Acrostic X-6
DOUBLE ACROSTIC X MINUS SIX
Joanne Schott
(In Looking Glass Land, things go in reverse.
The next acrostic, should there be one, will be X minus seven.)
You will need to print the acrostic in order to solve it. When the diagram is filled in, it will contain a quotation from a published work. Numbered squares in the diagram correspond to the numbered blanks to be filled in with the answers to the clues. The first letters of each answer, when read downwards, will spell the name of the author and the title of the work from which the quotation comes. The letter following the number in each square indicates the clue whose answer includes the letter to be entered in that square. Nearly all the clues have something to do with children's literature. You do not need to know more than about 8 (some say 6) answers to begin. As skeletons of words begin to form in the diagram and some initial letters of author and title are in place, work back and forth. Soon the parts of the puzzle will solve one another. Answers will be posted on the site on August 2, 2002.
Note: Depending upon your printer and page setup options, some of the right hand columns of the acrostic may not print. If the printed version does not match what you see on your screen, try going into the print setup menu and change the page orientation from Portrait to Landscape. If your printer supports output scaling (and your eyesight is good!) you can instead try reducing the output scale from 100% (try 90% to start) until all of the columns appear on the printed copy.
| 1G | 2E | 3B | 4M | 5W | 6C | 7R | 8J | 9Y | 10EE | 11I | 12DD | 13Z | 14F | 15B | 16N | 17L | |||
| 18S | 19P | 20V | 21E | 22M | 23F | 24U | 25K | 26L | 27AA | 28J | 29O | 30G | 31CC | 32W | 33R | ||||
| 34I | 35B | 36U | 37X` | 38L | 39BB | 40C | 41DD | 42Y | 43N | 44Q | 45S | 46J | 47M | 48W | 49CC | ||||
| 50I | 51BB | 52G | 53H | 54B | 55U | 56Z | 57W | 58F | 59Y | 60B | 61J | 62X | 63DD | 64Y | 65C | 66K | |||
| 67S | 68U | 69N | 70AA | 71B | 72J | 73E | 74M | 75D | 76Q | 77U | 78Y | 79I | 80B | 81H | 82W | ||||
| 83Z | 84AA | 85C | 86S | 87O | 88CC | 89M | 90B | 91Y | 92E | 93J | 94N | 95U | 96P | 97EE | 98X | ||||
| 99BB | 100F | 101B | 102J | 103Y | 104U | 105BB | 106CC | 107O | 108W | 109V | 110M | 111DD | 112F | 113I | 114F | ||||
| 115W | 116P | 117X | 118M | 119T | 120CC | 121W | 122X | 123DD | 124Y | 125Z | 126D | 127S | 128AA | 129Q | 130BB | ||||
| 131G | 132F | 133EE | 134B | 135U | 136M | 137CC | 138DD | 139X | 140CC | 141DD | 142U | 143I | 144S | 145F | 146L | 147CC | 148W | ||
| 149Q | 150Z | 151N | 152B | 153Y | 154U | 155CC | 156N | 157BB | 158L | 159S | 160Q | 161F | 162I | 163Z | 164B | ||||
| 165X | 166J | 167F | 168E | 169S | 170L | 171Q | 172Y | 173G | 174W | 175A | 176R | 177N | 178CC | 179BB | 180I | ||||
| 181F | 182L | 183J | 184U | 185N | 186C | 187BB | 188F | 189CC | 190T | 191W | 192Y | 193G | 194CC | 195R | 196M | ||||
| 197H | 198EE | 199B | 200I | 201T | 202C | 203W | 204V | 205Y | 206M | 207Q | 208DD | 209L | 210B | 211F | 212V | ||||
| 213N | 214U | 215J | 216W | 217H | 218S | 219J | 220Z | 221F | 222I | 223C | 224EE | 225V | 226R | 227K | |||||
| 228DD | 229B | 230B | 231CC | 232Y | 233J | 234B | 235D | 236F | 237O | 238Z | 239Q | 240R | 241Z | 242I | 243A | ||||
| 244Y | 245F | 246X | 247C | 248R | 249U | 250G | 251Y | 252B | 253DD | 254E | 255L | 256J | 257A | 258BB | 259B | ||||
| 260S | 261V | 262D | 263AA | 264Q | 265I | 266F | 267X | 268P | 269W | 270B | 271O | 272M | 273B | 274G | 275L | ||||
| 276D | 277N | 278C | 279I | 280E | 281S | 282J | 283Y | 284Q | 285G | 286B | 287K | 288C |
| A. | ___ ___ ___ ___
25 199 93 234 |
No. 1 … Street, the first of Blackwell's annuals, published
in 1923 |
|
| B. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
210 273 15 230 101 259 35 152
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
199 60 80 252 54 229 3 286
___ ___ ___ ___
71 164 270 134 |
This colourful furry hero of a Kathleen Hale series was the subject of a ballet by Arthur Benjamin produced for the Festival of Britain (4 wds) | |
| C. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
202 247 6 186 40 85 278 223
___ ___
65 288 |
Originator of the Cheap Repository Tracts; including The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, 1798 (2 wds) |
|
| D. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
276 126 75 262 235 |
Rosemary Sutcliff's Eagle of the … | |
| E. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
280 21 92 73 254 2 168 |
As 2 words, part of a Wilson Rawls title; as 1 word, surname
of Eleanor Cameron's heroine, Julia |
|
| F. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
14 100 132 161 181 211 112 266
