Weird, but done! :-)

Post-run beer pic

8.0 mpl. #Running "re-tree-t": traced my t-shaped path to the tree retreat again for #beer. Cheers!

Day after new #crossword published = another older one now freely accessible:

The Hindu Crossword On Sunday #29, Nov '25.

"Nine Crowns"

viresh-ratnakar.github.io/thc/2025/gus...

Sample #cryptic clue:

8d. With husband near America, send message around noon: "Anything else we can do?" (4,4)

www.thehindu.com/crosswords/h...

The link only works for subscribers, but as always, please let me know if you'd like to give it a go. Feedback's welcome!

Crossword grid, with some clues visible.

"HIJKLMNO" Pronounced?

6a. Surprise for woman expecting escort? (6)

6d. Unoriginal southern liberal (7)

Two #crypticclues from my The Hindu #Cryptic #crossword #14,769, published in Thursday's paper.

#Gussalufz

Unch Crossword Magazine Unch, the clued-up crossword magazine

Issue 3 has arrived back from the printer!

If you didn’t buy a copy on pre-sale, now’s your chance. Limited stocks, so get yours now at unchcrosswords.com

Top of Valley View

Post-run beer pic

8.0 mpl. #Running through hills, listening to #AshaBhosle (RIP) through delightful spring showers. Now #beer, cheers!

Two glass chess pieces, both kings, one clear, one frosted.

**King’s Cousin’s Cooking – Ep. 71**

In which the King’s Cousin’s Cooking, we appreciate a joke from a terrible source, get a grip on some names, and try not to say too much.

=== If that doesn’t sound like the worst possible form of podcast, then please […]

[Original post on offgrid.tlmb.net]

My penultimate #cryptic #crossword in The Browser (ed. Dan Feyer), from July 2025, is now freely available on my site:

viresh-ratnakar.github.io/browser/2025...

Sample #crypticclue pair:

13a. Photo next to naked men? It's a long story (4)

31a. Wrong smoking accessory killing high (6)

AI Assistant · MyCrossword Create cryptic crossword clues with the power of AI!

🚀 New Release

www.mycrossword.co.uk/ai-assistant

Post-run beer pic

8.0 mpl. #Running through a Genghisesque hot late afternoon, #beer absolutely guzzlesome now. Cheers!

Make it 4 weeks then, to play it safer :-)

Post-run beer pic

8.0 mpl. Hot-day #running makes the #beer taste all that better. Cheers!

Post-run wine pic

Almond cake!

7.0 mpl. #Running to find the elusive dessert that two other outlets had been out of, but daughter has commanded we bring to Boston tomorrow. Success! #Wine instead of #beer today. Cheers!

Day after new #crossword published= another older one now freely accessible:

The Hindu Cryptic #14,607

viresh-ratnakar.github.io/thc/2025/gus...

1a. Wild daughter leaves for college, returns polite (5)

www.thehindu.com/crosswords/h...

The link only works for subscribers, but as always, please let me know if you'd like to give it a go. Feedback's welcome!

Picture of crossword grid, with some clues visible.

"Six For Dravid?"

16d. A very quiet old place is suitable (8)

24a. Slice of tasteless ham? Poor free offering in hotel (7)

Two #crypticclues from my The Hindu #Cryptic #crossword #14,740, published in Friday's paper.

#Gussalufz

Post-run beer pic

8.1 mpl. #Running for the first time with a Garmin (265S). Hopefully the end of phone-based GPS errors ("Strayva"s :-)). #Beer at Murdoch's, now acquired by Laughing Monk Brewery. Cheers!

Post-run beer pic

8.75mpl. Back #running my t-shaped route to the tree for #beer. Cheers!

New #cryptic #crossword by me: So Long, Marianne. https://tlmb.net/blog/so-long-marianne/

argh, coupla drunk spellings above :-)

Agreed.

:-) But:

The "figurative" interpretation for "drunk" as "with letter in turmoil, but hey, each letter must be used exactly as many times as in the original" is the cruciverbalistic licence at play. A similar (bit not the same) licence is at play for "primarily" etc., imo.

All the firstly/lastly/extremely/oddly/..ly indicators are, well, wordplay-y. The interpretation of "X,Y,Z, oddly" as "X,Y,Z, looking at the odd positions" is a plausible (if punny) interpretation.

Same for most anagrinds, imo.

I think "odd X,Y,Z" is more OK for XZ than "first X,Y,Z" is for X. Because "odd" can be more reasonably conflated with "odd parts of" than "first" can be with "first part of", as I've not seen the latter usage much, whereas I've seen the former often.

I think first/last/primary are alike in this.

In the cryptic reading, I think a fodder word "XYZ" can be the word "XYZ" itself (for synonyms), or the sequence of letters "X, Y, Z."

"First XYZ" does not yield X in either interpretation, imo (as it means the "first among XYZs"). "Firstly ..." and "... at first" do work and yield X.

Off-Grid podcast logo. Icons for "all the subjects" spilling out of the brain of a person in conversation.

If you enjoy what we do at #OffGridPod, you can now buy us a coffee to say "cheers!" if you like. #podcast https://buymeacoffee.com/thevoidtlmb

front of medal featuring beautiful artwork of a person holding a sword, with a halo and flames around them. Also a card saying "It is an Honor to acknowledge Fractal Karma [by] Arula Ratnakar as a finalist for the 2025 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Novella"

Other side of the medal and the card, featuring the painting version of what was carved on the medal. It is beautiful art by Nilah Magruder!

My finalist medal from the Ignyte Awards arrived today for my scifi novella "Fractal Karma" which was a finalist in 2025

Made me tear up, it's beautiful

If you want to read my story, it's available here. 2050's Boston and a hivemind based on Brunnian links: clarkesworldmagazine.com/ratnakar_10_...

Post-run beer pic

Sat hike around Lexington reservoir

7.1 mpl. Wrapping up a weekend that involved a sleepover with 11 from IITB CS class of 1990, a 4.5m hike, and now solo #running and #beer. Cheers!

Page from graphic novel "Corridor"

Corridor by Sarnath Banerjee is *so* *much* *fun*! I had misplaced my copy and finally bought a new one. Re-reading!

Post-run beer pic

Pic of Marvin the egret

My planet

12.2 mpl. Pre-storm rain #running, with a Marvin sighting. Relishing a Helles #beer now, cheers!