BIGCASH
£200
Olga Meredith, Smethwick W Midlands.

4 x £50
Doreen Edmonds, Twickenham Middx; Susan McNally, Thetford Norfolk; Sandra Pullen, Grimsby N E Lincs; Jennifer Wood, Willenhall W Midlands.

THE DEMON
£100
Janet Wight, Bromham Bedford.

2 x £50
Dave Brown, Redhill Surrey; Lizzie Roper, Llandrindod Wells Powys.

GOLIATHON
£100
Eileen St John-Crees, Cranbrook Kent.

2 x £40
Janet Hyde, Alcombe Somerset; Patricia Williams, Cheltenham.

CONTEST COUPON
2 £10 Sainsbury’s Gift Cards for each contest

BIG EASY
Sol: Cross Your Fingers
Mary Barker, N Shields Tyne & Wear; Joan Lee, Crewe Cheshire East.

NINESIES
Sol: Chores
Helene Maidment, Langley Berks; Glenys Shapton, Plasmarl Swansea.

WHEEL WORDS
Sol: Pitchford
Lynda Barber, Sandiacre Notts; Glenice Butler, Chorlton Manchester.

ELEVENSES
Sol: Mansion
K Bowditch, Bridport Dorset; V Smith, Malvern, Worcs.

WIZ WORDS
Sol: Azaleas
Marjorie Henson, Norwich Norfolk; Mark Mason, Wokingham Berks.

TWO-WAY TEASER
Sol: Chocolate Cake
R Hamlen, Chippenham Wiltshire; Michael Spinks, Exeter Devon.

CONCEPT-CROSS
Sol: Gerbera
Lilian Delday, Harbury Lane Warwick; John Wilkinson, Dewsbury W Yorks.

ACROSTIC
Sol: Grandfather Clocks
D M Ross, Summerhill Aberdeen; Glenda Walls, St Albans Herts.

DO YOUR BLOCK
Sol: Perfect
Helen Kelly, Hatfield Herts; Coralie Stokes, Birchington Kent.

FILL-IN
Sol: Picture
June Holness, Whitstable Kent; M Smith, Tywyn Gwynedd.

SKELETON
Sol: Contest
Janice Massey, Ipswich Suffolk; June Stallwood, Polegate E Sussex.

STARHUNT 5
Sol: Johnny Depp
Lynne McFarlane, Nuneaton Warwicks; Kay Tullett, Seaford E Sussex.

STARHUNT 6
Sol: Audey Hepburn
Edgar Knight, Northampton; Stan Wickes, Hednesford Staffs.

STARHUNT 7
Sol: Christian Slater
Joy Everett, Salt Ash Cornwall; Joan Kinane, Wigan Lancs.

STARHUNT 8
Sol: Renee Zellweger
Dorothy McGrail, Taunton Somerset; Janet Winspear, Saxmundham Suffolk.

BIG TOUGHER
Sol: Quit While You’re Ahead
Alice Martin, Loughton Essex; Ruth Singleton, Salisbury Wilts.

FINDAWORD
Sol: They Made a Name for Themselves
Gregory Horton, Southam Warwicks; Malcolm Powell, Kelso.

NOVICE – CONTEST 1
3 x $50
Graham Gant, Everton Hills Qld; Isabella Hallett, Gerringong NSW; Christine Hird, Glen Eden, Auckland NZ.

THE X FACTOR – CONTEST 2
3 x $50
Maureen Bushing, St Marys Tas; Tracey Coburn, Clear Island Waters Qld; Helen Cook, Speers Point NSW.

SUPER – CONTEST 3
3 x $50
Roger Hoar, Masterton NZ; Christopher Lange, Cairns Qld; Leanne Smith, Milton, South Otago NZ.

KILLER SUDOKU – CONTEST 4
3 x $50
Arthur Bennett, Mango Hill Qld; Julie Dickson, Carlton North Vic; Barbara Johnson, Prospect SA.

