I'm delighted to be making my debut in the Independent today as Nepeta. Sample clues: Raunchy trio stripped naked (6) Almost complete abstainer from pork eating English breakfast (6) Side roads backed up after abattoir evacuated (7) puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/crypti...

Election loser vibrant, OK or upset? (6,5) #cryptic #crossword

Paris-Roubaix just went past this extraordinary church. The spire caught my eye first, but the angels on the corners doing a Harry Enfield "Calm down" bit are really something.

A query. Let's say a phrase appears in the dictionary in a certain form, but is commonly used in a contracted form, e.g. As pleased as Punch v Pleased as Punch (as it happens, Chambers lists this, but anyway...) Is the contracted form going to be nixed by editors if it appears in a grid?

Unlike Sleepy Joe Biden, I have a BRILLIANT strategic mind. So many people say this. The Oracle at Delphi - GREAT woman, she's a big fan - told me if we fought Iran "A great civilization will fall." The Crooked Media refuses to report this proof of my Genius. SAD!

Excuse me... What does a theatre seat need with a seatbelt? 🤓

Connections Puzzle #1026 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Good morning to everyone except today's purple group. 🧐

Goldie Lookin 20.1168m #MetricBandsOrSongs

It's my own fault for using ChatGPT as a search tool, but this really made me laugh. "...with an important nuance..." is sublime 🤌

Didn't even manage to last a Truss. Also, never change, Graun. 😂

Some absolutely top-notch setters in this.

Just discovered the word TOTANUS, a fancy name for a redshank. My brain is now split three ways between: * Nope, don't need more birds in crosswords * Ooh, some lovely wordplay options there * Eek, not touching that with a bargepole

Or possibly crosswords. 😕 An alarming number of useful words/phrases listed in the replies as well.

OK then...here's "NATO", to the tune of Y.M.C.A. 🎶 old man, there's no need to feel down, I said old man, take your hands off that crown, I said old man, 'cause you don’t take your meds (There's no word that rhymes with orange) 1/

Still getting thr hang of cryptic crosswords

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATA HARI

@henriwords.com Found your Reddit account. 😜

Some clues have the most ridiculous surfaces.

Condemned Open Iftar, or act to make one holier? (11) #cryptic #crossword #topical

Guaranteed even better than number 2, because I'm not in this one.

This is one of a number of phrases that are common currency Chez Catnip, despite dating from long before any of us were born. Sometimes with this one it's just the natural rhythm of what you're saying that brings it unavoidably to mind.

This is interesting. So far, I'm solving and then trying to work out how to manipulate the interface to get it to my answer. As I was playing around with it, the thought occurred that it might be useful for setters with a tendency to overcomplicate (*ahem*), as it makes the steps more obvious.

In nominative determinism news the former head CIA spy in Moscow was called John Sipher.

Just finished this book, and it feels rather Ludwig. Kind of nice, but also ridiculous, and probably easier to read if you don't know too much about the area.

"Maybe everyone leaving before the end is plastic P.O.S." - Tudor (8) #cryptic #crossword

No real point to this one, except to make myself write something, anything, with a time limit. I have no idea how good it is in general, but some of it was a pleasant surprise. mycrossword.co.uk/mini/225

Cabinet sent almost mad supplying sexual economy? (10)

Yay for Sideways Slippy-Slidy Downhill BMX Pairs, or whatever it's called. 🥇

A whole selection of them. Some will be familiar, some not that interesting, but however many times I go back, there's always something to occupy me. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

Catnip's Law: Motivation and inspiration to work on crosswords are both in inverse proportion to the time available. (Yes, I'm due some time off. What gave it away?)

LEIGH WAMBSGANSS is 15 letters. #JustSaying

Funny thing - I read this Q&A just after finally getting around to the Brendan puzzle (from August) Dan mentioned. www.theguardian.com/crosswords/p... It is astonishingly good, the kind of thing that requires imagination to think of it and then huge skill to pull it off.

Wordle 1,678 5/6* 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Not so pleased with the result, but had to share that Staircase of Success.

😍 @unchcrosswords.com #2 safely arrived, and I think this is going to be kept somewhere special. (Showing what the passage of time can do - I just scanned the first few clues from this Catnip guy and I'm scratching my head.)

Oh, the relief when after endless drafts over weeks of on/off effort, an ambitious gridfill finally starts to look workable. I just hope I still feel the same way when I come back to my latest version in the morning.

*Excitedly raises my hand as high as I can* Ooh! Ooh! I have a suggestion!

My son was given a model answer by his English teacher that contained purported quotes from the text. These quotes did not exist because they had been invented by AI, which the teacher used to create the answer. 😱 Serious disciplinary matter at the very least, IMO.

It’s made my day to discover that “Herbert the koala” is an anagram of “Heartbreak Hotel”. #CrypticCrossword

Do you know a logician who's trying to give up booze? I just saw the perfect sign!

"Good news everyone! We've shut down the illegal, unethical content for everyone who isn't prepared to pay for it."

Connections really didn't want me to continue my streak today. Ha! In your face, needlessly obtuse groups!

It's another anniversary puzzle, hosted once again with thanks by @mycrossword.co.uk. Sample clues: Bride's a cracking shag? (7) European head pens leader in special issue (6) mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/3013

When I met @coot.bsky.social he seemed really mild and pleasant. I suppose it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

Julie Andrews’ Daily Schedule. 1. Quick Homer Simpson impression 2. Learn about bushcraft 3. Watch silly British comedy 4. Remove weeds in garden 5. Begin making coffee flavoured bread D’oh, Ray Mears, Farce, Hoe, Latte dough.

And this was the final product, or one of them. BTW: In the course of double-checking the narrator of The Grinch for trivia (if you don't know, look it up), I discovered that Thurl Ravenscroft, who sang You're A Mean One Mr Grinch, was also the voice of Tony the Tiger for most of his life.

Make a Bond movie casual. Dr Can I Get Back To You On That One?

Merrilymost greety, and deep joy to everybole this Chrimblode. Oh yes.

Present update from abroad: if vandalized, to be reordered (5,7) #cryptic #crossword #Christmas

Still thinking about the guy wandering through the city yesterday with one of those huge speakers around his neck, blasting out Christmas music. Not sure if it was a deliberate #Whamageddon spoiler, but that's all I heard.