Puzzles by Cathy

— CRYPTOGRAMS —

IS YOUR PUBLICATION QUOTABLE?

Do your reporters get good quotes from their sources? Do your feature writers come up with profound or pithy comments? Do your local public officials sometimes make slips of the tongue that raise a chuckle or two? If so, Puzzles by Cathy can make these quotes into puzzles for your publication!

EXAMPLE 1: STANDARD CRYPTOGRAM

This puzzle is a standard cryptogram. It takes up little space and is relatively easy to solve (it is enlarged here for easy viewing). It can be sized to accommodate whatever space is required.

You can either provide the quote or have Puzzles by Cathy scour the pages of one of your previous issues for a remark worth "puzzling over."

The puzzle solution is provided at the bottom; it can be removed and placed on a separate page (or in a subsequent publication) if you prefer.

If a business is sponsoring the puzzle, a sponsor signature can be added to the design (see the next puzzle for an example).

CRYPTOGRAM
© 2001 Puzzles by Cathy

GJPYPIPQ LWIPQYZPYM WNNHTHXBO

MQC MW GWQD HY OPTQPM, MJPC

HYPIHMXVBC PYR KU RQXGHYL

XMMPYMHWY MW GJXM MJPC’QP

MQCHYL MW TWYTPXB.

—BWO XYLPBPO MHZPO PRHMWQHXB

Each letter in the cryptogram above stands for another letter. Single letters, repeated letters, word length, and punctuation are clues. When you determine what a particular letter is, write it in above all instances of the encrypted letter. In the following example, "B" stands for "A", "L" for "K", etc.

A WALK IN THE PARK
B XBML JM SIF QBSL

SOLUTION: Whenever government officials try to work in secret, they inevitably end up drawing attention to what they're trying to conceal.—Los Angeles Times Editorial

EXAMPLE 2: SOLVE-A-QUOTE CRYPTOGRAM

This is a cryptogram that is solved by first determining answers to clues and then placing the appropriate letters from those answers into the puzzle grid. It is a more challenging puzzle than the standard cryptogram.

This particular puzzle was created using information from the June 19, 2001, edition of the Press & Sun-Bulletin, a daily newspaper published in Binghamton, N.Y. The quote comes from that edition, and five of the clues are specific to articles from that edition. Several other clues are specific to the newspaper (e.g., the name of the Associate Editor, an inn that regularly advertises in the newspaper, and a weekly syndicated column and daily comic strip that appear in the paper).

Instructions are provided on how to complete the puzzle, and an example is given to start the reader off.

The actual size of this particular puzzle, including the heading, sponsor signature, and solution, is
3-1/2" wide by 10" deep. The width of the puzzle can be adjusted to fit your specifications; the depth will vary from puzzle to puzzle.

The puzzle solution is provided at the bottom; it can be removed and placed on a separate page (or in a subsequent publication) if you prefer.

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