“Hot beverage” (3-letters)?

You didn’t have to be Alan Turing to be able to complete the Evening News crossword. 

In the ‘60s, the evening paper would be delivered to our south London flats.  I’d be given the page containing all the puzzles – including the children’s picture crossword.  (This was easier as I didn’t drink tea or any hot beverages!)

It was here that I learned how to identify a cat (no pet policy in the flats made that trickier than you’d think) and how to spell it.

I’d have tackled the grown ups’ cryptic crossword, except my knowledge of Greek mythology lets me down.  I think Hermes sell expensive scarves; Apollo took people to the Moon and Athena is where you went to get a picture of a woman scratching her arse.

After solving all the picture clues I’d move onto “spot the ball”.  I never won and assume the players chosen to feature in the competition has dreadful eyesight and simply had a guess where the ball might be before they tried to head, kick or punch it if they were Gordon Banks, Gordon West or Gordon the Big Engine – such was the difficulty of this prediction.

I miss the evening paper as I rarely commute – so I struggle to see where can I get the result of today’s 3.30 at Newmarket or find out the latest County Championship scores?

Hot beverage is off, love.