I appreciate this is still not Premier League stuff, but I just completed the 'Mega Crossword' at the back of this. This is only my second 100% cryptic analogue solve, after the @guineverecryptic.bsky.social grid in @unchcrosswords.com (honour to Guinevere and Unch !).

Go solve the celebratory 3000th puzzle by the wonderful @henriwords.com! mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/3000... And there’s also a sneaky themed early Guinevere at 2999 if you fancy a bit of extra fun! mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/2999 Happy New Year! #cryptic #crossword

tired of games adding unecessary stealth missions for no reason? Well im not! STEALTH CROSSWORD is out now✨ ComputerJames.itch.io/stealth-cw 🧩6 mins of Stealth Crossword Action! 👑Two endings ('caught' and 'not caught') 💻Play in browser

2025 has certainly been one of the years of all time. I started as an amateur cryptic setter, I finished as an amateur cryptic setter with one grid in the paper! (Indy No 12,103 for those interested) I'm excited to see what 2026 can bring and to keep connecting with other setters. Happy New Year!

Thanks to all our setters, editors, designers, contributors, interviewees, and interviewers for getting us off the ground in 2025. And thanks to everyone who's shared one of our posts, said hello, bought a copy of Issue 1, or pre-ordered Issue 2!

Hoping to add one more #cryptic #crossword outlet in 2026 (I've time for up to 4 more puzzles, roughly). My wish list: Guardian, WSJ, AVCX, Independent. Let's see :-). Most of my crosswords (Hindu, Browser, 1 Across, Object, IXL, WCCC, self-published, etc.) are available on my site: gussalufz.com

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...

Welcome to Ramsay with their debut Guardian daily cryptic (a very good one at that). 92nd pseudonym to grace the series and the 33rd different setter this year - a record.

Nice one @postmarkcryptic.bsky.social and @mycrossword.co.uk (and @cranberryfez.bsky.social !)

If you like cryptic crosswords repost this

One of the great pleasures of cryptic crosswords is that sometimes a clue requires you to rethink your assumptions about how the clue works in order to solve it. A noun should be a verb; a city is a last name. Question your priors!

There will be a #CrypticSunday Replacement Stream Service, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with myself come noon, but I am nowhere near organised enough to tell you what I'll be tackling then. Anything from the past week of MyCrossword puzzles is fair game! twitch.tv/pantherapuzzles

It's arrived! (For the second time...) And look who wrote the first one! Time to begin... @unchcrosswords.com @guineverecryptic.bsky.social

This holiday season, I’m deeply grateful to have taken up setting cryptic crosswords, found the wonderful My Crossword community, & benefited from guidance & insights of @liari.bsky.social, @guineverecryptic.bsky.social, @crypticblah.bsky.social, @mossdef.bsky.social & others. Happy holidays to all!

A new Platypus has arrived on @mycrossword.co.uk 17 setters have written lovely clues, such as - Last bits of mixed herb stuffing to go inside turkey (5) - Providing weapons to suppress the French is dreadful (8) - Candytuft is submerged by Italian river with the passing of time (6) Check it out!

When I worked at Royal Mail as part of the induction they showed us the section of the sorting office dedicated to working out vague/badly addressed post. One letter was addressed as a set of cryptic crossword clues and got to its destination.

Some other fun words I came across this weekend: • coup de poing: (noun) A blow or punch with the fist • gytrash: (noun) A ghost or apparition • subitise: (verb) To perceive or be capable of perceiving (the number of items in a group) at a glance without actually counting

Taking a moment to thank @danfeyer.bsky.social & team - & all the amazing setters - for so many wonderful Browser cryptics over the time I've been subscribed. I have all the books at home & will eke them out, & of course I'm looking forward to the occasional special coming up now & again. 🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍 🦒

Looking forward to it! twitch.tv/crypticsunday

Usual Sunday morning of digging through Chambers to try and knock the Listener on the head, and found out that apparently "Steven" is defined as "An outcry (Spenser)". One for the Adam & Joe fans. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISZB...