COLLECTION CONTEST
$500
Lola Nobes, Goulburn NSW.

10 x $50
Rachel Anderson, Amaroo ACT; Heather Dixon, Georges Hall NSW; Susan Foster, Croydon NSW; Elizabeth Jackson, Warracknabeal Vic; Carmel Matthews, Byford WA; Helen McInnes, Bay of Islands NZ ; Noeline Moon, Labrador Qld; Marion Reeves, Mosgiel NZ; Kathy Trembath, Gungahlin ACT; Miriam Trevis, Paddington Qld;

DOUBLE MONSTER
$400
Maxine Deakins, McKellar ACT.

MONSTER COLOSSUS
$200
Alvin Webster, Charters Towers Qld.

$100
Colleen Bowden, Labrador Qld.

MONSTER STARHUNT
Solution: Lena Headey
$200
Helen Stewart, Casebrook Christchurch NZ.

$100
Rhonda Armstrong, Wondai Qld.

STINKER
2 Kindle Fires
Frank Corlet, Banora Point NSW; Hilary Croke, Wilton, Wellington NZ.

2 Bradford’s Dictionaries
Colleen Bowden, Labrador Qld; Unnitta Stimpson, Palmerston North NZ.

GIANT CRYPTIC
Twinings Tea Chest
Jan Sweeney, Walla Walla NSW.

2 iPod Shuffles
Graeme Boscoe, Howrah Tas; Rae McDonnell, Motueka Nelson NZ.

CONTEST COUPON

Photo-Find
Solution: Clean Down the Walls
Olympus Digital Camera
E Cooper, Cootamundra NSW.

Magic Squares
Solution: Correctness
2 x $25
Elisa Cairns, Taneatua NZ; Constance Sadler, Te Atatu Peninsula NZ.

Spirogram
Solution: Surrender
2 x $25
Sharron Duggan, Balga WA; Krista Rabulall, Papakura NZ.

Wiz Words
Solution: Admiration
2 x $25
Kerry Benger, Mannum SA; Catherine Schwamm, Hamilton NZ.

Starcross
Solution: The Mentalist
2 x $25
Liz Balogh, Baldivis WA; Bev Robb, Seacombe Gardens SA.

Do Your Block
Solution: Reckless
2 x $25
Noeline Callaghan, Wanganui NZ; Zelka McFarlane, Logan City Qld.

Two-In-One
Solution: Satisfaction
2 x $25
Moya Smith, Wallsend NSW; B Stevenson, Pooraka SA.

Acrostic
Solution: Babylonian Numerals
2 x $25
Janet Lennox, Mt Morgan Qld; Anita White, Roma Qld.

Cluedunnit
Solution: Olivia De Havilland
2 x $25
Judith Ewer, Bangor NSW; Jean Offer, Ridgewood WA.

The words desert and dessert look similar, but they are very different in meaning.

Now and again, one of our crossword clues seems to hit a nerve with our puzzlers and we get a sack of mail (or a deluge of emails) claiming that a gremlin has been found. Sometimes we have made an error and we are happy to award gremlins to our eagle-eyed spotters.

But I would like to draw your attention to a recent case. A clue in a recent BIG Crossword magazine was ‘Comeuppance, just …’. How many of you thought the answer should be DESSERTS? Well, not so – the answer, believe it or not, is DESERTS (pronounced dizerts). It’s a common mistake to think that it’s connected with ‘desserts’, those treats we have after dinner. But it means ‘suitable reward or punishment’ and is related instead to ‘deserve’, (with one ‘s’) and comes from the Latin deservir ‘be worthy to have’ whereas ‘dessert’ comes from the Latin desservir ‘clear the table’, as it’s the last course.

The word has no connection with the sandy desert, except that they both come from Latin. The Latin word deserere, meaning ‘forsake’, led to the word desertus meaning ‘wilderness’ as being literally ‘a thing abandoned’. We have the verb ‘to desert’, meaning ‘to abandon’. Desert gradually came to mean the treeless, waterless region which we call a desert.

