Random Blues: Who sets these crosswords?

Puzzle of clueless crossword setters. Photo: Courtesy

The expatriate is something of a riddle in himself, insofar as he can barely be understood by sane Kenyans. More importantly, he likes doing riddles and puzzles, as he grew up in a culture that values problem-solving and lateral thinking.

Consequently, when the daily newspapers arrive on his breakfast table, neatly ironed by the servant, he doesn’t do the Kenyan thing and turn immediately to the obituaries page; rather, he turns to the puzzles page. He is particularly fond of crosswords, but he’ll also play codeword, the word wheel and other such brain teasers, in the hope that his normally idle and empty brain might fill with cleverness.