Lovatts Website - Online Puzzles Update

The new Lovatts website now organised in a blogging format, provides puzzlers with an easy way to provide feedback and comments on the magazines and website content.

Since the launch of the new Lovatts website we have experienced minor problems in relation to some of the new online daily puzzles. A few puzzlers have noted that the Daily Crossword didn’t update at midnight as it previously had. One very keen late night puzzler was waiting at midnight for his usual fix of online crosswords and reluctantly had to give up the wait at 2am.

We have hopefully rectified this problem by replacing the current Daily Crossword, Sudoku and Wordsearch with the original code from the old site. All other online puzzles should function as they previously had prior to the launch.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this issue may have caused and will continue to listen to our faithful puzzlers to continually improve the site for all fans of Lovatts Puzzles and magazines.

If you have any feedback in regards to how we can improve this website or the Lovatts range of puzzle magazines please provide us with your comments on the appropriate posts throughout the site and we will do our very best to respond to your feedback.

Happy Puzzling

On The Danger List

From Colossus Inklings No.120

To show how much words change their meanings, look at these five words that have similar meanings. Only one had the same meaning originally.

Danger comes from 13th C daunger ‘power’, as in ‘power to inflict injury’. This in turn came from Latin dominium ‘ownership’.

Hazard evolved from the Arabic al zahr, ‘the dice’. Crusaders in the Holy Land learned this word that associated dice games with risk.

Risk is derived from Italian rischiare which in turn came from the Greek rhiza ‘cliff’ because of the risk when sailing along rocky coasts.

Jeopardy originates from the Old French jeu parti meaning ‘divided game’, jeu from Latin jocus ‘joke’ and partir from French ‘to divide’.

Peril is the only word that had the same meaning as far back as we can go. It comes from the Latin periculum, which actually meant ‘danger’.

E-nigma Crossword No.13 Winners - Dec/Jan

$100 Prize Cheque
Carol Isaacs, Charlestown, NSW.

4 Prize Packs
Tony Beaven, Adelaide, SA; Pat Fitzgerald, Robina, Qld; Margaret Padden, Sylvania, NSW; Kim Rayner, Wavell Heights, Qld.

Dec/Jan’s mystery answer:
‘AUSTRALIA’

Subscribe to any Lovatts title and WIN!

MARCH 2009:

WIN a Vivitar 5 Megapixel Digital Video Recorder with 8x Digital Zoom valued at $200!Subscribe online to any of Lovatts large range of crossword and puzzle magazines and you’ll automatically be entered in the bi-monthly draw to WIN a Vivitar 5 Megapixel Digital Video Recorder with 8x Digital Zoom valued at $200 (product info), or one of three Collins Bradford’s Crossword Solvers!

And by subscribing online you can take advantage of significant savings across our full range of crossword and puzzle titles. Click here to view savings on offer , or click here to proceed directly to our online store.

View Recent Winners

Show a Leg

You may think that this phrase has its origins in dance halls but this odd expression was used as a command aimed at those who were reluctant to get out of bed in the morning.

It’s origins go back to the days when women were allowed to stay on board while a ship was in port, or even sometimes for part of a voyage.

It was the job of the boatswain’s mate to round up all the work-shy crew by checking their sleeping quarters. When he came to a hammock or bunk that was occupied he would shout, ‘Show a leg!’ If a female ankle appeared from under the sheets he would move along.

Women were no longer permitted to stay on board after about 1840 but the phrase found its way into general speech, meaning ‘get a move on!’ A handy one if you have teenagers who like to sleep in!

Sideburns

These short side-whiskers were originally named after the American Federal General Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-81) who sported the peculiar whiskers.

He served in the regular artillery and in 1849 was wounded in a fight with Apaches in the New Mexico Territory. He resigned in 1853 to manufacture his breech-loading carbine but was forced into bankruptcy when he failed to gain a government contract.

During this time he served as a major general in the state militia. With the outbreak of the Civil War he raised a regiment and served in many different commands, across America. Abraham Lincoln was fond of Burnside and twice offered him command of the Army of Potomac.

After and long and semi-successful military career, he eventually resigned from the service in April 1865.

Burnside’s other claims to fame include his civilian successes as an engineer, business manager, three time governor of Rhode Island and US Senator.

Soccer

Arguably the most widely played game in the world today, Association Football or soccer can trace its origins back to 200BC in China.

The word soccer was a slang term coined in the 1890s. The word soccer originally came from an abbreviation of Association Football (Assoc; soc) a term introduced in about 1870 for football played by the rules of the Football Association as opposed to Rugby football.

The ‘er’ was put on the end in the same way as rugby was called ‘rugger’ and football was called ‘footer’.

This use of the ‘er’ suffix was common in the British public schools and Universities in the late 19th century.

In the 1890s the spelling varied between ’socker’ and ’soccer’. As we know now, ’soccer’ was the name that stuck and is used internationally today.

The word soccer is more commonly used in countries like the United States of America and Australia, where other forms of football are more popular.

“Time is money”

“Time is money” has become a common catch-cry in this fast-paced world of ours and yet the dictum has ancient origins.

Way back in 430 BC, Antiphon said that “the most costly outlay is the outlay of time” (MAXIM), a theory which was repeated by Theophrastus, circa 320 BC.

Montaigne mentioned the proverb in his Essays, written in 1580 and even the great Benjamin Franklin used it in his 1748 Advice To a Young Tradesman.

It is probable that Dickens’ use of the proverb in his writings, combined with Franklin’s use, is what ensured the survival of the saying. ‘Time is money’ is still a commonly used proverb today.

Sudoku Video Tutorial

Yuan Tan

The Chinese New Year festival, known as Yuan Tan, is probably the most important event on the Chinese calendar. Some 370 million people in China travel home to celebrate the three-day public holiday with their relatives, and every four years are given twenty days official leave to visit their home towns or villages. The coming of the New Year also signifies the end of winter, so the festival is also known as the Spring Festival.

The worldwide event has a predominantly red theme because red is the colour the Chinese associate with happiness and good luck. The season seems to breed red greeting cards, candles and tablecloths, while red flowers are commonly used as decorations. Even walls of houses are whitewashed and doors and gates painted red.

Flowers like the white narcissus, pink peach or plum blossoms — which signify long life — are also prominent throughout the holiday season along with peonies which are flowers of wealth and honour. If the blossoms open on New Year’s Day it is believed to be a sign that the New Year will be both happy and prosperous.

No Yuan Tan celebration would be complete without firecrackers and dragon dances which are performed to frighten away evil spirits and also the legendary monster Nien. Nien is said to have raided villages for food during winter until the fearful people discovered that Nien was scared of firecrackers, the sight of fire and the colour red. The Yuan Tan festival has kept Nien at bay for many, many years.

Next Page »