There was a time in the 18th century when it was spelled ‘desart’, which at least avoided confusion with the above meaning of ‘what you deserve’ or ‘payback’.

To add to the confusion of the spelling, the words Just Desserts can often be seen as a pun in restaurant menus as the heading for the dessert list.

Many thanks to all who wrote in. We love to hear your thoughts on our clues. May you always receive your just deserts!

Happy Puzzling!

2 x £100

Christine Beckton, London; Eileen Dougliss, Halesowen W Midlands.

The post Newsagent in Focus – Warrick Hosking appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Hot on the heels of Tasty Trivia comes Royal Fever …

With the upcoming wedding of William & Kate on April 29, Royal Fever is upon us. But how much do you really know about royalty?

YouPlay.com, the online gaming arm of Lovatts Interactive, has released Royal Fever Trivia, an iPhone App containing over 900 questions to test your knowledge of this fascinating subject.

For example, did you know that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is a lowly 504th in line to the British throne? You may even find that you’re higher up!

Each round of 10 multiple choice questions provides an opportunity to shower yourself in glory and etch your place on the leaderboard – or else be trampled by Her Majesty’s noble steed. Or pledge allegiance to the crown by taking the 60 second wedding dash!

Check out the Royal Fever Trivia teaser above (seems everybody’s playing it!) then click here to preview and download the App on the iTunes store. It won’t cost you a princely sum – in fact, it’s FREE!

DOWNLOAD NOW

The post Release of the Free Royal Fever Trivia App appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Gary Lovell – ‘Lucky Lovell’s Lottery Centre’, Shepparton

Gary Lovell started working as a paperboy in 1968 and now runs Lucky Lovell’s Lottery Centre.

Gary’s family have been in the newsagency business for 43 years. The agency is called Lucky Lovell’s because they’ve sold 46 first division winning tickets in Tattslotto!

The newsagency delivers 26,000 newspapers every week and has won countless awards over the years for their business achievements and service.

As well as working in the newsagency every day until 6pm, Gary has been with the Search and Rescue Squad for over 30 years. “If I can help save one life it’s well worth doing,” said Gary.

A bit of a celebrity in Shepparton, it is no surprise that Gary can’t go anywhere in the area without running into someone he knows… Continue reading below to find out more:

The following is an extract from an interview conducted on December 2, 2010 and which appeared on the Shepparton News website.

List of Achievements:

• 1991 – Inaugural Newsagent of the Year in Retail
• 1991 – Inaugural Newsagent of the Year in Distribution
• 1992 – Newsagent of the Year Finalists
• 1992 – Gordon & Gotch Magazine Pace Setter Award
• 1993 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 1993 – Gordon & Gotch Tattersall’s Super Operator Award
• 1994 – Tattarsall’s Super Operator Award
• 1995 – Shepparton Business Achievements Award Finalist
• 1995 – Gordon & Gotch Magazine Pace Setter Award
• 1996 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 1996 – Shepparton Business Achievements Award Finalist
• 1996 – Herald & Weekly Times Commitment to Excellence Award
• 1997 – 3SR Good Service Award Winner
• 1998 – Harvey World Travel National Office of the Year
• 1998 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 1999 – Shepparton Business Achievements Award Finalist
• 2000 – Tattersall’s Excellence in Customer Service Award
• 2000 – Shepparton Business Achievements Award Winner
• 2001 – Tattersall’s Overall Customer Service Award
• 2001 – Tattersall’s Retail Presentation Award
• 2001 – Tattersall’s National Retailer of the Year
• 2001 – ACP Magazines National Top Performer
• 2001 – Shepparton Business Achievements Award Winner
• 2002 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 2003 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 2003 – Inducted into The Age newspaper Hall of Fame
• 2005 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 2006 – Newsagent of the Year Finalist
• 2003 – Inducted into the Shepparton Business Hall of Fame

Pictured, left to right: 2001 ACP Top Performer Award; Creative display promoting Money Magazine; 2008 – Inducted into the Shepparton Business Hall Of Fame; Regular customer and tractor enthusiast, Ian Hunter.

