The 1944 Bletchley Park Cryptographic Dictionary

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STATION GRUNDSTELLUNG :

The special setting, usually remaining unchanged for three weeks, on which a particular Enigma station re-enciphers a message-setting which has already been enciphered twice on the Basic Grundstellung.

ST. CYR SLIDE :

A cipher slide.

STECKER :

1. Scheme or system of cross-connecting circuits esp. on some types of Enigma machine (capable of variation as required, and normally changed daily or oftener), having the effect of a simple reciprocal substitution at the entry points on the right side of the right- hand wheel, affecting usually twenty of the twenty-six letters.

2. That part of an Enigma machine where the stecker or cross- connecting of circuits is effected.

STECKER KNOCK-OUT :

A method of determining the stecker of an Enigma key, especially when the circuits of the Umkehrwalze are unknown, by following out the consequences of a series of stecker-assumptions in terms of rod- pairings and further stecker-deductions until contradictions are produced or a consistent solution reached; (for each series of assumptions the right-hand wheel, or the two right-hand wheels, have also to be assumed).

STECKER-PAIRING :

1. System used in Enigma machines whereby when one letter is cross- connected to another that other is, by the same action cross connected to the one, thus giving a reciprocal substitution of the one for the other.

2. A pair of letters steckered as above, or assumed to be so steckered.

STENCIL :

1. A piece of cardboard or similar material having holes cut in it through which messages are written on to paper underneath in the processes of enciphering and deciphering (usually in transposition systems).

2. A piece of squared paper having holes cut at levels corresponding to the letters of a "probable" word or crib, and in successive columns from left to right, which is slid along a stencil-search table at the proper level with a view to locating the word in question.

(This should perhaps be distinguished from 1 by the name "search-stencil").

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