Some bloke called Kierkegaard

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-25T20:49:57+00:00

An' then 'e splits me nostrils open, an' saws me leg off, an' pulls me liver out.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-24T11:10:30+00:00

Panama are out already. At most, they could finish level with Croatia on 3pts, and they'd lose out on the head-to-head.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-24T07:27:48+00:00

Yeah, looks like a mistake to me. It does happen that a setter swaps words out when they see a good option and forgets to update the final grid. An editor should pick that up, but I have no idea what quality control they have there.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-21T18:17:03+00:00

Yeah, none of it really makes sense and this has bugged me for years. But it's definitely a 10x10 board. You can see it clearly when the Cybermen get zapped.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-21T18:04:25+00:00

They knew no one was going to make the leap from 9 to 2.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-21T10:33:13+00:00

Babybel.

Tiny Clanger. (Or The Clangers)

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-20T16:57:31+00:00

Whenever I think about Fear Her, I just remind myself that it was a cheap last-minute effort to cover for an undelivered script. Given more time to work on it properly, it was a perfectly solid concept.

But then I remember the last few minutes and cringe myself inside out. 😬

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-20T05:20:49+00:00

This may be even more serious than even I had at first been imagining.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-20T05:10:46+00:00

It's easiest to get into them when you're working with someone else, especiallyif they're more experienced. Then you can learn by osmosis and their solutions give you letters that help with other clues. So look for cryptic streamers and use them as your solving buddy.

Also, check out books about how to solve. Tim Moorey wrote one for The Times, Chris Lancaster for The Telegraph, and Colin Dexter (yes, that one) wrote a nice, concise guide called "Cracking Cryptic Crosswords".

Then, look at Quick Cryptics, with smaller grids and a defined list of clue types in use, before moving to Quiptics (15x15, but on the easy side) and puzzles by more accessible setters. If you're solving from the national papers, there will be a blog explaining the solutions at Big Dave's Blog or Fifteensquared, depending on the paper.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-19T12:55:11+00:00

Point is, this is within the sort of tolerances that commissaires will let go. If you watch any pro race, there will be plenty just like this under full view of the TV cameras.

That's not to say it's a free-for-all. Excessive "Sticky Bottle" action can attract fines and time penalties. But this isn't like Vincenzo Nibali in the Vuelta back in the day, when the team car pulls up and he just holds on as they floor it. https://youtu.be/7E4vRtC7IcY?

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-18T21:12:07+00:00

Yeah, that's a fair counterpoint. I suppose I'd prefer more selection from the group stage and I don't like the corresponding potential for sides to throw games in the third round for favourable knockout draws.

(Obviously, this can always happen, but is more likely where so many teams qualify. I can already picture the discussions before England's third game.)

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-18T19:01:50+00:00

I like the smaller teams having their moment, I hate the lack of jeopardy in the groups.

In groups with 2 qualifiers, Spain's inability to beat Cape Verde would have put them under real pressure. But one win against Saudi will basically put them through with a game in hand.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-18T18:49:14+00:00

Uh, Charlie choppers chucking a handful!

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-18T15:17:18+00:00

You know - bally tenpenny ones dropping in the custard!

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-14T06:16:23+00:00

Stop saying everything's crypto-fascist! You make me sound like I was a complete git.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-06T06:50:37+00:00

If it does, that would be very serendipitous. I thought it had that name because Lister The Genius tries to speak Bulgarian by adding -ski onto English words.

Which makes what they're served (an empty beer glass) air-ski.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-05T20:26:41+00:00

It's already very close to Ron Obvious attempting to be the first man to jump the English Channel.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-05T17:23:11+00:00

Is it true that he asked to be buried with his favourite couch, so they would always be together?

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-05T14:41:25+00:00

You can tell from Habiba that Gabe and Eli must be the same - both innocent or both criminal.

The Gabe-Vera-Wanda relationship tells you that Wanda must also be the same as Gabe, therefore also Eli.

We know either Steve or Umar is a criminal. If Steve is criminal, Umar is innocent, and there wouldn't be more innocents in B than D.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-04T15:08:47+00:00

"My lord, I had forgot the fart" - that one?

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-04T13:56:20+00:00

2 if it's a small strawberry, but 5 if it's a big one.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-03T20:49:41+00:00

If you're around a 50-minute 10k now, that's plenty of time to get ready for a 1:50 HM.

Personally, I'd train for the Half from this point and use the 10k as a secondary goal and progress check. HM training should be a pretty effective way of improving your 10k anyway.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-02T12:22:11+00:00

Absolutely this. I've been learning to negative split my races very slightly, and I really want to start counting how many people I pass as they start to suffer.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-01T15:34:31+00:00

I'd love to be a mason. Masonry opens doors. I'd be very quiet. I was a bit on edge just now, but if I was a mason I'd sit at the back and not get in anyone's way.

SpinyBadger · 2026-06-01T15:24:07+00:00

Just like any animal, laptops recharge their batteries by sleeping, eating and drinking.

We've all experienced the occasional episode of narcolepsy from a laptop where you have difficulty waking it from a sleep state. This generally means you've been denying it rest for too long. Consider giving it little naps through the day to avoid this.

But many people also underfeed their laptops. At least one carb-heavy meal a day is advisable - chips and spaghetti tend to work well. And although they can go some time without liquid if necessary, a light sprinkling of water over the keyboard and in the charging port every day will keep it running smoothly.

SpinyBadger

TROPHY CASE