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
221 245 114 23 145 58 188 236
___
167 |
Robin McKinley's novel based on the Robin Hood legends (3 wds) | |
| G. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
193 285 30 131 250 1 274 173
___
52 |
That teen-aged sleuth whose adventures girls have loved since 1930 (2 wds) | |
| H. | ___ ___ ___ ___
81 217 53 197 |
Thomas Bailey Aldrich's Story of … Boy (2 wds) | |
| I. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
162 279 143 200 265 50 79 34
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
222 11 113 242 180 |
What the Pobble's aunt made him drink (2 wds) |
|
| J. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
233 282 46 102 8 166 215 219
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
256 61 28 72 93 183 |
Motto of Bertie the pig in Kenneth Grahame's Bertie's Escapade (3 wds) | |
| K. | ___ ___ ___ ___
227 287 25 66 |
The Tin Woodman's greatest fear | |
| L. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
275 255 182 26 17 170 38 209
___ ___
146 158 |
Employment address for Brian Doyle's Hubbo O'Driscoll (2 wds) | |
| M. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
272 4 206 243 22 89 110 136
___ ___ ___
74 196 47 |
Made of umbrellas, items of clothing, hangers, etc., these creatures were wished alive by Mabel in The Enchanted Castle (hyph) | |
| N. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
43 185 213 94 277 69 16 156
___ ___
177 151 |
Enough time for Phileas Fogg's round trip (2 wds) | |
| O. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
107 237 271 29 87 |
.… Stone by Lucille Clifton | |
| P. |
___ ___ ___ ___
268 96 19 116 |
Mrs. Tittlemouse was "a most terribly … particular little mouse." |
|
| Q. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
264 44 160 284 149 129 239 207
___ ___
76 171 |
Richard Kennedy's character who was too shy to meet an audience without concealing his face (2 wds) | |
| R. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
248 195 240 7 176 33 226 |
Dismisses with little or no punishment (2 wds) | |
| S. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
281 169 45 218 260 67 86 18
___ ___ ___
159 144 127 |
Creator of Chester, Chrysanthemum, Julius and Lilly with the purple purse (2 wds) |
|
| T. |
___ ___ ___
190 119 201> |
One of Rumer Godden's Christmas duo of orphan girl and unsold
doll |
|
| U. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
154 24 36 68 104 142 249 95
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
55 135 77 214 184 |
He stowed away to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon from slavery (2 wds) | |
| V. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
109 212 20 261 204 225 |
The Captain of a group of sportsmen hired by Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong
to teach her nephew a lesson |
|
| W. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
191 32 108 5 121 148 57 203
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
174 216 48 269 115 82 |
Some of the residents in the old man's beard (Lear) (5 wds) | |
| X. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
122 62 139 267 165 117 246 37
___
98 |
Pooh and Piglet hoped to catch one in a trap | |
| Y. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
103 205 192 9 251 283 78 232
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
124 153 64 172 59 244 91 42 |
Wife of Clement, mother of Thacher and a prolific author of picture books, | |
| Z. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
125 163 83 13 56 241 220 238
___
150 |
Beatrix Potter's washerwoman and Alison Uttley's milkman | |
| AA. | ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
27 128 84 263 70 |
Oliver …, pseudonym of Wm. Taylor Adams, author of many
boys' adventure series (Army and Navy, Boat Club, Young America
Abroad, etc.) |
|
| BB. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
179 105 39 51 130 157 99 258
___
187 |
The monkey folk in Kipling's Jungle Book (hyph) | |
| CC. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
231 31 155 106 140 189 120 49
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
88 137 178 147 194 |
This boys' weekly paper founded in 1866 featured "wild and wonderful but healthy fiction" (3 wds) | |
| DD. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
123 253 111 41 208 141 138 12
___ ___
228 63 |
Russian fabulist 768-1844 (2 wds) | |
| EE. |
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
198 97 133 10 224 |
Erich Kästner's illustrator |
Volume 3, Issue 3, The Looking Glass, 1999
Site design and content, except where noted, © The Looking Glass 1999.
"Acrostic X-6" ©Joanne Schott, 1999
Send general correspondence regarding The Looking Glass c/o The Editor