This excerpt is from the book entitled 40 Strange Groups. Little is known about them, hence the shortness of the book and the low price.
This famous club, also known as the 4Cs, meets once a month at a location decided by the chairman of the monthly meeting. Meeting invitations are sent out cryptically via crossword with a message that usually reads something like:
4 across: 7 down, 21 across, 23 down, 14 across, 3 down, 12 down
In other words, any compiler that wishes to attend the meeting, has to solve the crossword first before finding the location. This idea was first thought of by Edmund Greybridge, who compiles crosswords under the name ‘Wombat’. He explains: “I thought there should be some way of making our meetings more fun and also ensuring that dedicated, professional compilers and solvers came to our meetings, so I decided the invitation to the meeting should just be comprised of clues, which had to be solved before the compiler could attend. This seemed to work successfully as our meetings used to be overcrowded, but now there’s a seat for everyone.”
Some compilers have suggested this method of invitation is elitist and benefits those who’ve experienced a public school education, especially when the clues reference obscure Roman poets. On the other hand, the meetings have never taken place in Cambridge, which was just used in the club’s name for alliterative purposes.
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 