Purple Jar"

Volume 6, Issue 1, The Looking Glass, 2002

Site design and content, except where noted, © The Looking Glass 2009.
"Acrostic X-8" ©Joanne Schott, 2002
Send general correspondence regarding The Looking Glass c/o The Editor