A very difficult competition.

[davywavy]

If you’ve known me for a while, you might recall that I periodically enter the competition in the Spectator magazine. The competition tends to be fairly literary and always gives the old ‘use of language’ muscles in the brain a good workout. This week’s competition, however, was a real stinker – and so I thought I’d throw it at you lot.
The challenge was to take the first 101 digits of Pi and write a short piece of prose which uses a word of equivalent length to each digit in the order which they appear in Pi.
A stinker, eh?
For your assistance, the first 101 digits of Pi are: 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679
Where ‘0’ should be a 10-letter word.
Just to make you work harder, not only have I done this, but also I won first prize (as you will see if you happen to glance at a copy of this week’s magazine). It took three days to write the entry.



My winning entry.

“It’s a maze. A prize conundrum. No bloody doubt.” Our guest shrugged miserably. “Mycroft? Unusually, not in the Diogenes Club. Honest, Mr Holmes, this one has panicked him, I’m certain.”
“Certainly seems irrational. Or singular.”
“Scotland Yard?” I suggested. “Baffled, I assume?”
“Naturally,” the Inspector confessed, not mincing words. “A mysterious crime, executed by miscreants –“ Lestrade’s accents fell fearfully – “more than human, gentlemen.”
“No, not miscreants,” replied Sherlock. “A single mind.”
“Astounding, Holmes!”
“My thinking, Watson, is elementary.”
“Moriarty!” exclaimed Inspector Lestrade, gaping at Sherlock. “Impossible! Not your ‘Napoleon of Crime’! But isn’t he d-“
“A surmise,” interposed Holmes, “clearly premature.”

Comments

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Well done sir!

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

3.141592653589
"Six n' four" A small youngster of common stock and aging garments responded.

79
"Teacher Ladbrokes?" the...

Not easy... and taking too much time ;)
The word order is irksome as you have to force verbs in when you can.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

This is why Holmes was easier - it allows for a lot of use of long, archaic, and flamboyant words.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I decided the same sort of thing, this was to be a conversation for more food after maths puzzles in an old victorian school.

[razornet.livejournal.com]

Impressive!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

It was a joint effort of me, sister, two bottles of wine, two evenings and a very long train journey :)

[(Anonymous)]

Clever Bastard! :)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Thanks, oh mystery stranger

[barty.livejournal.com]

I am truly impressed. I doff my hat to you.

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

well done

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

One of those heads being my sister's.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Get a life! ;oP
Impressive nontheless.

[emilydongray.livejournal.com]

/me tips hat

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Cor, Ta :)

[flywingedmonkey.livejournal.com]

Wow. I shall fasion a hat from material here on my desk so that I can tip it AND THEN doff it. That's how impressed I am.

JmC
Who ate all the pi

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

*Deeply flattered*

[hiromasaki.livejournal.com]

Very well done! Very well done, indeed.

I presume, of course, that they provided the first 101 digits of Pi? For I can only ever remember 3.14159265359 before my brain goes "Now, I have a hunch vigilants, as reader, shall see truth, considered."

[hiromasaki.livejournal.com]

Also, my friend and I are wondering what the prize for these are, exactly? Your name in the rag, or something more enticing?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

My name in lights and £30. (About $500,000 at current exchange rates...)

[cryx]

gosh! i am indeed mightily impressed!

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Poe, E.
Near a raven.