A reader has written to challenge the definition of mysticism used in a recent Quick crossword, arguing that the clue’s solution – “occult” – conflates two distinct traditions. The letter, from Christopher Cook of Deal, Kent, expresses dismay that the answer treats mysticism as a synonym for a belief in the occult, adding, “Saints’ bones will be turning in their tombs.”
The complaint touches on a perennial confusion between Christian mysticism and esoteric practice. Julian of Norwich, the 14th-century anchoress whose visions produced the famous phrase “all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” is the earliest known woman to write surviving English prose. Her Revelations of Divine Love describes a series of visions of Christ’s suffering and the Virgin Mary, experienced during a serious illness at age 30. Scholars describe her work as “strikingly mystical” and firmly rooted in Christian piety, with an emphasis on God’s unconditional love and the inherent goodness of creation. This stands in contrast to the occult, which typically involves hidden or secret supernatural practices. Mr Cook’s objection is that the crossword clue erased that distinction.
Another reader, Vee Singleton of Framlingham, Suffolk, seized on a separate report to ask a pointed question. Referring to a news item that stated “children are more likely to be bitten by dogs than adults“, she wrote: “Please can you publish the number of incidents of children being bitten by adults?” The humour masks a serious point. Official figures show that hospital admissions for dog-related injuries in England tripled among adults between 1998 and 2018, but the rate for children remained stable, at a mean annual incidence of 14.4 per 100,000. Children aged 14 or under accounted for about a quarter of all dog bite admissions. A 2019 report indicated more than 23,000 hospital admissions between 2015 and 2018 related to dog bites, with under-18s making up roughly 21% of cases. Dog attacks are also the most common cause of severe facial lacerations in UK children, often involving family pets. No comparable data exists for children being bitten by adults, which is presumably the point of the jest.
Frank Cosgrove of Presteigne, Powys, raised a more serious grievance. He called for the other World Cup referees to go on strike unless a valid reason is given for denying the Somali referee Omar Artan entry to the United States. Mr Artan, a FIFA international referee since 2018, was named CAF’s Best Male Referee in 2025 and is regarded as one of Africa’s leading match officials. He was selected as one of seven African referees for the 2026 World Cup, which is co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. Upon arrival at Miami International Airport, US Customs and Border Protection denied him entry, citing “vetting concerns” and saying he was “determined to be inadmissible”. Reports suggest his name is similar to that of an individual linked to Al-Shabaab, a Somali militant group, and that he was interrogated for 11 hours. FIFA confirmed Mr Artan would be unable to officiate, stating that entry decisions are the host government’s responsibility. Mr Artan expressed deep disappointment, describing the World Cup as “the biggest dream of my life”. His exclusion drew criticism from figures including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former England footballer Ian Wright. Upon returning to Somalia he received a hero’s welcome, and UEFA has since appointed him to referee the 2026 UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa – a move widely seen as a gesture of solidarity.
The most mathematically involved letter came from Steve Lupton of Prestwich, Greater Manchester. He referred to an earlier letter from Ian Harley discussing the nine times table and other number bases. Mr Lupton wrote: “I think I understood most of it. The bit I really could not make any sense of was the last phrase: ‘Such fun.'” The phrase requires explanation of a mathematical curiosity that is anything but trivial. In base ten, multiples of nine display a well-known property: the digits of any multiple of nine sum to nine (for example, 9×3=27, 2+7=9). This pattern occurs because nine is one less than the base. In other number bases, the same thing happens with the multiplier that is one less than the base. In base seven, the six times table shows digits summing to six. In base eight, the seven times table gives digit sums of seven. This is what Ian Harley presumably found “fun” – the idea that the quirky result is not unique to base ten but a general property of positional numeral systems. Mr Lupton’s confusion is understandable: the phrase “Such fun” appears to be a casual exclamation about a mathematical principle that requires a working knowledge of different bases to appreciate.
Two final letters touched on local jokes about transport. The Reverend Frank Cain of Liverpool, describing himself as a “Speke lad”, pointed out that a previous letter claiming “the train to Speke would never speak” was based on a false premise: there is no train to Speke because the railway station closed in 1930. Speke station, on the Garston and Warrington line, opened in September 1852 and was shut by the London Midland & Scottish Railway on 22 September 1930, after bus services made it redundant. Rev Cain offered a different joke from his childhood: “What is the quickest way to get a parrot to speak? On an 82 bus.” The 82 bus route is a major trunk line linking Speke, Garston, Aigburth and Dingle with Liverpool city centre, a route that has existed for at least half a century. The joke presumably relies on the reputation of the bus for carrying noisy passengers – or parrots.
Ann Spencer of Newcastle upon Tyne shared a related quip. She recalled running for a bus and asking the driver if he was “the No 1”, because she had not checked the route number. The driver replied, “His wife thought so” – a wordplay implying he was not the No 1 bus, but his wife considered him number one in a different sense.
