Coot

👏👏👏

Sports cliché equivalent: “you can only control the controllables”

Thanks!

@guineverecryptic.bsky.social you might like this one …

The Independent's Cryptic Crossword | Play Online for Free | Independent Play The Independent's Cryptic Crossword instantly online. The Independent's Cryptic Crossword is a fun and engaging Online game from The Independent. Play it and other games from The Independent.

Irish city’s workers take indirect route? (9)

Reasonable to run away (5)

This and more nonsense in my puzzle in the Independent today.

#cryptic #crossword

puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/crypti...

As it’s Times QC debut day for @liari.bsky.social, I thought a penguin would be in order …

A beautifully pitched debut - well done and congrats!

Very sorry to hear that Jennie. She sounds like an amazing woman.

I’d always take a hyphenated word to be one word, so first is fine second isn’t (despite my natural inclination to like the second one)

There’s nothing like incisive analysis …

Congratulations! 🎉

Great stuff - thanks!

13 year old Coot, during incredibly tedious dictation in a geography lesson, kept writing alfalfalfalfalfalfalfalfalfalfalfalfa until I reached the end of the line in my book.

Enjoyed watching that back just now - thanks!

Another good thing to do is to watch the Cracking the Cryptic masterclass on YouTube. They solve Friday’s Times puzzle every week and explain it as they go. The puzzles on a Friday can be brutal but they explain it carefully and it’s a great watch.

Fed isn’t easy at all. You are doing well if you can solve that. I certainly wouldn’t say it was a step up from Fed to Unch.

Or subscribe! Times puzzle subscription is £5/month. A number of us appear there occasionally, under different pseudonyms! A subscription obviously gives access to their main cryptic and various other puzzles.

Aw, thanks T!

It’s a big day today in more way than one. Do give this one a go 🎉🥳🎁🎈🍾

That sort of thing! But in that case I didn’t get as far as floating the idea with the editor, or the whole thing could have panned out completely differently!

That’s fair, but if you are aiming at a forthcoming anniversary, you might not be the only one who’s spotted it …

True. I was making a potentially false assumption about the editor in question!

Brutal. I had something similar once, although the puzzle gestation was a lot shorter. Now I check out thematic ideas with the editor before getting too far into the setting process.

Have you met her? She was at York!

Cryptic crossword No 3,028 · MyCrossword Solve Cryptic crossword No 3,028 on MyCrossword. 15x15 grid with 29 clues by Ghost. Published Tue 13 Jan 2026. Features annotated solutions and special instructions. Free to solve online.

A new setter on MyCrossword? Not exactly.

Hat tips to my co-conspirators @henriwords.com @postmarkcryptic.bsky.social @cranberryfez.bsky.social & Gennaro, and huge thanks as always to @mycrossword.co.uk

#cryptic #crossword

www.mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/3028

a) maybe you need help; b) yes, I do see; c) maybe I also need help

Oh not good - hope they get her sorted quickly

I’d recommend @catnipxword.bsky.social‘s

“Setter’s leaving …’?

😂