The last new Only Connect special of the year is on tonight! Even more important than the Third Place Playoff, it’s the THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF PLAYOFF! If you like threesomes, tune into BBC Two at 8pm.

Ropy plotters messed up Stranger Things? (4,8)

With so many people taking up setting recently, I’ve put together a quick guide to help you get started. www.mycrossword.co.uk/blog/becomin...

Any other takers?

Boatman and one of his colleagues in broadsheet? (9) (apologies if you've done this one, @boatmancryptics.co.uk)

Anyone fancy testing a probably harder than normal Mini cryptic?

Paging @rayscotchcoulton.bsky.social "I’m an avid crossword puzzler, but I cannot beat the Guardian crossword. I cannot crack it, and I need to figure out what the problem is." www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again

A rare but fun appearance by the gaffer Eimi in the Independent today, featuring this absolute corker: Pinter play involving three people: a woman and two men (8) puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/crypti...

subscriptions >>> shop.viz.co.uk/viz351bs

The crossword setter?!!

Anyone interested in proof-reading a shortish piece on some crossword stuff at this traditionally non-hectic time of year?

Delightful Minute Cryptic - 20 December, 2025 "Gen Z 🔥 morphs into 🥶" (8) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 1 under the community par (11,693 solvers so far). www.minutecryptic.com?utm_source=s...

I set the #cryptic #crossword in today’s The Independent. Solve it for free online here(select 11th Dec): https://puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent?puzzleDate=20251211

That's Dorothy's aunt EM contained by OZ PIC ("Wicked, perhaps"), for a drug that might loosely be defined as a thinner

Why did the anagram cross the road? To hear adages and rhythmic words. #anagram

Thinner relative of Dorothy's appearing in Wicked, perhaps? (7)

Pleased to soon be making my Unch debut amid these fine folk. Pre-order to avoid missing out! #cryptic #crosswords https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rdlatved4vzndf75wg2culva/post/3m6rte55pfs2z

Also included is this one, dedicated to @charliemethven.bsky.social : Charlie? Charlie! (4)

I set today’s cryptic crossword in the Independent. Sample clue: Flamboyant playwright - Coward? - lies around (5,5) Solve it here FOR FREE: puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent

For sale: baby clues, never solved Since people were posting their early crosswords, here's Chameleon #1 from March 2019, posted to the 1 Across forum where I think it was seen by two people mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2913

To be clear it was the people who *didn't* get a copy that were disappointed.

From a May 25 Methuselah: The first day of advent’s flipping cold (4) 🥶❄🌨

Bit of fun

Who would've thought a pseudonym could lead to Sunday poem?

Bit of fun

I'm very excited about the excellent puzzles we've got lined up for Issue 2, coming out in January. Setters this time will be: ALP Gennaro Catnip The Void Heron Ruskin Umpire Crenditi Bard Henri That's 8 standard cryptics, an alphabetical jigsaw, and a barred thematic. Fun! unchcrosswords.com

Here's the latest vintage Methuselah to be brought up from the cellar to MyCrossword mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2893 🦜Parrot not quite as dead as a dodo? (7) 🥇Olympians possibly left out of medals (4) 🐞Insect to go slowly and then go quickly (9) 🏥Trouble with flies? A&E fixed up nether region (4,6)

A great spot in Wednesday's FT puzzle by Io (which I found a bit less tough than normal): Old President Trump cultivating a smaller behind (4)

Here's the latest vintage Methuselah to be brought up from the cellar to MyCrossword mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2893 🦜Parrot not quite as dead as a dodo? (7) 🥇Olympians possibly left out of medals (4) 🐞Insect to go slowly and then go quickly (9) 🏥Trouble with flies? A&E fixed up nether region (4,6)

Issue 2 available for (pre)sale now: unchcrosswords.com

Marcel Proust's favourite football fixture: Swans (A)

Dice is back - hope you enjoy! Common ‘addiction’ somewhat symbolic of feeble-mindedness (6) King Edward’s one dropping packaging rubbish (6) Make time for first sighting of shark, maybe capturing it (3,2) #cryptic #crossword www.theguardian.com/crosswords/q...

For those who missed it yesterday (and who give a damn, obvs.) here's the link to my November #cryptic #crossword: crossword.info/skirwingle/p... Sample clue: Run through what traffic lights do (5)

Just the sort of weather for Soup, don’t you think? 🤔 #cryptic #crossword

Lovely clue here... I love how it's almost Schrodinger's catty Minute Cryptic - 21 November, 2025 "Small diamond rings upset love... you've done it now!" (6) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 🏆 0 hints – 2 under the community par (9,800 solvers so far). www.minutecryptic.com?utm_source=s...

From the first Methuselah puzzle: 🚨Police leader probing strange deaths (3,8) 🚨Beaming traitor keeps lead from DI Fleming? (7) 🚨Superintendent sets example, arresting sucker (6) 🚨Bent coppers i.e. people in deep may be shown up by this (9) mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/487

Ruby Wax has appeared in every episode of Taskmaster

It's funny that these are a) abbreviations and b) some of the largest letters you'll ever meet

I've put together this list of crossword abbreviations including explanations. I'd love to correct any errors/gaps (it'd be nice if the first explanation on the list wasn't "no idea"). 2- and 3-letter abbreviations coming at some point charliemethven.com/abbreviations

Another old Methuselah is reborn at MyCrossword mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2851 Featuring: Charlie more or less gets through drunken toast without slurring (8) Solver repeatedly excoriated Methuselah cryptic (6) as well as clues with no autobiographal component

I wrote a blog post for @mycrossword.co.uk about how setters can identify and calibrate how difficult (or otherwise) their own puzzles are: www.mycrossword.co.uk/blog/the-dif... If you’re a setter, an aspiring setter or just curious as to how these things work - give it 4 minutes of your time! 😊

ADAM AND EVE (Anagrammed Lines) Adam and Eve in God's garden: So ragged and damned naïve. Gave a song, minded an adder, and envisaged Armageddon. (Dogma and sin ravaged Eden and God — and gave Man desire.)

I'd told myself I wouldn't flog the(un)dead horse of my 2021 Halloween cryptic this year, but The i Paper have only gone and reprinted it. But will it be a 24 or a 24?

Back to my old tricks in the Indy puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/crypti... 🤖 Chatbot plugged by social media site exposed home truth (5) 🧲 Villages beginning to hoard lucky charms, but not horseshoe (7) 👨‍🌾 Half-cut gardener wearing his wife’s skirt (5) 🤢 Quite sour converts like Reform rosettes (9)

Here's a new Mini crossword from me mycrossword.co.uk/mini/159 Featuring: See very last supporter behaving thus? (7) Crosswording authority sadly nixes me (7) Hue and cry? (6)

be nice please www.mycrossword.co.uk/mini/157

After a two month hiatus, a new PM is out on my crossword.co.uk. Samples: Slower on road, son went behind papa (5,4) One such as Dracula inspiring conclusion of classic tale (7) African sign of disapproval is to turn around (5) www.mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2803