folks in kolkata wanted to conduct a messi tour but ended up instead executing perhaps the messiest of messy tours. they need to be more careful with autocorrect, eh?

this one stony crossword clue made me chuckle today: A German repeatedly imprisoning a good person, a brainbox! (8)

my framework for playing the "assistant manager" chip from last season's #fpl may have no utility any more, but at least i can say with confidence that--were the chip playable--i would have chosen amorim in gw19 ( #MUNWOL, #LEEMUN, #BURMUN ).

there’s something undefinably so satisfying when the key to completing a rambling puzzle happens to lie dead centre. #simontathamspuzzles #loopy

crumbs. switching to Frasier to get the taste of that out of my mouth. well played, though, villa, even if arsenal looked all out of steam. #AVLARS #AFC

in over a decade of playing the #FPL, today is the first time that i have used the "bench boost" chip. in the past, i've always quit for the season before i got around to using the chip. it's nice having two this year--with one mandatory to use now--so that i can finally experience it.

what brilliant timing to transfer caicedo into my fpl team! all that and arsenal didnt even win 😞. #fpl #CHEARS #AFC #arsenal

the one cryptic clue that i enjoyed most today: Make a commitment to enter the diving competition? (4,3,6)

university of tokyo researchers become the first people to throw some... light... on dark matter. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

not quite as grotesque a cryptic clue for today: It drains off the water when Royal Egg is scrambled (8).

wait! harry kane *didn't* score at the emirates today?! not even from a soft penalty?! brb. am going to look out of the window to see if i can spot any of them flying pigs. #ARSBAY #AFC #arsenal #UCL

i’m waiting for all those “experts” who said south africa did not deserve to win the world test championship to crawl out of the woodwork. #indvrsa #testcricket #cricket

the bcci would rather field five no. 7 batsmen in the middle order than give karun nair a look in. just indian cricket things.

In the 20th century, Dharmendra starred in only three movies with Amitabh Bachchan (excluding guest and special appearances): Sholay, Chupke Chupke, and Ram Balraam. Dharmendra was top-billed over the Bollywood superstar in each of those three movies. #ripdharmendra

followed just my second ever makuuchi division grand sumo tournament and i'm simply blown away. most happy for: Aonishki most fun to watch: Ura, Asakoryu, Fujinokawa, Takayasu highlights of the tournament: Ura tumbling into the crowd, Aonishiki pipping the two yokozunas to the yusho!

a prophetic set of recent events from Star Trek TNG's Darmok about the English Premier League and Test Cricket: Arsenal only manage a 2-2 draw against Sunderland: Xhaka, when the walls fell. South Africa's captain stars as they defeat India in the first test at Kolkata: Temba, his arms wide.

cryptic clue keeping the 2025 chess world cup in mind: An aptness developed along the way. (2,7)

has something drastically changed in the setup of season 5 of the US series of Ghosts? because the quality has plummeted faster and farther than an australian stripper crashing through the roof of an indian restaurant because his parachute didnt open!

the grand sumo november 2025 tournament has begun! looking forward to another 11+ finish from Aonishki! and props to Don Don Sumo for their excellent youtube analysis: youtu.be/155zVUFb9hI

people wondering what gyokeres brings to the arsenal when he doesn’t score goals should watch the second half of #BURARS where his half-time substitution means the team badly misses his physicality. #afc

news of openai and perplexity and other such overhyped ai service providers giving away free 1-year subscriptions in india reminds me of this section of the well-researched comic “Obelix & Co.” from the Asterix series.

today’s most enjoyed cryptic crossword clue: Superhuman clothing tribesmen initially possess in African city. (4,4)

wow big gabi hitting the woodwork! #ARSCRY #afc

when a team packs the midfield with five players, stifles all open play, and is eminently comfortable with 15% possession, how can anybody blame arsenal for turning to set pieces to score goals? #ARSCRY #afc

india's aiming to land an astronaut on the moon by 2040. so that's what all these potholed roads are about! it's to train this person for that historic moment when they first step onto a rocky unmaintained uneven surface!

why are arsenal outlets talking about the *next* ethan nwaneri?! WE HAVE AN ETHAN NWANERI ALREADY! play him! don’t turn him into the NEXT nketiah or smith-rowe!

kamala harris wants to run for president again. knowing american voters, that’s trump’s third term confirmed, then.

if #BHA loses 0-1 to #MUFC, their premier league record for the season will read 9 played, 3 won, 3 drawn, 3 lost, with 0 goal difference. #BHAMUN

😂 #nufc fans stealing the saliba tequila chant for osula. what next? “60 million down the drain, yoann wissa scores again 🎵”? #afc

do both the teams in the #NEWFUL match know that they aren’t playing volleyball rules? that they don’t need to cede possession after only three touches? you just know that the computer which calculates possession stats is overheating like crazy!

lunchtime. i’m catching up on taskmaster s20e07 on their youtube channel. this show—more than any other—needs to have a “there’s loads of spittle in this episode. DO NOT WATCH WHILE EATING” alert upfront.

experts on the creatures belonging to the family Formicidae should be called antomologists.

the one cryptic crossword clue i found to be really clever today: It was once used to make one smart, top or bottom (9) (hint: no anagrams here. focusing on both meanings of the adjective will unlock the clue.)

when exceptionally poor AQI during diwali is brought up, bhakts ask why people don't care about AQI at other times of the year. that's like saying, "sure, the waiter has spit in your soup but why are you not scrutinising the ingredients in the soup? why are you angry at the waiter?"

my fpl returns this week is remarkably like a rampant proliferation of an RAF aerobatics team. so. many. red. arrows.

an ethical and moral question for this day and age: if i download a bootlegged copy of a movie but i never watch it, have i truly pirated that movie?

my #fpl team has odegaard, sesko, wirtz, joao pedro, sels. and it's still performed better than #lfc 🤣 they should look up the term "reversion to the mean". veritasium has a good video and freakonomics has a good chapter on the topic. #MUNLIV

can someone tell me what sort of crack thomas frank has secreted in the piece of gum that lasts 90 full minutes of such aggressive chewing? does he have it on steady order from willy wonka, by any chance? #TOTAVL

morgan rogered that goal! thank puck he’s still a vestigial part of my #fpl team! #TOTAST

people in the chess world must be watching the No Kings protests with some trepidation!

huh. today’s ny times sunday crossword dropped a cryptic clue amidst the muck of their usual clumsy quick clues. Canniest, for instance (7) talk about finding a gem on the mage!

if only my internet connection was as fast as the #nffc decision to sack big ange.

another crossword clue for cricket’s crazy fans: All deliveries must come before time—that’s obvious! (5)

cryptic crossword clue keeping the upcoming ashes in mind: Club fail to declare (5)

ha! this clue, good! Most short streets need repairing (7).

youtube’s recommending this video to me today, in early october 2025. 😂 talk about aging like milk! #lfc #wirtz #epl

today’s amusing cryptic crossword clue: Someone with an offer for model (8). (hint: a person who gets paid who does what a model does.)

today’s most enjoyable cryptic crossword clue: Changes to incomes he can explain? (9)

quick tip for anyone who wants to preserve their privacy and not automatically enable apple "intelligence" on their macs: if your mac language and siri language are different, apple intelligence will remain deactivated even after OS upgrades. this is perhaps the only useful not-a-bug-but-a-feature.

today’s most enjoyable cryptic crossword clue: The wife is America’s No. 1 beauty! (6)