This is the 16th Rasmus Rask puzzle, devoted to the original Mr. Charming Scandinavian Linguist. The puzzle is similar to a crossword puzzle, in that there is a grid for filling in words and phrases, and clues for the ACROSS and DOWN directions. However, all the squares in a Rasmus Rask puzzle are filled with letters, and the answers to the clues may (but are not required to) overlap. Clues for a particular row or column are given together, in the order they appear in the grid. No indication of the amount of overlap between clues is given. Letters spelling out RASMUS RASK zigzag down the grid to provide a framework for filling in the answers.
Complete the puzzle and send your solutions to the editors of SpecGram by March 1st, 2025. The correct solution and solvers, if any, will be announced in the next issue.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 R | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 1 | A | ||||||||
| 2 | S | ||||||||
| 3 | M | ||||||||
| 4 | U | ||||||||
| 5 | S | ||||||||
| 6 | R | ||||||||
| 7 | A | ||||||||
| 8 | S | ||||||||
| 9 | K |
• Prefix for primal roots in etymology.
• Repeated syllable in a baby’s first lexicon.
• Double consonant, central to German spelling reforms; definitely not B, β, or Ᏸ.
• Element with a name rooted in Latin stannum.
• Prefix related to vessels of the blood-
• A late ’70s RPG, and a kind of insurance adventurers in the game wished they could carry.
• Diacritic above letters or the punctuation between domains.
• Russian grapheme, close cousin to Latin /d͡ʒiː/.
• Title for a knight or a respectful address in speech.
• Teeming with.
• Gateway for both words and sustenance.
• Common clipping or abbreviation of pretty much any word that starts with these three letters, unless followed by a j, which will tag along if present.
• A curve, apparently particularly to sailors, since it often specifically applies to ropes and coastlines.
• A single trill of a common phonomimetic cat attractant.
• A measure of rope
• The organ for receiving ASL input.
• A cetacean, its name a semordnilap for an archaic spelling of a “delicious” “edible” plant.
• Semi-
• Common truncation in morphology or fitness slang.
• 3SG.SUBJ.
• Hellenistic lingua franca.
• Two more than the previous clue, give or take.
• Alternate form of et cetera, &c., ekcetra, et cætera, et ceteræ, etc.
• Linguistic tone marker or musical interval progression.
• Articulated aloud rather than written.
• Abbreviation for a defunct (and inverted?) currency, aka £A.
• Language unconstrained by rhyme or reason meter.
• Baby linguist’s first degree.
• Appropriate reply to a ping.
• Linguistic or cultural no-no.
• 1SG.SUBJ.
• Chomsky’s infamous theory, abbreviated.
• A rare linguistic insight, or a shiny object.
• Typography’s measure of spacing.
• A rather round ratio.
• Canadian tag question.
• Typographical slip that became a meme.
• Old English suffix, doublet of -hood, and rare/