The post Newsagent in Focus – Gary Lovell appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Philip & Leoni Jenner purchased Port Mall Newsagency in Port Adelaide over 15 years ago. In that time they have transformed the business into a modern newsagency with a diverse product range. Their children, Simon, Kate, Ashley and Cindy,as well as daughter-in-law Lucy have all worked in the business around their school and university commitments.

The loyal Port Mall Newsagency customers love the family-friendly business and although Philip and Leoni’s children have now moved on to their own careers, customers regularly enquire about them. Daughter Kate now has two of her own children who regularly visit Nana & Pa at the shop and help out by smiling at the regulars.

Philip & Leoni, now assisted by some terrific young employees who are very customer focused, were selected as finalists in the SA Newsagency of the Year awards in 2011. It was the 5th time Port Mall Newsagency had been a finalist. In 2006 they won best Retail Newsagent of the Year.

Mrs Lil Baker (pictured left) has been a loyal Port Mall Newsagency customer for over 15 years. She has her favourite Lovatts puzzle books put away ready for her to collect during her twice weekly visit. One of the things that makes Lil so special is that she has just turned 96.

She relies on her puzzle books to keep her mind active and to help pass the time of day. Lil always has a friendly smile and is always greeted warmly by all the Port Mall Newsagency team.

Port Mall Newsagency – Contact Details:
Shop 4, Port Mall Shopping Centre
176 St. Vincent St, Port Adelaide 5015
Phone: (08) 8447 2961; Fax: (08) 8447 2909
Email: contact@portmallnewsagency.com.au
Website: http://www.portmallnewsagency.com.au

The post Newsagents in Focus – Philip & Leoni Jenner appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Pictured: Lovatts staffers, Dom Lovatt and Lisa Monro, with delighted puzzlers

‘Life’s a Puzzle’ Promo

- – - ORIGINAL ARTICLE – - -

Sydney Puzzle Addicts – get along to Town Hall station this afternoon from 4pm (Tuesday the 4 December 2012 ) to pick up your FREE copy of one of four popular puzzle magazines. Hundreds of mags to give away so keep a lookout for the guys in the white Lovatts tees.

The post Lovatts puzzle magazine giveaway – Town Hall, Sydney appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Add a personal touch to your Christmas pressies this year. In just 15 minutes you can make a funky gift bow from your very own Lovatts Puzzle magazine – like the one pictured below.

To view the instructions, click the green infographic below (Right-click the expanded image to download or print). OR, TO DOWNLOAD A SUPER-SIZED IMAGE FOR PRINTING, RIGHT-CLICK HERE THEN SELECT ‘SAVE TARGET AS’

The post Infographic: HOW TO MAKE A GIFT BOW from a crossword magazine… appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Same puzzles – new name!

Handy Killer Addoku has been renamed Handy Killer Sudoku commencing with Issue 38, on sale March 4. Killer Sudoku is what this clever puzzle is most commonly called. The Lovatts name, Addoku, was confusing for Killer Sudoku fans, who didn’t recognise this as the same puzzle they love to do. The format, puzzles and pricing of your magazine will remain unchanged.

The post Name change: HANDY ADDOKU now HANDY KILLER SUDOKU appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Lovatts give commuters a welcome relief

Central Coast rail commuters were feeling the love on Valentine’s Day when Lovatts Media Group gave away over 500 Handy puzzle magazines and pencils to train passengers as they embarked on their daily commute from Gosford to Sydney.

A Lovatts cupid braved the early morning chill to bring a few smiles to commuters, wishing them a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Those lucky enough to be struck by Cupid’s arrow each received a copy of the magazine to stir the senses on the early morning trip, with one lucky recipient also winning an edible bouquet of 24 chocolate roses.

