Tributes flow as 'genius' crossword-setter dies
Matthew Kruk
Tributes flow as 'genius' crossword-setter dies
FIONA McCANN
Thu, Apr 08, 2010
TRIBUTES HAVE been paid to the compiler of The Irish Times Crosaire
crossword, Derek Crozier, following his death on Saturday at the age of
92.
Crozier compiled cryptic crosswords for the newspaper for 67 years, the
first of which appeared on March 13th, 1943. A memorial service is to
take place in St George's College in Harare, Zimbabwe on Friday, where
Crozier taught for over 25 years after he and his family moved to
southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, in 1948.
Yesterday, fans paid tribute to Crozier, describing him as a crossword
genius. "There's one clue that I remember from years back, that I've
never gotten out of my head," says San Francisco-based William Ernest
Butler, author of the unofficial Irish Times Crosaire Blog
(www.crosaire.paxient.com). "The clue was just a run of letters:
aknogoelr." Give up? The answer: "look back in anger".
For Butler, Crozier was "like your favourite school teacher", whose
unique style marked him out from other crossword writers. "There were a
couple of big names in the British crossword world who came up with some
new rules, after which crosswords all started to adhere to those rules.
But anybody who was going to put rules on Derek Crozier - he wasn't
going to listen to them."
Butler, whose personal Crosaire record is about eight minutes, has been
doing it for some 40 years, a habit he inherited from his father.
"Because it's been around for so long, it's been passed on from
generation to generation," says Butler, who gets Crosaire fans from as
far afield as India and Colombia on his blog. "Because it's been around
so long, it's got this old world charm that no other crossword has in
the world."
In Ireland, tech consultant Damian Bannon recalls his introduction to
Crosaire from his college days, some 20 years ago.
"There were a few of us who would do it in college. We used to race each
other to see who'd finish first." And though he has been known to
complete them in 15 minutes, "There are times when you think, my God,
how did he come up with that one?"
Singer and filmmaker Nick Kelly began his Crosaire addiction while
killing time on film shoots. "I'd do the Crosaire in the bath. If I was
having a clever day - if I got it out to within about three or four
clues - I'd come out of the bath thinking: 'I'm capable of doing my job
competently today'. Other days I'd get stuck, and only get about 10
clues in, and I'd feel I couldn't be trusted to do anything serious."
For Kelly, there's a romantic aspect to the relationship between the
crossword setter and the solver, and he will find Crozier hard to
replace. "I've grown accustomed to his ways," he admits. "When you look
at a Guardian or Telegraph crossword, you realise there's a completely
different person setting it." He sees Crozier's death as the end of an
Irish institution. "He really added to the quality of my life
considerably."
For writer Liz Nugent, the Crosaire became an important part of her
routine since 20 years ago. "Certain clues would even stick out in my
mind." One such was A Lone Star, 5,5. The answer? "Greta Garbo, because
she said 'I want to be alone'." Another clue of three words - Valo and
lour - had her stumped. The answer? "Discretion, because both are better
parts of valour. He was a total genius."
Dubliner Bob Laird got to meet Crozier when he was in Dublin for
Crosaire's 50th anniversary in 1993. "The number of people who were
envious: guys that work with me who regarded him as their hero." Laird
inherited his Crosaire habit from his father, who did the crossword for
59 years. "My father died about four years ago. We knew he was starting
to deteriorate when he stopped doing the crossword."
He found himself near tears to hear of Crozier's death. "He'll be well
remembered, which I suppose is all anyone can hope for. He has such a
fan club, so many people who've enjoyed the challenge."
© 2010 The Irish Times
MWB
Fallen on one's back
GO RED SOX NATION
Mark
MWB
Six letters