Catnip

Well done all. @clairebennie.bsky.social seems to be having quite a week.

Sobering to find that I didn't trouble the scorers. 🦆

I think the total of puzzles mentioned was 4,000. By the time they got onto the mazes, I was fully assuming it was going to make no sense.

A mutually supportive nerd commune sounds lovely, and I think accounts for a lot of the book's appeal. I'd love the opportunity to try it, but I'm sure it would be impractical on so many levels, even with a huge inheritance as a starting point.

Yes, I'm sure there are plenty who could be persuaded to offer some thoughts and advice. Do it properly or not at all.

A cryptic schedule for the evening, taken from the book. The two events are: Initially, a round door really introduces new knowledge slowly (6) And: Buff etcher contains a spread (6) Let's say, for the sake of argument, that these assorted puzzle geniuses need something trivial to help them to the answer. That still doesn't excuse the awful surfaces, or most glaringly, the definition apparently lurking in the middle of the wordplay in the first clue.

Not much cryptic content, which may be a blessing. A key character is a legendary Times setter, known by a pseudonym even in the 90s. But in the story, she uses a Quick crossword to convey a message, and what we see of her cryptic skills doesn't inspire much confidence.

Cover of "The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers" by Samuel Burr

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.

Hard agree. I arrived at 4 Green after 4 guesses, with most letters eliminated, and stared at it for ages because none of the remaining options were real words. IMNSHO.

That was DROPOUTS - a slightly loose definition, but worth it for the surface.

Anagram (plastic) of POS+TUDOR

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

#cryptic #crossword

*A bit of both.

But seriously, it was incredibly helpful just to tell myself I had to come up with something and stop fiddling, and that's down to you.

Mini crossword No 225 · MyCrossword Solve Mini crossword No 225 on MyCrossword. 7x7 grid with 8 clues by Catnip. Published Thu 26 Feb 2026. Features annotated solutions and special instructions. Free to solve online.

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

I really relate to the comment around 2:30, about test solving both sharpening your thoughts and making you think/realise (delete as appropriate) you suck.

Any time I've done one, there have been a few clues that made me think I'd never come up with something that good.

I don't know about anyone else, but I use the tags primarily to check that I'm not using a device too often or in clusters. I'd use "French" (or better still "Foreign" to include other languages) and "Whimsy" tags, but if I was overdoing them, it should be obvious without tags.

That's ABSTINENCE.

Anagram (mad) of CABINET + SEN - sent almost.

I think it's a much better (if slightly loose) definition of "sexual economy" than whatever's in Kruger's head.

Well, the reason I hate it is also the reason I probably need it, so 🤷‍♂️

I'd like to try to set something in a short timescale (as SFD), but being realistic, that's likely to be a mini to start off with.

Ah, I think it's a great idea in principle, especially for unblocking creativity in perfectionists. But in practice it gives me major ick - see above. 😂

Impressive. I wish I could work at that speed on anything, let alone a fun, interesting idea.

Starting to get curious now.

Cabinet sent almost mad supplying sexual economy? (10)

👏🥳

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

Oh, why did I have that wrong in my head? Jolly good stuff either way.

I've said in the past that part of the trouble is solvers. Not you, but the body of lifelong solvers who've learnt conventions and definitions that were rather dated even when they started solving.

What the median solver understands and appreciates effectively sets boundaries for a setter.

Ahem. Django is FT, n'est-ce pas?

Simpsons screenshot, showing Richard Nixon attempting to look human to ingratiate himself with the audience by agreeing with JFK's affable manner in endorsing Duff Beer.

Goodwin, pictured earlier:

In the absence of a handy blog (I often have to head to 225 to understand a couple of clues in a puzzle), you can ask the guilty party directly!

It's like my own pick'n'mix QI episode.

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?)

I was thinking DD, End (rear) and PM. I like your "End of Peter" reading as well, which I missed. And on reflection, Rob maybe isn't the sort to use a "[Def] of [Def]" construction.

Still, we had a giggle.

That's where I wasn't sure. My favourite is still arse. But then knob and dick seemed plausible in a different direction, and maybe others I didn't immediately consider.