It's the final day of competition in this incredible event that's been taking place in North America! 🏆 No, not the #WorldCup, the US & Canada #Cryptic #Crossword Championships! 🤩 Round 2 is today with a challenging cryptic by the excellent @viresh.bsky.social aka Gussalufz #USCanadaCrypticCC 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

THE ACKROOMS

As you probably know, Unch is a hobby project. We rely on word of mouth to get in front of people, so if you are able to share about us far and wide I’d really appreciate it. Reposts on here are very much appreciated. Sharing outside of this little bubble even more so!

Unch Crosswords@unchcrosswords.com · 2mo ago

Keep it quiet but UNCH ISSUE FOUR PRE-SALES ARE OPEN NOW unchcrosswords.com#shop

⭐🇺🇸 Attention, US & Canada Crossword People! 🇨🇦⭐ Free registration is now open for our first-ever national #cryptic #crossword solving championships, online this July! www.crypticsingh.com Prizes for top solvers, fun and challenge for all! 🤓 Please share! Let's make this big 🤩 #USCanadaCrypticCC

I'm so proud of our These Puzzles Fund Abortion team and the puzzles we put out and the community that rallies around the abortion funds we support! Please consider donating to support this important cause — the fundraiser ends on Sunday! fund.nnaf.org/tpfa6

These Puzzles Fund Abortion@tpfa.bsky.social · 2mo ago

✨Editor* Spotlight✨ @fabioethics.bsky.social (she/her) is a crossword constructor and a professor of bioethics. She created TPFA as a form of praxis, putting her scholarly interest in reproductive justice into practice through fundraising for abortion access. (1/2)

This month's WSJ variety cryptic is a collab between fellow Canuck Paul Hunsberger and yours truly. We had a lot of fun working on this and I hope you will give it a whirl! Free to download here: prod-i.a.dj.com/public/resou...

Beware the careless Find and Replace. I'm writing something crosswordy and decided that a set of examples using "one" as the example fodder would be better if they used "egg" instead

Exciting news! On a trial basis for now, AVCX will be providing cryptic clues to Parseword, a new daily game from Josh Wardle (of Wordle fame). Starting this Saturday with work from @jessshulman.bsky.social Give it a try… www.parseword.com

Parseword - A tricky wordplay game

Transform phrases through wordplay to solve cryptic crossword puzzles.

parseword.com

I've started a draft post of suggestions for people that have been doing Parseword or Minute Cryptic and want to 'graduate' to doing whole puzzles. Ideas for additions/changes etc very welcome! www.wyrd.systems/posts/next-s...

Next steps after Minute Cryptic or Parseword - wyrd systems

So… you’ve been playing along with Minute Cryptic or Parseword, and would like to start solving whole puzzles? Where to start?! Here are a few suggestions (this is a work...

wyrd.systems

Proud to have contributed a puzzle to this very important campaign for the third year in a row. This year I had the pleasure of collaborating with my talented friend @jessshulman.bsky.social. Hope you enjoy our beginner-friendly variety puzzle and all the other fantastic puzzles in the set!

These Puzzles Fund Abortion@tpfa.bsky.social · 5mo ago

IT’S HERE! 😮 We are happy to announce the release of our sixth crossword puzzle pack. Folks who donated during the presale period will receive their puzzles today. If you haven’t donated yet, head to fund.nnaf.org/tpfa6 !

We have received over $10,000 in donations during our presale period! Y’all are the best 😍🤩🥰 Haven’t donated yet? Head to fund.nnaf.org/tpfa6, and you will be the first to receive your puzzles when they are released on March 15th! #tpfa6 #crosswords #puzzles

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

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.

AVCX Classic@avcx.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Here’s the deal! Subscribe, renew, or buy a gift subscription from avxwords.com from now thru the end of the year, and get a new meta mini pack, free. After subscribing, send a blank email to freeminis@avxwords.com with “mini meta” in the subject line, and we’ll send you the pack. Honor system!

puzzle constructors, please update your wordlists accordingly

K. Thor Jensen@kthorjensen.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Wife bought some scissors from a trusted brand

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...

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.

Henri@henriwords.com · 9mo ago

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! 😊

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.💙

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...

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...

ivacheung.com

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

AVCX Classic@avcx.bsky.social · 9mo ago

AVCX Cryptics continues to help keep the form alive for Americans, and periodically runs mini cryptics, which make the form accessible to new solvers, and also enable the editors to mentor newer constructors, as cryptic editing is labor-intensive. They published a 15-year-old constructor this year!

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) …

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.

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...

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,…

squarepursuit.com

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...

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 ...

docs.google.com

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...

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...

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...

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...

ivacheung.com

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!