Boatman Cryptics
LightNews LightNews
banner
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Boatman Cryptics
@boatmancryptics.co.uk
420 followers 190 following 410 posts
Guardian crossword setter & teacher of aspiring word-fiends. Two books of puzzles & the stories behind them: see website for signed copies or to sign up for masterclasses or to commission bespoke puzzles: boatmancryptics.co.uk
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Boatman Cryptics @boatmancryptics.co.uk · Jan 2
An extra place has just become available on my 14 / 21 March online masterclass for aspiring setters and keen solvers. Grab it now and release your inner word-fiend!
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-ma...
Learn to set crosswords like the professionals! Follow in the footsteps of Basilisk/Jack/Serpent, Bluth/Fed/Django, Carpathian/Vigo, Daedalus, Dice/Guinevere, Hudson/Julius/Knut/Magnus, Karla/Wire, Soup and many more. Intensive 8 hours in two sessions £160 online or £195 in person. Past students say: "Great day … Such a complete course" / "Absolutely brilliant … I really feel ready to step up a level now"
boatmancryptics.co.uk
@themacsfarm.bsky.social ?!?
undeniablyalex.bsky.social Alex McMillan @undeniablyalex.bsky.social · 1d
People often talk about double yolk eggs, but nobody ever brings up the difficult second albumen
February 8, 2026 at 7:06 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
As is appropriate for Mandelson, the medium is the massage …
mrhenrymorris.substack.com Henry Morris @mrhenrymorris.substack.com · 2d
If you think the Times gave Peter Mandelson a soft soap, I interviewed him for the New Yorker while Reinaldo was giving him a soft tissue massage.

Read all about it here:

www.thenewworld.co.uk/henry-morris...
Mandelson in hiding: A ‘New Yorker’ profile
The disgraced Labour guru speaks candidly from his massage table about the real victim of the Epstein scandal: Himself
www.thenewworld.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 4:30 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Excellent! @postmarkcryptic.bsky.social doubles the representation of masterclass alumni in the @economist.com crossword!
 PostMarkCryptic.bsky.social @postmarkcryptic.bsky.social · 10d
Delighted, as Rowland, to be joining the team at @economist.com with a gentle Saturday cryptic.

Samples:

North America should follow Article 10, one feels (7)

Country intended to have rupees instead of India? (6)

What leads debate about Irish legislation? (4)

www.economist.com/interactive/...
Weekend crossword for Jan 31st 2026
A weekend crossword based on the week’s news
www.economist.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:54 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Advance warning ... In @theguardian.com #crossword on Saturday 7 March - no hints though, as prizes are at stake
January 31, 2026 at 9:28 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
The PNG Courier is not for wobbling …
mrhenrymorris.substack.com Henry Morris @mrhenrymorris.substack.com · 10d
NEW: The PNG Courier's overseas correspondent on Reform's limescale problem.

Check my Substack for more.

open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...
January 31, 2026 at 8:45 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Yes! Masterclass alumna Liari aka Apus makes a well-deserved debut in the Thunderer …
liari.bsky.social Liari @liari.bsky.social · 19d
Pleased to have compiled today's Times Quick Cryptic.
January 22, 2026 at 11:33 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
The PNG Courier’s correspondent knows something about pots and kettles when dissent and destruction are involved …
mrhenrymorris.substack.com Henry Morris @mrhenrymorris.substack.com · 24d
The very latest from the PNG Courier's overseas correspondent.

Visit the link for more.

