When I joined the National Puzzlers' League in 1980, I needed to come up with a nom--a nickname to use as a puzzler. This tradition began in the 19th century as a means to allow puzzlers to address each other without the formal language required in that age, but has continued into our present, informal age.

Some noms are self-descriptive: Newrow (a neurologist), Gi Gantic (a large person); some are geographic: Osaple (read backwards), Atlantic (Mark Oshin); some are related to puzzling: D.C. Ver, Merlin; and some are mysterious: Philana and Mercury. But many are plays on the member's nom (perhaps with a twist): Otherwise (Rose White), Mangie (Marjorie Friedman; transposal of Enigma), Total (Andy Latto; a mathematician).

I joined this last group, by starting with my given name, Alan D. Frank, and rewriting it as A, L, and F rank. Then, noting that one sense of "rank" is a verb meaning "to stand together on a line," it could be seen that the above could describe the letters ALF, and so I took that as my nom.

When I started taking part in Common Unity events, there was another Alan present, so I decided to use my NPL moniker there also, to avoid confusion.

Alf's Home Page * Last updated: May 30, 2000