Discovered in a Christmas Stocking Day 31

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Greetings and Happy New Year to all!

My muse having deserted me mid-story (I think the poor thing is still trapped in the security check line at Heathrow), I've put together a cryptic puzzle for you to solve in the best tradition of CI5.

In the maze of letters below are (If I've done this correctly) forty words relating in some way to The Professionals. They can be people, objects or places. The letters can run horizontally, vertically or diagonally, forwards or backwards. Note 1: I've kept to canon only. Note 2: there may be some random ordinary words produced by the process of making the puzzle - this is the biggest one I've ever done. I've tried to weed out the background noise, but I've found some always slip through.

BSL, can you give me a heads-up on when it will be okay to post the solution.




G J L D F W R S M A C K L I N X C N T R E P L O B T F
W C A H L K B O W L I N G A L L E Y E P Y F D W C X A
W O O L W I C H F E R R Y R U K F H D Q V Y E L W O C
A S H O T G U N T O M M Y V F B J G I T R F L S B J H
T L G V N T E I S K Q A C N P E H T R E N T S N A J I
K R T W B U L C T K A M J D Y T G E G A O T F L R P V
Y O W S V P R Q C A P R I L H T R A M B V M H I K X E
W H B V E S Z L J E I E X K A Y C S C C N E B H L U S
T K N F Y R B Z O G M P D R N U A P R F C E Y B N L R
I O B D H M R S Y S V T W I A M C E I E B L C A W A E
N J S O W F C V H N I O K S T U H F C D O Q B Z R L V
K I S B D A H C E L N N R S X E T G K E L L E R O D A
E W P H N I B F O S L E I C M K D Y E V O D N F K P R
R L B V X A E E T M V R U H B M A L T S C O T C H Y S
B Y M H D L W U J I H P K B S D K W A V R Y Q N O N L
E D K R I F L E L C B N D W J O K G B H C L P C A I T
L Y O V T L K G B R S N R C L I G T W K N E C A C T F
L T E D U M D U M K F N A L M P V Y J C S Q L C T R T
L B N V I N C R W F M P O I C R E S E R V O I R I A B
W B O Q N L S P G J X R B I S J M D I R F C O A O M N
F R H E G X N P Z T S I E M H S I F L E G N A T N Y U
N O R T O N R F D S U P L K I J T B A I P R W V S R X
P L G D E O F K I Y S F Z U R M M V I R Y O R L Q R J
R T C X B W I W J F A A Z K O L A J W B C H S V U A P
I K G P O R S F C U N V U R W K R A K I B S P L A B O
T R V K M J L F C R S O P N C X R A I T P L B R D C I
K I N G B I L L Y H W O G S E R I U M S A S D K U J T
T V F K R G S C Q A N N I E N J K D I S W F L E M M P
R A K T J F B N D S A U W P K G A D B F O X H O L E S
A S T R A T T O N F O U R P C L F I H Q C D Y P P L O

Comments

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Didn't we have something like that last year? I remember it was a lot of fun and very tricky!
So I'm looking forward!
(a technical question: wouldn't it be easier if the letters would be in propper columns?)

Thank you, and Happy New Year! :-)

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Wow, that looks like fun. I love things like this. But more importantly, yay, you're back!!!!! Have missed you xxx

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - you had me worried when you said there was a "cryptic puzzle" under the cut - I've always been rubbish at cryptic clues! But (in my language) it's a wonderword! Phew! Wonderwords I can totally do! *g*

Also - I see StrattonFour! *g*

Solution-wise, if you can hang on until 7th January, we can put up answers to things then, or another option is to do what probodie rather cleverly did, which was post the answers on her own lj whenever she wanted! Either way is good for me - a link to the answers in your original post would be good if you want to do the latter, or just let me know if you want to post them on the 7th, and that'll be good too. *g*

I shall print this out later, and look forward to a cosy morning with it tomorrow! Thank you!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

V! How was the UK? Thanks for the puzzle. Happy New Year

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I have grided it in excell. . .if anyone wants it that way email me and I will send it.

BatsRGr8 at aol.com

[inlovewithboth.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, I can't do this with a hangover. Think I've got to have a lie down.....

[diegina.livejournal.com]

I've got 20 words so far plus seven or so words I don't think they really should be there, like: averse(no person, place or object, (c)hive, tram, Ray(got Doyle so isn't it a bit redundant? maybe I'm wrong), cow (I've got Cowley elsewhere) or snow rat. I mean,a snow rat? Huh?:-) Or is it just my bad memory or lacking English? :-)

I would be glad for a list of words that should be there. I mean, a local variation called something like "eight-direction" is based exactly on this principle: a list of words that should be there (or pictures of these words) and the letters that remain after the words are gone give the answer.

BTW a technical tip for those who don't know how to cope with the irregular width of the puzzle, as LJ font distorts it:

- copy the text into a text editor (even the basic MS Notepad is quite OK)
- Set the font to Courier New or other non-proportional font
this should make it nicely regular

CAtching up on some posts

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to having a go at this as I really enjoy these sort of puzzles.