mrhenrymorris.substack.com/p/the-png-co...
January 17, 2026 at 9:26 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Vicky Walsh talks about the power of puzzles and the experience of learning to set cryptic crosswords in one of my masterclasses (still one place available in my March class!) here:
www.pressreader.com/article/2822...
PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
Digital newsstand featuring 7000+ of the world’s most popular newspapers & magazines. Enjoy unlimited reading on up to 5 devices with 7-day free trial.
www.pressreader.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:17 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
You too can make it difficult for your loved ones to regift one of my books by getting me to write in it! Here, @drpaulitious.bsky.social’s daughter does a very creditable job of encrypting her birthday wishes, with which I concur …
drpaulitious.bsky.social Paul Tyreman 〓〓 @drpaulitious.bsky.social · Jan 10
@boatmancryptics.co.uk I got "The First Fifty" for my birthday, looking forward to getting on with them once I've got the last 20 in my Araucaria book done. I promise not to take as long getting started as I did with his!
January 11, 2026 at 9:47 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
An extra place has just become available on my 14 / 21 March online masterclass for aspiring setters and keen solvers. Grab it now and release your inner word-fiend!
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-ma...
Learn to set crosswords like the professionals! Follow in the footsteps of Basilisk/Jack/Serpent, Bluth/Fed/Django, Carpathian/Vigo, Daedalus, Dice/Guinevere, Hudson/Julius/Knut/Magnus, Karla/Wire, Soup and many more. Intensive 8 hours in two sessions £160 online or £195 in person. Past students say: "Great day … Such a complete course" / "Absolutely brilliant … I really feel ready to step up a level now"
January 2, 2026 at 2:12 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
If AI is sentient, it has a great sense of humour …
hjm.bsky.social Helen Macdonald @hjm.bsky.social · Dec 15
Send help have become trapped by this AI animal alphabet

source: www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfu...
An AI-generated animal alphabet of such intense wrongness (e.g. “O is penguin” by an image of a quail) that it achieves something like sublimity
December 15, 2025 at 8:59 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
If future generations do not speak of the Fargo Cult and cite this piece as its coinage, it will be a travesty …
December 15, 2025 at 8:50 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
In Brighton / Hove and at a loose end? Head over to The Brunswick, where the One World Jazz Orxhestra is set up and ready to play …
December 14, 2025 at 7:42 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Last orders for Christmas by Thursday 18th, please!

Treat the crossword addict in your life to 50 fiendish puzzles in each book with the stories behind them & lots of extras, incl puzzles previously not seen in print. All booksellers, or signed copies from:
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
December 13, 2025 at 6:37 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
I can report that the seasonal Upcycled Woodland Vegetation of Hope has taken residence in the Boatman household ...
A tastefully decorated pan-faith seasonal shrub adorns the Boatman household
December 13, 2025 at 6:27 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Here's how ChrisMaslanka and nieces enjoy Christmas! Treat the crossword addict in your life to 50 fiendish puzzles in each book with the stories behind them & lots of extras, incl puzzles previously not seen in print. All booksellers or signed copies: boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
The Buddha of Buda enjoys Boatman – the first 50 in the company of his nieces at Christmas – just one of two books of fiendish puzzles and the stories behind them Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Boatman - the second 50 contains another 50 puzzles from The Guardian, with five bonus puzzles previously only available online and including puzzles, solutions and the ideas and stories behind them, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show one of the stories, which is accompanied by a picture of a large cow. Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
December 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Boatman Cryptics
wildvale.co.uk
I can attest to both how much I learned and how much fun this was!
boatmancryptics.co.uk Boatman Cryptics @boatmancryptics.co.uk · Nov 25
If you have a loved one who would like to explore crossword setting or just to get new insights into how they're created, places on my masterclass make a much-appreciated gift!

Help them release their inner fiendishness! New dates for 2026 just announced ...
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-ma...
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Boatman Cryptics
guineverecryptic.bsky.social
Highly recommended! I owe a lot to Boatman, this course and the connections it led to!

#cryptic #crossword
boatmancryptics.co.uk Boatman Cryptics @boatmancryptics.co.uk · Nov 25
If you have a loved one who would like to explore crossword setting or just to get new insights into how they're created, places on my masterclass make a much-appreciated gift!

Help them release their inner fiendishness! New dates for 2026 just announced ...
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-ma...
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
The lovely Graeme Garden is getting to grips with my books! Each volume has 50 fiendish crosswords from @theguardian.com and the stories behind them with lots of extras, including puzzles previously not seen in print. All booksellers, or signed copies from boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
Graeme has nearly completed one of the fiendish crosswords in Boatman - The First 50. His colouring-in is most attractive! Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Graeme is not sure which way to tackle the puzzles in Boatman - The Second 50. Upside-down is certainly an option! Boatman - the second 50 contains another 50 puzzles from The Guardian, with five bonus puzzles previously only available online and including puzzles, solutions and the ideas and stories behind them. Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
November 27, 2025 at 10:12 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
If you have a loved one who would like to explore crossword setting or just to get new insights into how they're created, places on my masterclass make a much-appreciated gift!

