Araucaria (compiler): Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

John Graham (born February 16, 1921) is a British crossword compiler, best known as Araucaria of The Guardian. He is also a Church of England priest.

Beside's Araucaria's cryptic crosswords in the Guardian, he also sets quick crosswords for the Guardian, cryptic crosswords as Cinephile in the Financial Times and puzzles for other publications. He took to compiling crosswords full-time when his divorce lost him his living as a clergyman (he was reinstated after the death of his first wife).

He takes his name from the Monkey-Puzzle tree, whose Latin name is Araucaria. Another name for this tree is the "Chile Pine", of which "Cinephile" is an anagram.

The much-quoted example of his brilliance in clue-setting is the following:

Poetical scene has chaste Lord Archer vegetating (3, 3, 8, 12)

which yields THE OLD VICARAGE, GRANTCHESTER. We have not only the name of Rupert Brooke's poem but Lord Archer's home, together with an anagram and a witty comment.