Sara Goodchild

To Be Pacific Why do you always go off on a tandem, say goodbye without further adieu? It’s time you climbed down from your pedal stool – this is not a phrase you’re going through,   when antidotal evidence suggests you’ve been three-wheeling right from the start. Or rather, from the gecko, as you might say. You’re always upsetting the apple tart.   Now I’m not saying I’m above approach: it takes two to tangle, I won’t deny it. But when push comes to shovel and all’s set and done, I need rest bite. A little piece of quiet.   I’d love to curl up in the feeble position but you pass me from pillow to post, you see, with your Belgian whistles and semi-skilled milk – they do not pass mustard with me.   I don’t regard you as a social leopard. You’re no escape goat – just a hapless case. But do be aware there may be reaper cushions when you cut off your nose despite your face.   Brian Bilston

Here’s a poem which has become trapped in a vicious circus (and other phrases of a similar elk).

Five overlapping crossword grids. Two are 15x15 blocked grids, one 11x11 barred grid with circles, a 7x7 block/bar hybrid, and a 10x10 barred grid with 4 blocks.

Gnomon issue 4 is coming in one week, with five more variety cryptics. Now featuring more blocks than ever! With puzzles by @longyfan.bsky.social @matttheshirt.bsky.social @therackenfracker.bsky.social and @juffowup.bsky.social

Solving, constructing for, and editing for @avcx.bsky.social has been one of the greatest joys of my puzzling life. If you’re looking for a great gift that supports independent media, check out this fantastic subscription - minis, full-size crosswords, cryptics, and trivia to your inbox weekly.

Lots of fun to watch as always! It was a toughie but you were LOCKED IN!! Thanks for solving. 😄

puzzle constructors, please update your wordlists accordingly

AVCX Cryptic, November 13, 2025, Difficulty: Getting you, and your little dog Toto too

Always love @francisheaney.bsky.social's difficulty ratings! I've got this week's AVCX cryptic -- free to subscribers, or buy for $1! Big thanks for the expert editing, @naytnaytnayt.bsky.social, such a pleasure to work with you. avxwords.com/buy-individu...

Oscar Isaac in Frankenstein. Caption says "oh sure blame the guy whose fault it is"

Favorite new reaction image

Excellent post on calibrating difficulty in cryptic crosswords! To these I would add 1) if you can, put your puzzle away for a week and then solve to better see it from the perspective of a solver; and 2) ask someone else to test-solve for you and report on difficulty especially.

the legend lived
[Beastie Boys] ON
from the chippewa on
[Beastie Boys] DOWN

A plea for help. 🙏
One of the lead playtesters of Blue Prince, Iggy, has polycystic kidney disease and has only a few months to find a living kidney donor.

His story, contact and donor information can all be found on
iggyland.org

Please help us in sharing his story and getting the word out.💙

After the Feast: A Turkey Leftovers Cookbooklet - Iva Cheung After a couple decades of editing and indexing cookbooks, I took a stab at writing (a small!) one. After the Feast brings together 25-ish of my favourite ways to use up the leftovers from big turkey d...

With 🇺🇸 Thanksgiving being 3 weeks away and SNAP being a shit show—but with some retailers and nonprofits offering turkeys for low or no cost—I'd love to get my free cookbook #AfterTheFeast to as many folks as possible.

Would you kindly share it here and elsewhere? 🙏 ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...

It's a good time to support the good people of AVCX Cryptics, as well as the good people of AVCX in general.

AVCX, the world’s finest puzzles and games service, and an independent media venture, has done some really cool stuff this year! A thread to brag (and to hype our mini subscription drive) …

So Long, and Thanks for All the Cryptics Hello, cryptic lovers! I don’t do a lot of full-sized puzzles over here these days, but I can think of no better way to pay tribute to The Browser Crossword and its editor extraordinaire Dan Feyer,…

And, if you haven't already done so, check out @mossdef.bsky.social's tribute puzzle: squarepursuit.com/2025/10/22/s...

The Browser Crossword Every day we read hundreds of articles and recommend five outstanding stories for you to enjoy, so you'll always have interesting things to ponder and fascinating ideas to discuss at dinner

Link here for subscribers, which also includes all #243 archived puzzles: thebrowser.com/crossword-ar...

The Browser Crossword. Cryptic #244 by Sara Goodchild. Missing Tombstones: A walk in the cemetery. October 26, 2025, edited by Dan Feyer.