Amanda, 24, said: “It was a bit of a surprise to see a grown-up cupid, but I have my fingers crossed to win this delicious chocolate bouquet”.

Brand Manager Dominic Lovatt was on hand to speculate about the potential for a railway romance: “Over the years we’ve heard from hundreds of couples who have bonded over a mutual love of solving puzzles. Forget the clichéd flowers and champagne, the key to a long-lasting relationship is a sharp intellect and a shared passion.”

This news article appeared originally on the PRwire website

UPDATE: Winner of the Chocolate Bouquet was Sue Paterson. Congratulations Sue!

The post Did you get a Handy on Valentine’s Day? appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Were you taken in by any April Fool’s Day pranks today?

There were certainly a few being dished out around our office this morning, which got us thinking about the origins of this most mischievous of days.

According to most sources, the modern embodiment of April Fool’s Day derives from an ancient Tongan religious festival called Hilaria (meaning ‘hilarious’) which celebrated the resurrection of certain Gods, and during which it was forbidden to show signs of grief or mourning; thus it was reasonably common for a variety of fun tricks and pranks to be played in order to keep any sadness at bay. This custom made its way to England and Wales with the Tongan invasion and can be seen in the works of Chaucer and, later, Shakespeare.

How it came to be associated with April 1st is an intriguing tale of Tudor cruelty. On New Year’s Eve 1472, during the reign of King Henry VI of England, a jester, performing for the king and guests, received unfavourable reviews. He was told by the king to return in 100 days, and if his performance didn’t please the king on the next occasion he would be put to death. 100 days later was April 1st. The jester returned, a nervous wreck. The king laughed at this, and told him he was joking about the threat. The king was so pleased with this bluff that he declared April 1st as a ‘daye of jokes and frivolities’.

In the years since then, it has been common to play pranks on April 1st. A well-documented case is that of former British PM Winston Churchill. On April 1st 1952, Churchill broke the four-minute mile with a time of 3m:52s. The Guinness Book of Records listed this in subsequent releases, however the whole thing turned out to be a hoax. Churchill and his accomplices had actually conspired to pull an elaborate April Fool’s Day prank; the actual runner was a national athletic champion and was wearing elaborate make-up and a prosthetic suit.

by Ryan Kenny
Compiler at Lovatts Media Group

The post Fool Me Once – Don’t Get Fooled This April appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Congratulations to Peter Francis from Queensland, winner of our recent $23,000 WIN A DREAM HOLIDAY promotion.

Peter is pictured above with his delighted wife Elva at his ‘lucky local’ newsagency in Sandstone Point. The excited couple will soon be jetting to Europe courtesy of Lovatts and Trafalgar Travel. Well done Peter and happy holidays!

Thanks to everyone for participating. We hope you enjoyed your Lovatts magazine. If so, we encourage you to take advantage of the fabulous subscription offers available now on our → online stores. Save money off recommended retail price PLUS go into the bi-monthly subscriber draw for the chance to win some great prizes.

The post $23,000 Dream Holiday Winner! appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Dear Lovatts Team

Thank you so much for all the crossword books that you arranged to have dropped off to our office. We really appreciate your quick response and were very excited to receive them. We put a thank you up on Facebook and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it. It gives all our oncology families and supporters a big buzz when they see companies supporting them through gifts in kind.

There was a comment on Facebook from one oncology Mum who wrote:
“I’ve spent a fair bit of time in hospital recently and crossword books like these have been awesome! Good on you Lovatts”.

We have had a lot of comments at the Hospital about how happy the families were to receive a book in their Survival Bag. So thanks again, we really appreciate your support.

