Empty Cryptic

FM Mini-Cryptic 10/23/25

Dear Reader, Welcome to Fifteen Minutes first ever (to my knowledge) cryptic crossword. Cryptics are the trickier and weirder British cousin of normal crosswords. Whereas a normal crossword’s clues only have a definition (e.g. “Time magazine?” for “Fifteen Minutes”), cryptic crosswords clues have both a definitional clue and a word play clue in them. You might think that having two clues for every word would make things easier, but the hard part is that cryptics don’t tell you which part of the clue is which! Cryptic crossword clues usually look like normal sentences, but looks deceive. Most cryptic crossword clues actually have three separate components, the “definition” (like a normal crossword clue, but usually more vague), the “fodder,” and the “indicators.” Indicators tell you in a “cryptic” sort of way what word or letter play to perform on the fodder (e.g. reversal, anagram, etc.) to reveal the word hinted at by the definition. An example might be helpful: Suppose our clue was “Dr. Rahav confused John (7)” [The (7) just indicates we’re looking for a seven letter word for our answer]. In this case, the definition is “John,” the fodder is “Dr. Rahav,” and “confused” is an anagram indicator. So we’re looking for an anagram of “Dr. Rahav” that could mean “John.” After a minute, we realize “Harvard” is the correct answer. (Seem complicated? This is actually pretty tame by cryptic standards, but don’t worry, practice makes perfect!) As you may have noticed, punctuation can usually be ignored in a cryptic. Ready to jump right in? Try the mini-Cryptic below! Enjoy, Henry

A New Quest for Consciousness

In the 10 minutes before the official start of class, Professor Anne Harrington somehow managed to cover descriptions of Gilbert Ryle’s classic “category mistake” critique of mind-body dualism, Richard Feynman’s self-experimentation on falling asleep, and the layout of her course’s Canvas site.

I Went to Every Event Pubbed To Me

Every pub email, every flyer, every overheard conversation in the dining hall — if the event fit in my schedule, I would attend it.

Flipping the Script on @askharvardstudents

Sean Park’s Instagram success seems almost obvious in hindsight. His content sits at the intersection of short-form street interviews and online college advice — two genres that have exploded in popularity in recent years. Add in the allure of the Harvard brand, and it seems a bulletproof concept for virality.

Preserving the Past, Embracing the Present: Art in the Houses

There is often little room for modern or student-produced art. The Houses “have a particular architecture,” Luise Mörke says, that “already determines what is possible in a given space, or what works in a given space.” Conformity to these past styles, she says, is often what contemporary art “is up against.”

HUCG vs. Folklore and Mythology

Basically a secondary.

HUCG vs. Folklore and Mythology

Luxor Cafe, After Dark

People are crowded around tables, playing cards, Connect 4, Othello, and other games taken from a nearby communal shelf. One wall is decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphics, another with a span of Polaroids.