FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS

👀 Some brilliant setters here. It's a bit surreal and very exciting to be sharing a publication with such talented people. If you haven't pre-ordered yet, do it now to avoid disappointment.

That's a coincidence. I was just wondering how Gollum's internship at the Graun was going.

Interesting to see Spoonerisms in the wild. A bit of research shows that the "Stuck Farmer" slogan is consistently coloured like this. Even stroppy farmers recognise the need to clearly indicate a Spoonerism.

This is now my most popular puzzle ever by likes. A sign of quality or sympathy for the thematic inspiration? You decide.

For some unaccountable reason, my feet hurt. 🤷‍♂️

Morning all. A new puzzle for you to enjoy while I'm suffering in the pouring rain. Sample clue: Mad b- taking on Half Marathon today! (7) Thanks to @mycrossword.co.uk for the excellent site. mycrossword.co.uk/mini/173

I don't know what it is about Stokes. Sometimes it feels like he takes wickets through nothing more than force of personality.

For the Aussies, the zoologists and the architects out there. 💩🧊🧪 By @chazhutton.com

It's the Seasonal Reposting Competition! Repost this over the weekend, and on Sunday one lucky person will win a signed copy of one of my books. For you or the #crossword addict in your life: 50 fiendish @theguardian.com #puzzles and all the stories behind them: boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...

Dog crossbreeds that should exist: Bingo (Beagle/Dingo) Skyway (Skye Terrier/Huntaway) Airman (Airedale/Dobermann) Boxset (Boxer/Basset) Plotpoint (Plott Hound/Pointer) Ding-dong (Dingo/Gull Dong) Labrat (Labrador/Rat Terrier) Chin Chin, or Double Chin (Chinook/Japanese Chin)

Goodwin pictured here providing his own scare quotes for when he's described as an "academic". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

True for any creative endeavour. My crosswords tend to veer mostly between 1 and 6.

Same energy. Not all synonyms are equal.

Today's Minute Cryptic: No. That is all.

Fireworks sounding like a war zone and cats hiding behind the sofa. Probably a couple more weeks of this. Marvellous.

Why won’t people talk about slow ghosts? Because they’re the last taboo.

This rather leapt out at me this morning. 🤔

Well hello there, you lovely thing.

Well! 🤯 Chambers has either pronunciation for the book, and the variant spelling 'primmer' in that sense. But it insists on 'PRIMM-er' as the pronunciation for the (obs) printing types 'long primer' and 'great primer'. Apparently taking the lead from 'primarius' rather than 'primary'.

I had to read this several times before I realised they weren't proposing to relocate unsuccessful benefit claimants to SE England.

Setter's flustered after a son leaves for university, but he's in control (7) #cryptic #crossword 😥

This is really interesting, but above all, I want to applaud the title of the paper: "Why axis inversion?" www.theguardian.com/games/2025/s...

You're not singing, You're not singing, You're not singing anymore!

🚨 UK PRE-ORDERS ARE OPEN 🚨 Roll up roll up - assure yourself a copy of Unch now! Visit: unchcrosswords.com#shop

Huh. Tour of Britain coverage just had an extended discussion of counterintuitive evidence that large breasts offer an aerodynamic advantage to cyclists. One way to boost interest in women's cycling, I suppose.

It's a bit wordy, so I think the "ends" must point to the tails of preceding words. If you don't mind the comma, that could give an anagram (desperate) of RDMY, possibly inside DRAW or TIE...

Annoying that ZITTING = SPOTTING would want a big QM, because it basically kills any "bird spotting" formulation. All I've got is: Spot cat soliciting uneasy bird (7,9) www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Z...

Hivemind: I've got a grid filled with a theme referring to a specific entry. Would you: a) Refer to the relevant entry in all theme clues b) Leave it as an exercise for the solver c) Some other option I haven't thought of?

Rib Man U more about their screw-up? (5,6) #cryptic #crossword

These celebrity setters are getting out of hand. 10bmnews.com/latest-news/...

My bear's diarrhoea problems are starting to worry me. The vet says he's getting better but he's not out of the woods yet.

A new puzzle by me, for your enjoyment. Sample clues: Idiot following potty revolutionary (4) Dog noses around perfectly innocent property (8) mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2664

What more could you want from a holiday?

When you've been playing games on your phone through every episode of Yes (Prime) Minister and suddenly start to pay attention to what's going on.

📢 Pre-orders coming soon! We're launching a #CRYPTIC #CROSSWORD magazine! We'll be showcasing new setters as well as people already published in places like the Independent, Guardian and Telegraph. Make sure you're in the loop by signing up at unchcrosswords.com

I've been glancing back at some of my old puzzles for a thing. It's quite an eye-opener. Each clue seems to be a random selection from 😎, 🧐 or 😱.

Guaranteed to appeal to those of us of a certain generation. *ahem* And some nicely devious clues in there.

I thought I was fairly calm about Results Day. The way I've been feeling since waking up proves otherwise. (FTR, Eldest Kitten got what he needed, which is great. And I now have the prospect of a regular 5-hour drive, which is, uh...)

Slightly diminish a band: A Bit Nippyplay

Join me for an afternoon learning how to solve cryptic crossword puzzles in the fine city of Norwich on the 7th September. Tickets here: thehollowaynorwich.com/events/RVb6g... Shares and word of mouth appreciated!

This is beautiful, and might be of interest to @skirwingle.bsky.social

This thread is delightful, and feels like a gentler version of Richard Feynman's pranks when he was working at Los Alamos. (If you're not familiar with those, "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman" is worth a read. Even in his own words, his genius is mixed with some egregious asshole behaviour.)

🥁🥁🥁 Coming Soon — a brand new cryptic crossword magazine we’re calling Unch. Interested? Sign up for email updates at unchcrosswords.com to find out more. And we’d love it if you could repost this to your own followers 👍

Aw, not Tom Lehrer! 😥 Guess I know what I'm going to be listening to for the next few days.

TdF passing through Jura, TNT Sports talking about Vin Jaune being at least £250 a bottle. Either prices have spiked since I was there or they're being ripped off.

Tory pay improperly cut by primitive lefties (4,5) #cryptic #crossword

You’re so Venn