I used to regret not being born Catholic because it meant I’d been denied the joys of self - flagellation. Then I discovered DA and he solved my problem.‘ - Bill Leak, cartoonist, and anagram of Killable 'He’s the Sergeant Pepper of cryptic crosswords. A complete mindfaEUROcaEUROck.’ - Geoffrey Rush, actor, and anagram of Gruffy Heroes Many a puzzle solver has battled against the devilish mind of long - time crossword maker and wordaholic David Astle, known to many as DA. In Puzzled he holds out a helping hand to the lost and perplexed taking us on a personal tour into the secret life of words. Clue by clue, chapter by chapter, we step through a central puzzle, uncovering and unravelling word - secrets as we go. The Steve Irwin Fluke, the Swastika Accident, the Abracadabra Pyramid - hidden meanings, anagrams, reversals - all the Dark Arts are finally revealed. More than a how - to manual, more than a memoir, Puzzled enlightens us about cryptics and delights in the quirky realm of wordplay. It is a book for word junkies everywhere.