What makes cryptic crosswords so strangely satisfying?

Why do some terrible puns make us laugh despite ourselves?

And why does language become more fun the moment it stops behaving properly?

For Better or Words is an interactive evening of wordplay, wit, cryptic crosswords and collective solving hosted by Tony Sebastian.

This is not a competitive crossword tournament. You do not need prior experience with cryptic crosswords, Scrabble or word games to attend.

Beginners are absolutely welcome. Curiosity compulsory.

Over 2.5 hours, we’ll explore:

- The fascinating logic behind cryptic crosswords

- How misdirection, humour and surprise work in language

- Wordplay in movies, pop culture and everyday conversation

- Live clue breakdowns and solving techniques

- A collaborative crossword-solving session where the audience solves together

- Some deeply avoidable puns

Whether you’re someone who solves The Hindu cryptic every morning, or someone who has always stared at crossword clues in complete confusion, this evening is designed to make language feel playful again.

Come for the wordplay. Stay for the collective “OHHHHH” moments.

Who is Tony Sebastian

Sometime in 4th Grade, Tony wrote his name on an eraser and imprinted it on his notebook. Ynot? That’s when he started looking at words from all angles. He’s never looked back since… er… you know what we mean. A lapsed cryptic crossword setter and Scrabble player, Tony Sebastian continues to feed his unhealthy obsession with wordplay through podcast intros, terrible puns and dad jokes delivered to increasingly unwilling audiences. By day, Tony works as a Digital Transformation Consultant. By evening, he enjoys asking deeply important questions like whether “the real digital transformation” was humans evolving opposable thumbs. There’s probably a joke in there somewhere, but we can’t quite put our finger on it. Tony is also the co-host of the podcasts Leftover Lasagne and Bits and Pieces, and the father of Emma and Rafa — distinctions that are becoming increasingly difficult to separate.