BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » The Imitation Game

REReader · October 21, 2014 9:27 pm

It was "token".

SusiGo · October 21, 2014 9:32 pm

Yes, right, thank you. The deduction work to find the solutions was fun.

REReader · October 21, 2014 10:05 pm

I actually prefer the American style of crossword, where every letter is checked, to the British style, where a lot of letters are left hanging on their own. There's no way (short of a nice computer program that tells you yea or nay as this one had, or looking up the answers) to know if you're right with the unchecked kind, which makes me nuts! But I think everyone prefers the style they're used to.

besleybean · October 22, 2014 5:50 am

Checked?
Sorry, I don't understand.
I love crosswords.

SusiGo · October 22, 2014 6:33 am

I think RER problably means this style (this is a German crossword):

You get more clues because there are far more meeting points between words.

Harriet · October 22, 2014 7:48 am

(That is called Swedish style - American Style is yet another one )

Last edited by Harriet (October 22, 2014 7:52 am)

SusiGo · October 22, 2014 7:51 am

Yes, you are right, Schwedenrätsel. I chose it for the layout, not the name.

Harriet · October 22, 2014 7:55 am

cross with my edit

tonnaree · October 22, 2014 11:31 am

SusiGo wrote:
Liberty wrote:
Well done! It looks like you would have had a chance for Bletchley Park if you'd been in the right place at the right time!

(The website isn't working for me, so I can't see it, but presuming it's the one used for recruiting?)
I think it was part of the puzzle they used for recruiting and no, I would not have had the slightest chance. It tooks me far too long and I had the internet on my side. Solving the whole thing in 10, 8, or 6 minutes is amazing.

Ancientsgate: The hammering thing was "right nail". Sorry, have forgotten the other one.

I would have had no chance but I would've gladly served them tea all day.

REReader · October 22, 2014 11:51 am

In a well-constructed Aerican-style crossword puzzle there are both white and black squares (unlike the Swedish puzzle above? I'm not familiar with that style), but every white square (the ones that get letters in them) has both an across and a down clue that "cross" through it. Therefore every letter has a check--both answers have to fit. The New York Times crossword is perhaps the best known example. (I'm on my iPod and can't get a picture easily from here to show.)

ETA: American style crossword grid: http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CrosswordUSA.svg

(I love crosswords, too!)

Last edited by REReader (October 22, 2014 12:06 pm)

ancientsgate · October 22, 2014 12:23 pm

REReader wrote:
In a well-constructed Aerican-style crossword puzzle there are both white and black squares (unlike the Swedish puzzle above? I'm not familiar with that style), but every white square (the ones that get letters in them) has both an across and a down clue that "cross" through it. Therefore every letter has a check--both answers have to fit. The New York Times crossword is perhaps the best known example. (I'm on my iPod and can't get a picture easily from here to show.)

ETA: American style crossword grid: http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CrosswordUSA.svg

(I love crosswords, too!)

Yes, this is a good description of the crosswords we see here in the US. My husband does crosswords while he relaxes, usually with the TV on, too. Not sure how much of the TV shows he's actually seeing/getting, but he sure zips through those crossword puzzles with all their made-up words that no one ever heard of, lol.

tonnaree · October 22, 2014 1:10 pm

I am bad at crosswords. I can usually figure out the clues but I am pants at spelling!

besleybean · October 22, 2014 4:05 pm

Ah, I see...
Well I like them all!

Liberty · October 22, 2014 4:44 pm

Those look like a nightmare to write!

(Or compile, or create, or whatever the word is for making for a crossword).

Last edited by Liberty (October 22, 2014 6:40 pm)

SusiGo · October 22, 2014 5:25 pm

Yes, I guess have to be as clever to create them as to solve them. Or even more. Today I suppose there is software for it but 70 years ago …

REReader · October 22, 2014 5:54 pm

There is software for writing crosswords, but it doesn't really help with the brain work, only with the writing/erasing/writing part.

I think the US-style crosswords are harder in the making of the grid part, but the UK-style crosswords tend to be trickier in the clue-writing part, so that would be harder to create. And how hard they are to solve depends very much on how tricky the clues are--in general, the UK-style has trickier clues, but that's a very sweeping generality, with many exceptions on both sides! Also if you can't get a word in the US-style crosswords, you have the option of the clue going the other way to fill in missing squares, which you can't in UK-style crosswords.

Now my head hurts... ;)

Last edited by REReader (October 22, 2014 5:56 pm)

tonnaree · October 23, 2014 12:40 am

This Imitation Game's score has already been nominated for an award.

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/guardians-of-the-galaxy-gone-girl-interstellar-scores-get-a-jump-on-awards-season

besleybean · October 23, 2014 5:42 am

Yay!

This Is The Phantom Lady · October 23, 2014 3:18 pm

Yay, that's so cool!

SusiGo · October 24, 2014 7:04 am

This is great news. Alan Turing's niece Inagh Payne who had been a bit reserved towards the film and the role of Joan Clarke aka Keira Knightley has watched the film and is very happy with it. As the interview is no longer available on BBC iPlayer, I am quoting it in full:

(Allan Beswick with BBC Radio Manchester talking to Inagh Payne)
AB: Inagh…
IP: Hello
AB: Have you seen the film yet?
IP: Yes, I’ve seen it twice, I went to premier last night and I really enjoyed it - it was great. Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Alan very well, he played the part with great sensitivity and that was very moving at the end and also Keira Knightley was very good indeed as Joan Clark - they seemed to get the relationship just right in the film and the film really did honour to my uncle and it’ll should make everyone more aware of his immense achievements.
AB: Listening to your voice - without being too rude - you sound like you were relieved after seeing the film to a certain extent… you must have been quite apprehensive
IP: Um well, I faintly yes, I wasn’t quite sure what it was going to be like. I was really pleasantly suprised when I saw it first time round ah with my family -and we, well, almost without exception we all thoroughly enjoyed it. But of course there are not many people alive now that remember my uncle, just just myself and my two sisters. [there’s two ladies who were daughters of Alan’s psychologist friend - I wonder if they’re still alive and I’m sure there are a couple codebreakers who recall their time at Bletchley Park - but, it’s not family of course]
AB: How well do you remember him? what age were you when he was doing his work and then his unfortunate life afterwards
IP: Well I was 18 when he died (AB: oh dear) but I have got vivid memories of him but I didn’t see that much of him because I was away at boarding school most of the time, but he was a wonderful uncle, very kind, very generous, very caring
AB: Somebody suggested this morning that he ought be on a bank note
IP: That has been suggested before and yes (laughs) and um well that would be wonderful
AB: There is a sort of groundswell behind him now though isn’t there and it could get there
IP: Well it might do yes because he’s becoming more and more famous as time goes on
AB: Quite so… a pleasure to talk to talk to you…

Last edited by SusiGo (October 24, 2014 7:05 am)