Literally true

Lunatic stuff from my unsolvable first crossword, a puzzle that I can’t even solve now

If anyone tests or tries out this little guy, please let me know

Best tip I’ve heard for hidden word clues is to hide, when possible, the solution in a way where the word is not only well hidden but also pronounced differently. Then again, my own favorite hidden does not quite satisfy this tip: Drink some espresso daily (4)

Some incredible definitions (and clues overall) in this puzzle

I’m happy to see that even a week later people are still enjoying this puzzle. In ways big and small, I got help with it from the best people, so there are many fingerprints on this one. Thanks y’all.

Quivering knight saving time for gratitude (12) Overeat today! 🍗

Enjoying this!

Is there a way to post this type of grid online, interactively? tiny.cc/NoBlackSquares It’s probably better on paper anyway, but just curious. Thank you.

Liari’s stream is great 🎬

This is a great quote: “In a tussle between the surface grammar and the cryptic grammar, the latter must win 😁”

This comment means a lot to me. I hope he doesn’t mind my sharing it.

Features one clue for @dnatkinson.bsky.social 🤝

Say hello to our still unnamed new puppy ”Nina” and “1-Across” made it past the first round only. What do you think her name is? She knows but hasn’t told us yet.

There are some tremendous and extremely fun clues in here.

Match tense, perhaps injured Alex Roeg down 0-40 (5) 🎾 I’m reminded of a wonderful MyC puzzle from maybe 6 months ago consisting entirely of “greatest hits“ clues each with a classic type of setter’s mistake. The #? (Minor sins here are: fake proper name, an iffy anagrind, and maybe an iffy DBE.)

I hope you'll get a chance to try this puzzle. Expert (massively appreciated) feedback has been taken to heart. A few clues for now: Final day before corrupt sultan loses head (8) Nobility matters (5) Opens Unch, mostly snoozes (front cover notwithstanding) (6) Thank you @mycrossword.co.uk ☕

Can a clue have two sentences? Or is a semicolon (or some other connector) generally recommended? Thank you.

18a is so cool

Very nice write-up, @unchcrosswords.com!

🎲

One for the scrapheap, but fun though: 150 Middle Aged nerds free from constraints in English city (4)

A nice 🎁 (also, a new rule of thumb for me is: if a clue can’t be drawn in an amusing manner, it must be scrapped. Of course I’ll break it, but it’s a good one I think.)

Some people find this fun (even after 8th grade) #GrammarPieAndCoffee 🦉

My favorite clues are often ones I got wrong and had to figure out after seeing the answer. I appreciate being bested as long as it was fair. Do most long-term solvers still feel this way? I would like to not lose this feeling over time.

Check out some #crypticfiction from that ultra-smooth cat named Fez

Thanks @tpgrammar.bsky.social! Inspired by your call for more 'cryptic fiction' (though maybe not a "real expert") I've had another go ... Once upon a time, near Lake Ontario, a funny thing occurred: initially ... (4,3) Read on at the fab @mycrossword.co.uk: www.mycrossword.co.uk/mini/169

Very fun! 🏆

REPOD S10E2: Barry Joseph: Matching Minds with Sondheim "The Shakespeare of our time."

Do you know of any rappers who set cryptic crosswords? That could be a lethal combo.

If you end up trying this out, and if time allows, please leave a comment. 👍, 👎, 🖕, 🙅‍♂️, or otherwise. (I‘m of the opinion that this little mini genre has great potential and am hoping to see a real expert make one sometime…I’m sure it’s already happened and I just don’t know). Thanks again

Thanks Aaron, and yeah test-solvers are the unsung hero(in)es of crosswordland! They *always* spot something you didn’t…

Discerning minority tense facing That Lady’s interminable Iron will - at first. When third and fourth unanswered tear arrive, divine messengers with peeled mango, and wingless Welsh fellow, 50, emerge from the rear, with queen's cooler. Contained inside cache... art, symbolism, a game... a message…

I would like to see a puzzle entirely filled with an accomplished setter's thrown-away clues, specifically those with high entertainment value that just-quite didn't satisfy the setter's high technical standards. How enjoyable would such a puzzle be?

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! 😊

I'm not sure I have the know-how to tackle this puzzle, but I sure love the surface of this clue: Unopened baloney and liverwurst for din-din (4)

“Day and month we remember the Spanish incident beginning to happen (8)” Unch, vol 1, p.4

It’s in this famous riff: A run of notes getting higher or lower (7) (maybe from @charliemethven.bsky.social?)

I love a Gennaro, and this one is very fine 🧩

Tarkovsky

Look what my friend painted 🇮🇹🇺🇸💪👴🏻

Immensely accessible for sharing with potential cryptic crossword fans in your life, from Carpathian: ANAGRAM | HIDDEN | ACROSTIC | ALTERNATION And G-rated (unless "Rents out rear (5)" is taken a certain way)

Special delivery 📬

Late night in the US, two Unch puzzles (by @amoebacrosswords.bsky.social & @archelina.bsky.social) were streamed here: www.twitch.tv/videos/26117... I look forward to watching the latter after, or perhaps when, I do the Angel puzzle. Thanks to all.

Watching the replay of Aaron’s unch episode from last week helped me get unstuck in a few places while solving puzzles by @guineverecryptic.bsky.social and @liari.bsky.social. Very much enjoyed, thanks to all. Doing pretty well w/ Amoeba’s but tough! Trying to annotate everything 🙂

#IVoted ✅ includes some very nice late entries

Finally cracking open the unch. ✍️