My fifth Hallowe'en special for the Browser is up! If the tone is melancholy, it's because the Browser cryptic crossword is ending as of December. Huge thanks to Uri and Dan for providing such a fabulous venue for North American cryptics, helping so many of us get our start and practice our chops.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Cryptics Hello, cryptic lovers! I don’t do a lot of full-sized puzzles over here these days, but I can think of no better way to pay tribute to The Browser Crossword and its editor extraordinaire Dan Feyer,…

Crossword's conclusion leaves spirit low (3)

@danfeyer.bsky.social at The Browser Crossword was the first editor to take a chance on me as a beginning cryptic setter, so I thought I'd make a little tribute puzzle on the blog.

I hope it brightens your day!

squarepursuit.com/2025/10/22/s...

Lil AVCX: Call for applications for our 2026 constructor roster Lil AVCX: Call for applications for our 2026 constructor roster We’re looking for new and emerging crossword puzzle constructors to regularly contribute “midi” puzzles. Yes, you’ll get paid, and you ...

Lil AVCX is looking for new and emerging constructors to be a part of our 2026 constructing roster. Deadline for applications is November 14, 2025. Here's the information: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Thanks Juff!!

Cauldron: A cryptic puzzle by Sara Goodchild. A circular crossword grid with bubbles and a vortext in the middle.

I've got a witchy puzzle for spooky season in the WSJ this weekend! Circular grids are scaaaaaaaary stuff, kids... Free to download here: prod-i.a.dj.com/public/resou...

Great puzzle! I particularly enjoyed 6D. :)

hey canadian friends you can tell the govt what you think about AI (🚮)! survey closes at the end of the month. it's a tad long but worth it. #CanPoli
ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en...

After the Feast: A Turkey Leftovers Cookbooklet - Iva Cheung After a couple decades of editing and indexing cookbooks, I took a stab at writing (a small!) one. After the Feast brings together 25-ish of my favourite ways to use up the leftovers from big turkey d...

I made a li'l cookbook! *After the Feast* suggests ways to use up leftovers from your big turkey dinners.

The PDF is FREE. If you buy a print copy, $2 will support food security initiatives through the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre.

Please spread the word! 🍗

ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...

Wikipedia screenshots from the Jane Goodall entry. It reads: Gary Larson cartoon incident In 1987, Gary Larson published a Far Side cartoon of two chimpanzees grooming, in which one discovers a blonde hair and says, "Conducting a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" The Jane Goodall Institute called the cartoon an "atrocity" in a letter drafted by its lawyers to Larson and his syndicate. Goodall, who was in Africa at the time, later found the cartoon amusing. She went on to name it her favorite depiction of herself in pop culture.

Another Wikipedia screenshot: Larson offered profits from sales of a shirt featuring the cartoon to the Jane Goodall Institute. Goodall wrote the preface to The Far Side Gallery 5, detailing her version of the controversy. She praised Larson's creative ideas, which often compare and contrast the behaviour of humans and animals. In 1988, Larson visited Goodall's research facility in Tanzania, and was attacked by a chimpanzee named Frodo.

I knew the first half of this story— that Gary Larsen’s cartoon joking Dr. Goodall was sleeping with chimpanzees caused her Institute to lawyer up only for her to find the comic super amusing upon her return from the field— but I’d never heard Larsen got attacked by a chimpanzee!

The Gnomon Variety cryptic crosswords

First full issue of The Gnomon is live now, with five puzzles from @longyfan.bsky.social , @bewilderingly.bsky.social, and @juffowup.bsky.social , and from guest editors @joeadultman.bsky.social and Skaldskaparmal.
www.gnomoncryptics.com

Only three days left to support These Puzzles Fund Abortion, a labor of love that has raised over $300,000 for abortion access since 2020. Please chip in to help us meet our goal of $35,000 for this year — we are only $1000 away!

fund.nnaf.org/campaign/the...

This was a great read!

these puzzles fund abortion

Want to hear a cool story about reproductive justice, mutual aid, and crossword puzzles?

Let me tell you about These Puzzles Fund Abortion (www.abortionpuzzles.com / @tpfa.bsky.social), a crossword puzzle fundraiser that has raised over $350,000 in five years for abortion funds.
1/9

YouTube video by Malaika Handa Caveat performance (April 16, 2025)

Just watched this insightful and very funny talk about crossword editing and the constructor's voice by @malaika-h.bsky.social and you should go watch it too!
youtu.be/377nX-dY3II?...

Image of cryptic-style crossword grid. The first word, POWER, has already been filled in. Some of the squares in the puzzle are circled.

✨Constructor Spotlight✨

Sara Goodchild (she/her, @sarathegood.bsky.social) is an editor & puzzlemaker based in Toronto. She’s honoured to be contributing to TPFA for a 2nd time: abortion is health care!

Sara co-created a brilliant puzzle with Steve Mossberg.
Available at fund.nnaf.org/tpfa!