struggling with icomplete, trying to terminate matching process

[Eric S Fraga <e.fraga@ucl.ac.uk>]

Hello,

I have recently switched to icomplete from vertico.  So far, mostly
good.  However, there is one situation that I cannot seem to resolve in
icomplete in the mini-buffer.

This situation is when I wish to *not* choose one of the matches given
to me.  For example, if I'm in a directory which has two files, "one"
and "two".  If I wish to create a new sub-directory (or file, I guess)
called "o", I am unable to do so because icomplete insists of choosing
"one".

Is there a magical incantation within icomplete that will return the
partial string I may have typed or one which will turn off icomplete?  I
found nothing with C-h b while in the mini-buffer and the icomplete
section in the Emacs info manual also mentions nothing.

In other completion systems, incomplete return might be C-j or C-RET or
M-RET or ... depending on which system one chooses to use.

I'm sure, as usual, that I am missing something obvious. :-/

Thank you,
eric

-- 
Eric S Fraga via gnus (Emacs 31.0.50 2025-01-06) on Debian 12.8