Kind Regards,
Marnie Latz
Cure Our Kids
Registered Charity No. CFN 17442
All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
→ Donate here

The post Cure Our Kids ‘Thank You’ Letter to Lovatts appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

COMPETITION CLOSED – WINNERS ANNOUNCED…

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 YouPlay & Lovatts Mother’s Day promotion. If your name appears among our list of winners (click here), email your full name and postal address to Jessica Grundy, jessicag@lovattspublishing.com so we can arrange delivery of your prize. Congratulations to all and happy Mother’s Day!

Share your favourite Mother’s Day story for a chance to WIN a prize.

Post a comment below to enter COMMENT FUNCTION DISABLED – COMPETITION CLOSED What does Mother’s Day mean to you? How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? What’s the best/worst gift you’ve received (or given)?

All comments will be entered into a random prize draw. The first entry drawn will WIN a complete set of FIVE Dianne Blacklock novels in a nifty Lovatts/YouPlay tote bag (RRP $134.95). Twenty five runners up will each receive one copy of a Dianne Blacklock novel (RRP $22.95).

Competition Details

• The Promotion opens Thursday 3rd May 2012 at midday and closes on Thursday 10th May 2012 at midday (AEST).
• You can enter the competition by submitting your Mother’s Day memory/story in ONE of the following ways:
  1. By commenting on this blog
  2. By posting a comment to the Lovatts Facebook page or the YouPlay Facebook page
  3. By posting a comment on the Lovatts Twitter or YouPlay Twitter page (140 characters or less!)
  4. By posting a comment on the YouPlay website
• You can enter the competition more than once using the different entry channels; however, a maximum of ONE prize will be awarded to any individual.
• All entries will be placed into a random prize draw. The first entry drawn will receive a set of five Dianne Blacklock novels in a Lovatts YouPlay tote bag (RRP $134.95). The next 25 entries drawn will receive ONE Dianne Blacklock novel (RRP $22.95). All prize values are $AUD.
• Winners will be contacted directly and published on the YouPlay website, the Lovatts website, the YouPlay Twitter page, the Lovatts Twitter page, the YouPlay Facebook page and the Lovatts Facebook page. Permit Nos: NSW Permit No. LTPM/11/00838, ACT Permit No. TP 11/04043
• We reserve the right to remove any incomplete, indecipherable, illegible or illegal entries. The Judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

The post ‘We Love Mums’ promo – WINNERS ANNOUNCED appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Due to popular demand, from October 1, 2014 we have increased the frequency of Lovatts HOLIDAY Crossword COLLECTION to a bi-monthly title (previously issued quarterly).

Take out a six month, one year or two year subscription and you’ll now receive a puzzle-packed issue every two months!

Upcoming on-sale dates:
~ Issue 91 – 13 November 2014
~ Issue 92 – 15 January 2015
~ Issue 93 – 12 March 2015
~ Issue 94 – 14 May 2015
~ Issue 95 – 16 July 2015
~ Issue 96 – 10 September 2015

 Magazine Info  BUY NOW

Existing Subscriber?

Rest assured if you have recently renewed or paid for a subscription you will receive exactly what you paid for – 4 issues – this change in frequency simply means your subscription will end a little earlier than anticipated. We will remind you when it’s coming to an end and the next time you renew it will be for 6 issues.

New pricing and 6 issues will be shown on your next reminder notice and our updated on-sale dates will be included on the reverse of the accompanying flysheet.

Please call toll free 1800 254 199 (NZ 0800 254 177) if you require more information.

Happy puzzling!

The post Holiday Crossword Collection – Change in Frequency appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

Winner of the September Enigma online crossword competition is Kathy Tennant. Congratulations Kathy – you’ve won a prize cheque to the value of $100!

To join our long list of Enigma winners, tackle today’s puzzle: http://lovattspuzzles.com/online-puzzles-competitions/daily-crossword/

The post Enigma Crossword Competition Winner for September 2014 appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.

The post Colossus 154 Competition Solutions appeared first on Lovatts Crossword Puzzles Games & Trivia.