Puzzle Notes

Hi all,

We're back with another lovely cryptic from the ever-excellent Katherine Bryant - this time, with a twist! We very much hope you're up for what she's not putting down. First, a bit more about our constructor, from Katherine herself:

"Katherine is making a midlife career pivot and is a newly-minted genetic counselor, having just gotten her master's degree. She's currently doing some freelance writing (and cryptic constructing) while looking for a job in her new field. When not doing those things, she plays roleplaying games, crochets, messes around in a community garden plot, and hangs out with the best tabby cat ever. She's excited to be back for her third AVCX puzzle, and thanks Nate for the help and patient feedback making this one work!"

This is truly a fun one and we hope you enjoy! Don't forget that you can also solve this puzzle and others online at crosswordr.com (AVCX login credentials required).

Best!
Nate + the AVCX Cryptics team