Help them release their inner fiendishness! New dates for 2026 just announced ...
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-ma...
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
I enjoyed @rutgerbregman.com’s lecture this morning and have mentally reinserted the censored line …
rutgerbregman.com Rutger Bregman @rutgerbregman.com · Nov 25
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Good study here of how it’s difficult, as part of a tolerant society that values freedom of expression, to call out unacceptable attitudes when we see them …
adambienkov.bsky.social Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · Nov 19
On Nigel Farage's racism, of course it is possible that someone can believe one thing when they're a teenager and something completely different when they're an adult.

But where is the evidence that has happened in this case?

Instead all of the evidence points in the complete opposite direction
Nigel Farage Is a Racist
The media is refusing to state the most bleedingly obvious facts about a man whose entire career has been devoted to pursuing a racist political agenda
www.adambienkov.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 9:43 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Says @davegorman.bsky.social: "Boatman's puzzles are like Magic Eye posters. You stare at them for a while and then suddenly something three dimensional pops out. Don't be dizzied by it. Dance with it". All booksellers, or signed copies from boatmancryptics.co.uk/product-cate...
Dave Gorman, aka Fed, Bluth and Django in the crossword world, enjoys Boatman puzzles when on tour. Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Boatman - the second 50 contains another 50 puzzles from The Guardian, with five bonus puzzles previously only available online and including puzzles, solutions and the ideas and stories behind them, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show one of the stories, which is accompanied by a picture of a large cow. Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
November 19, 2025 at 9:59 AM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
Have you reposted yet? You still have a few hours before someone wins a free signed book this evening …
boatmancryptics.co.uk Boatman Cryptics @boatmancryptics.co.uk · Nov 14
It's the Seasonal Reposting Competition! Repost this over the weekend, and on Sunday one lucky person will win a signed copy of one of my books. For you or the #crossword addict in your life: 50 fiendish @theguardian.com #puzzles and all the stories behind them:
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
Boatman - the first 50 reportedly makes a great present or holiday read, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show the story behind the Shipping Forecast puzzle, on display on Brighton beach. Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Hugh Stephenson (Alan’s predecessor at The Guardian) says: "This is a unique book of crosswords" and Henry Morris: "a Boatman crossword is like a theme park. Each daunting line is a rollercoaster ... He scares you witless. But you can't wait to do it all over again". Boatman - the second 50 contains another 50 puzzles from The Guardian, with five bonus puzzles previously only available online and including puzzles, solutions and the ideas and stories behind them, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show one of the stories, which is accompanied by a picture of a large cow. Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
November 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
boatmancryptics.co.uk
It’s a solid start to the Retweet Competition! Don’t forget to enter - there could be a book with (literally) your name on it ...
boatmancryptics.co.uk Boatman Cryptics @boatmancryptics.co.uk · Nov 14
It's the Seasonal Reposting Competition! Repost this over the weekend, and on Sunday one lucky person will win a signed copy of one of my books. For you or the #crossword addict in your life: 50 fiendish @theguardian.com #puzzles and all the stories behind them:
boatmancryptics.co.uk/crossword-bo...
Boatman - the first 50 reportedly makes a great present or holiday read, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show the story behind the Shipping Forecast puzzle, on display on Brighton beach. Reviewing Boatman - the first 50, Alan Connor (The Guardian's crossword editor and the brains behind many of BBC2’s quiz programs) says: "This is one to savour. Boatman's puzzles are witty and ingenious. It is an extraordinary pleasure to read how his unique mind works. The first 50 is a book I never knew I needed in my life. Gift it to yourself and to the word-lovers in yours". Hugh Stephenson (Alan’s predecessor at The Guardian) says: "This is a unique book of crosswords" and Henry Morris: "a Boatman crossword is like a theme park. Each daunting line is a rollercoaster ... He scares you witless. But you can't wait to do it all over again". Boatman - the second 50 contains another 50 puzzles from The Guardian, with five bonus puzzles previously only available online and including puzzles, solutions and the ideas and stories behind them, exemplified by this image of the book opened to show one of the stories, which is accompanied by a picture of a large cow. Reviewing Boatman - the second 50, Gyles Brandreth says: "If you want a fiendish crossword, you want the best - which means you want Boatman, because he is the best" and Brian Bilston: "Cracking crosswords - each puzzle a delightful daily workout for the brain and a welcome tonic for the soul".
November 15, 2025 at 2:31 PM