THE crypt's the thing! By which we mean the letter-for-letter type of substitution cryptogram. Our readers prefer this type.
To make matters interesting, numerous methods of solving crypts will be gone into here, as space permits. And the fine points in solutions submitted by readers will be discussed.
In contributing cryptograms, fans are cautioned not to make their offerings too difficult. As to length, crypts of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty letters, or thereabouts, are just the thing. Messages should be limited to words in common usage. Try your hand at this week's puzzles, and look for the answers in the next issue.
A glimpse of the past, and a peep into the future, by John R. Edwards.
EVA NOVPLAP HAILD IKE YNA JCLDY MIDDAVKAL LICTLEIP CV YNA OYCYAP DYIYAD ZID FAKOV. ZNE QIVUCDOITCWA ROCQX YLIV- DMELYIYCEV EJ VASY QAVYOLH?
Arthur Bellamy propounds the longest geographical word on record. Every letter is keyed into the short words.
SCUEKCY, OGEEGINRECKKE, ME GABA GE INGYABAAGABAAOGLIN- GRAAGABAAINGRURLGARLAGOG- RAA ME KNC PBLACEK PGWC WLBSL.
Some big words here, but plenty of clews! By L. G. Williams.
FOJVSNUEZNFO AHOXJVYX CVY- FAKEUFJVS GEAKYHEXUT JIYH- ERI CYNAVZFU MEORUVX SEY- NOR CYVINXJHYNG CVYNHSX ECHO JINX IVANXCIVYV.
The terminations TIVE and TING in No. 203, the crypt by Fred Holmes, will give nearly all the letters in the fifth and eighth words, after which the rest is easy. "Irate clothiers almost lynched vindictive yeggs caught dynamiting shoddy plant yesterday."
Kenneth Clear's No. 204 used a simple numerical alphabet in which the numbers 1 to 8 stood for the letters of the key phrase WHITE DOG, and the numbers 9 to 26 for the remaining letters of the alphabet in regular order. Number 27 was used as word spacer. The message: "Send twenty thousand dollars at once by special messenger."
Cipher No. 205 conveyed this information: "By comparing similar sequences in a cipher of this type, symbols which represent the same letter may be found, and the cipher practically reduced to one which uses one symbol for each letter of the alphabet." The four repeated words afford ample material for solution of the alphabetical cipher by the method suggested in the message, and the vocabulary terms are easily discoverable by context.