Charlie Methven
@charliemethven.bsky.social
I set cryptic crosswords as Methuselah and Chameleon and write questions for Only Connect • charliemethven.com • he/him
It's funny that these are a) abbreviations and b) some of the largest letters you'll ever meet
November 17, 2025 at 9:54 PM
It's funny that these are a) abbreviations and b) some of the largest letters you'll ever meet
Some additional thematic material has arrived
October 31, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Some additional thematic material has arrived
I'd told myself I wouldn't flog the(un)dead horse of my 2021 Halloween cryptic this year, but The i Paper have only gone and reprinted it. But will it be a 24 or a 24?
October 31, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I'd told myself I wouldn't flog the(un)dead horse of my 2021 Halloween cryptic this year, but The i Paper have only gone and reprinted it. But will it be a 24 or a 24?
Belatedly realised I had the perfect backdrop for my @unchcrosswords.com arrival pic and failed to use it
October 27, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Belatedly realised I had the perfect backdrop for my @unchcrosswords.com arrival pic and failed to use it
Obligatory pet picture with my copy of "Some fun challenges (4)".
Thanks and congrats to all at @unchcrosswords.com
Thanks and congrats to all at @unchcrosswords.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Obligatory pet picture with my copy of "Some fun challenges (4)".
Thanks and congrats to all at @unchcrosswords.com
Thanks and congrats to all at @unchcrosswords.com
I agree "they're in the dictionary" is useful when you need a binary way to decide fair/not fair (competitions etc). But given that we have no time for *new* standalone ones, the original non-standaloners which stowed away in Chambers almost seem tantamount to mistakes
October 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I agree "they're in the dictionary" is useful when you need a binary way to decide fair/not fair (competitions etc). But given that we have no time for *new* standalone ones, the original non-standaloners which stowed away in Chambers almost seem tantamount to mistakes
Thinking about abbreviations. Some from the top right quadrant occasionally break through as we acknowledge Chambers is often behind the times. But given no-one supports the bottom right, is there any real justification for bottom left other than "they're in the dictionary" and we're used to them?
October 7, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Thinking about abbreviations. Some from the top right quadrant occasionally break through as we acknowledge Chambers is often behind the times. But given no-one supports the bottom right, is there any real justification for bottom left other than "they're in the dictionary" and we're used to them?
Yeah looks like "try to fit on one page" is faded out as soon as you request 1 column (and that doesn't produce 1 col anyway) so you'll save a lot of aggro if you just use File > Copy to clipboard to paste grid/clues elsewhere then save as PDF. I just tried that on one of mine and it was painless
October 4, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Yeah looks like "try to fit on one page" is faded out as soon as you request 1 column (and that doesn't produce 1 col anyway) so you'll save a lot of aggro if you just use File > Copy to clipboard to paste grid/clues elsewhere then save as PDF. I just tried that on one of mine and it was painless
Who knew that all these US late night hosts get about as many viewers as the Kleptomaniacs seeing off the Lapsed Nudists in a tricky missing vowels round?
September 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Who knew that all these US late night hosts get about as many viewers as the Kleptomaniacs seeing off the Lapsed Nudists in a tricky missing vowels round?
Look away now...
September 9, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Look away now...
@unchcrosswords.com Getting some mixed messages here
September 9, 2025 at 6:07 PM
@unchcrosswords.com Getting some mixed messages here
Two Indy setters in anagram form
August 29, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Two Indy setters in anagram form
Eve would've absolutely loved this
August 23, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Eve would've absolutely loved this
Sometimes I search Fifteensquared to see whether one of the proper setters supports an iffy synonym. ...So now what?
August 21, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Sometimes I search Fifteensquared to see whether one of the proper setters supports an iffy synonym. ...So now what?
Unexpected anagram of CHAMELEONS in the bagging area
August 9, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Unexpected anagram of CHAMELEONS in the bagging area
That's 1499 times less rare than the rarest book I can imagine
August 6, 2025 at 11:13 PM
That's 1499 times less rare than the rarest book I can imagine
Just stumbled across this brilliantly executed old Indy crossword by @mickhodgkin.bsky.social www.fifteensquared.net/2014/05/12/i...
Do yourself a favour and copy the alt text over to @viresh.bsky.social 's viresh-ratnakar.github.io/exolve-playe... (and select the grid on the right) to try it
Do yourself a favour and copy the alt text over to @viresh.bsky.social 's viresh-ratnakar.github.io/exolve-playe... (and select the grid on the right) to try it
July 29, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Just stumbled across this brilliantly executed old Indy crossword by @mickhodgkin.bsky.social www.fifteensquared.net/2014/05/12/i...
Do yourself a favour and copy the alt text over to @viresh.bsky.social 's viresh-ratnakar.github.io/exolve-playe... (and select the grid on the right) to try it
Do yourself a favour and copy the alt text over to @viresh.bsky.social 's viresh-ratnakar.github.io/exolve-playe... (and select the grid on the right) to try it
It was MOPED ('was gloomy'), of course. An anagram of POEM followed by D, as in Welsh learner driver plates (D for dysgwr). Genuinely quite shocked that crossworders haven't got their hands on this and rinsed it for all it's worth
July 21, 2025 at 7:32 PM
It was MOPED ('was gloomy'), of course. An anagram of POEM followed by D, as in Welsh learner driver plates (D for dysgwr). Genuinely quite shocked that crossworders haven't got their hands on this and rinsed it for all it's worth
Have had this in my head all day
![Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons showing a business card saying Crossword Solver: No Clue Too Difficult which is then edited to say No Clue [exclamation mark] Too Difficult [exclamation mark]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3x3nro4untmkfmejndzee7pz/bafkreic5272dadr3e2mpw26g727yhgpaglnvsuwdlne4tx3uf6dcgajbia@jpeg)
July 14, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Have had this in my head all day
Been a while, so here's a solution. As well as being my pseudonym, METHUSELAH is a type of CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE (as is MAGNUM) and also a biblical PATRIARCH and relative of LAMECH, ENOCH, NOAH, and HAM, which are coincidentally all spelled with letters from my other pseudonym, CHAMELEON).
July 7, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Been a while, so here's a solution. As well as being my pseudonym, METHUSELAH is a type of CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE (as is MAGNUM) and also a biblical PATRIARCH and relative of LAMECH, ENOCH, NOAH, and HAM, which are coincidentally all spelled with letters from my other pseudonym, CHAMELEON).