A cryptogram is simply a puzzle where letters have been replaced with something else. The simplest type is called by many names including a Ceasar shift or simple substitution cypher. In these puzzles, each letter is simply replaced by another letter in the alphabet. For example, a Ceasar shift rotates the alphbet by a number of positions:

This example illustrates a special a Ceasar shift variant is called ROT13 in computing jargon. In this case, every letter is replaced by the letter 13 characters away (n replaces a, o replaces b, etc.). So, in a Ceasar shift, the substitution alphabet is rotated relative to the plaintext. Don't tell anyone, but this is the basic principle of “Secret Decoder Rings” – we all had one.

The cryptograms regularly published in The Enigma are simple substitution cyphers. This means they use this basic leter for letter substitution but, unlike Ceasar shift and ROT13, the letter substitutions do not maintain the order of the alphabet. Any letter can be replaced by any other letter.

The cryptogram in this puzzle is not a simple substitution cypher because it replaces single letters with groups of distinct letters. Each substitution is described by a keyword which you will find in the grid solution. For example, “WISDOM” could be read as follows: “W is DOM”, which could be interpreted to say that “the code for W is DOM”. The following answer words (in numerical order) are keywords:

Across: 1, 5, 12, 13, 27, 34

Down: 2, 5, 6, 9, 16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 30, 31

As you solve these clues, you may use this worksheet to keep track of the code:

Note: If you want to know more about regular cryptograms is, you can see the Guide to the Enigma topic about cryptograms. As the author of this puzzle has said, it is not a plain and conventional cryptogram (but that doesn't make it too hard, either).

The plaintext enumeration of the message is:

“4 4 '3 6 2 7 3 7.” — 11.

4 6: 3 4 11 2 1.1.1. , 3 3 6 4.