It’s been a day of many smiles, I do so love when my puzzles bring enjoyment to people! Thank you everyone who has taken the time to feed back! This year has been quite a challenge in many ways, which has made the amazing experiences I’ve had in the cryptic world even more valuable. 🥰❤️🎄🎲 Thank you

If you like cryptic crosswords repost this

A good book! // @djbduncan.bsky.social @baindex.org

🎉🎉🎉

Exost, a coding project that I've been working on recently (accessible at xlufz.ratnakar.org/exost.html, also integrated into exolve.app and exet.app), is now up. It's basically a free, no-strings-attached, no-frills crossword hosting service. More later... #crossword

I’m thinking about setting up a regular cryptic crossword meetup in the Brighton/Lewes area, come the New Year. Just a hangout to solve together and chat (maybe even some light setting). If you‘d like to be kept in the loop contact me here or at unchcrosswords.com#contact

If there is an artist/cartoonist/designer out there in the world of crosswords, I have a potential job for you. A small job (an image for my 2026 thank-you cards), very quick turnaround time (2 weeks). message me or email rexparker at icloud dot com ❤️

More of this kind of thing (and lots more fun besides) in Issue 2 and beyond! unchcrosswords.com

The ‘DON’T MISS OUT’ part is very real! Issue 1 actually did sell out and some folk ended up disappointed…

/me raises price to £10.01 per copy

www.fifteensquared.net/2025/12/17/c... 👀

I guess we’ll never know…

Just finished @natanlast.bsky.social’s book “Across the Universe” all about crosswords. Highly recommended - an interesting insight for me into the ‘American style’ puzzles and the culture around them. Thanks Natan!

You won't regret it, a lifetime of fun. We have a number of great friends that we meet drink wine and do the cryptics. It's the new dinner party.

On a happier note, I wrote for the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social Christmas issue on my 2025 mission to learn how to do cryptic crosswords. Welcome to a world of anagrinds and homophones, red herrings and old slang, niche subcultures - and very tricksy Hobbitses www.newstatesman.com/culture/life...

❤️

Happy to offer some hints if you're stuck!

For The New Yorker’s Cartoons & Puzzles issue, I wrote about Stephen Sondheim’s lifelong obsession with games and puzzles, and a delightful new book about it called "Matching Minds with Sondheim." This was the most fun I had writing anything all year. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Wow, I’m really in my element on this one! These Cryptic Crossweird folks are good people doing good puzzle work. Do check them out if you haven’t yet!

Last 3 of #12CharitiesOfChristmas. Some ideas here if you've enjoyed #CrypticSunday or any of my crosswords this year and can spare a few pennies! 🎁 Turn A Corner quakersocialaction.org.uk/we-can-help/... 🎁 Good Law Project goodlawproject.org 🎁 Children's Book Project childrensbookproject.co.uk

It’s a little something cooked up in @rsmythfreelance ‘s and my brains for all our mutuals and wider social family. It’s here. It’s LITERALLY dropped. And we hope you like it because we can’t return it: say-what.org/we-saw-you-a... (2/4)

This is usually where I'd put some spiel about my cryptic crossword Patreon, but I'm just feeling lucky and proud to light the lights tonight. I think this Square Chase holiday puzzle is apt and, as always, free to all. I hope it brightens your evening. www.patreon.com/posts/square...

Bittersweet to announce that @jessshulman.bsky.social and I did the second-to-last Browser. Edited as always by the wonderful @danfeyer.bsky.social www.thebrowser.com/crossword

Will stream this tomorrow if anyone can bear to wait until then! (Or if you find your solving experience is enhanced by watching us do the same thing you've already done but much more slowly) #CrypticSunday

Some interesting (to me, at least!) replies in this thread...

Get your 2026 self a little treat! Unch Issue 2 is out in January - you can ensure you don't miss out by pre-ordering a copy now... Go to unchcrosswords.com to reserve YOURS! This one has eight of our usual standard cryptics, plus a fun alphabetical *and* an exciting thematic as well!

Happy birthday Rob! 🎈🎈🎈 I'd recommend Rob's Youtube channel (and podcast, and Substack) to anyone interested in words and etymology www.youtube.com/@RobWords