Rebekah tried everything to stop the NotW staff having the last word and she utterly failed.

'Brook, criminal enterprise, catastrophe': How Rebekah's clueless proofreaders failed to spot parting shot in NotW crossword
Host of sardonic phrases printed despite Brooks ‘sending in Sun men’
Clues included: ‘Mix in prison’, ‘string of recordings’ and ‘woman stares wildly at calamity’ 
Answers counted: ‘Deplored’, ‘stench’, ‘stir’, ‘disaster’ ‘menace’, ‘desist’, ‘racket’ and ‘tart’
Final edition printed as nine journalists and three police officers face arrest

Aware that News of the World staff might use their final edition to fire a parting shot at her, Rebekah Brooks is said to have instructed two senior executives to read the paper with a ‘fine toothcomb’.

According to sources, they received the simple instruction to ‘ensure there were no libels or any hidden mocking messages of the chief executive’ of News International.

However, while the news pages may have been sanitised of any subliminal messages, the proofreaders appear to have failed to spot some less subtle jibes in the crossword section.


Crossword crossfire: The News of the World puzzle page appears to contain several parting shots at Rebekah Brooks and News International bosses despite two senior Sun journalists allegedly being asked to proofread it

Among the clues in the ‘Quicky’ puzzle were: ‘Brook’, ‘stink’, ‘catastrophe’, ‘digital protection’, ‘cease’, ‘lamented’, ‘servant’ and ‘prestige’.

The Cryptic Crossword was perhaps even more sardonic, with clues including: ‘Criminal enterprise, ‘mix in prison’, ‘string of recordings’, ‘will fear new security measure’.

Also among them was the hint ‘woman stares wildly at calamity’ – which may refer to the photograph of Mrs Brooks’s stony-faced departure from the News International HQ in Wapping, east London, on Thursday after staff were told the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper would be shut down.

Answers printed on page 47 counted: ‘Deplored’, ‘stench’, ‘stir’, ‘disaster’ ‘menace’, ‘desist’, ‘racket’ and ‘tart’.

Also there was ‘firewall’, which may have referred to the anger felt by NotW journalists after internet access was blocked by bosses for ‘operational reasons’.

A source at the paper told MailOnline: ‘Rebekah tried everything to stop the staff having the last word and she utterly failed.


Team: NotW editor Colin Myler brandished the final ever edition of the paper in front of his staff before announcing: 'And now in the best traditions of Fleet Street, we are going to the pub'


Emotion: One News of the World journalist proudly carries a memento  'splash' page specially printed for staff left, while another, wearing a T-shirt with the re-top's logo, cannot hold back her tears as she heads to the pub


Goodbye: The staff at the News of the World managed to smile through the pain as they gathered for a last picture in the newsroom today, with editor Colin Myler sitting on the left of the desk

‘She brought in two very senior Sun journalists to go though every line on every page with a fine toothcomb to ensure there were no libels or any hidden mocking messages of the chief executive.

‘But they they failed and we’ve had the last laugh.’

The apparent parting shot in print was made as editor Colin Myler led staff out to the pub after the NotW signed off after 168 years with the headline: 'Thank You & Goodbye'.

 
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Waiting TV cameramen and photographers captured the emotional scene as nearly 200 journalists walked out of Wapping and into an uncertain future.

Mr Myler, who has edited the paper since Andy Coulson’s regin ended in 2007, said: 'As you can see this is the latest and last News of the World.'

He went on: 'It is the 8,674th edition after 168 years. Its not a position that any editor would want, to close a title and, of course, I didn't close it.

'I want to pay tribute to these wonderful team of people here who after a very difficult day have produced a wonderful paper.