A favourite pastime in the QCC is to complain about the crossword. Too many anagrams, not enough anagrams, archaic words, frenchies, Americanisms.... The setters's lot is not a happy one as it is impossible to keep everyone happy. Here is some useful advice on how to react to the daily crossword.
Introduction to the QCC by Melmoth
Melmoth1820
27 October 2011 7:52AM
Here's a few guidelines for new members of the QCC (or even existing members who would like to refresh their memories).
If possible you should announce proudly that you did the crossword in less than two minutes and that it was easy peasy lemon squeezy. This will elicit a plethora of plaudits expressing admiration for your cleverness and erudition, will guarantee your popularity amongst fellow QCC habitués and may even make you eligible for membership of the Illuminati (although the initiation rites can be a little bit painful and embarrassing).
Never admit to using the Check or Cheat buttons.
Whenever you have any doubts about the correctness of an answer you should immediately pronounce the word to be “wrong” (or preferably “WRONG”) and criticise the setter for being an idiot, a dimwit or something similar (A list of approved epithets is available from the Governing Council). On no account should you consult a dictionary or other reference work to confirm your opinion as this is rightly considered to be very bad form (on a par with farting loudly during the quiet bits of the “Mass in B minor” or whistling “Colonel Bogey” during a two-minute silence).
Sometimes a word will appear that is unfamiliar to you. This has nothing whatever to do with your level of literacy, degree of general knowledge or understanding of language, it is purely because the word is archaic in the extreme, ridiculously obscure and/or made-up. You should complain at great length about this (ideally using multiple comments) and denigrate the setter appropriately (see above).
Crossword compilers have a habit of including foreign words and phrases which they are deluded enough to imagine have been absorbed into English usage (often French and sometimes even “Americanisms”. Gasp. Shudder). This is blasphemy and heresy of the worst sort and must be stamped out. We didn't give up the Empiah to have our crosswords infiltrated by Johnny Furriner. Egad sah! We have a long and proud British tradition of crosswording by gum and we'll not allow it to be mucked about by long-haired Liberal good-for-nothings who've got no standards or decency and probably don't know all the words to “Land of Hope and Glory”. Pah! Harrumph! Bring back National Service. Send a gunboat....... blah blah....... mumble grumble.......
Oh. Sorry. Got a bit carried away there.
Now where was I?