Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Pastille, Araucaria (John Graham) is the Guardian's longest-serving setter. Humorous is right - but he can be maddening. This puzzle is one of his more fiendish offerings.
A bit of background:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,438558,00.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Galbraith_Graham
Don't expect him to follow conventional rules. His style is libertarian, even anarchic, rather than what's often called 'Ximenean'. But he's also quite rigorous and meticulous.
Here, the asterisked clues (which lack further definition) lead to a keyword. Not to beat about the bush, because it's been made public on AnswerBank if not on here, that keyword is 'Potter' and it refers to literary characters (authors and their work) and to those who mess around with clay.
For example. a clue of this type is 11a (grid A): Not talking to the gilded French. The answer's DUMB + LE + DORE = a character from a well-known work associated with the theme word.
The more 'straightforward' clues rely on wordplays which are often rather wacky, but you'll find some familiar devices - anagrams, double definitions, homophones, hidden clues etc - among them.
I hope you enjoy this and other Araucaria/Guardian offerings along with your well-earned rest from the allotment.

well to all you purists may I say that some off us need help just to get a kick start on the more difficult puzzles. Even with a little help I have not finished this one yey

I finished it eventually with a little help from the knowledgable sudokulover, so if I can help, Thomas, please let me know.

Thank you cottager for your most helpful and interesting reply...

I have saved it on my favourites "bit" for reference.

Thanks again...x

Bullfrog,may I just explain to you again that I,for example,happen to live abroad,and the only hope of getting an entry in on time with the post here is to finish it within hours on the Saturday morning normally,with a little help from my friends.I never understand why those who complain don't just look away if they find certain postings too early.Do you understand now?Even if I'm the only one thus affected,it happens to be true.

Sorry Greedy Kite, but as I don't do the crossword with the aim of sending it in, you're right --- I don't understand. I don't understand why you're trying to win a prize by cheating. As far as I'm concerned, it's a battle of wits between me and the setter, not an attempt to win what is, after all, a fairly paltry prize. I don't care if it takes me all week to finish -- I don't look at the threads about that specific crossword until it's completed, and when it is completed I feel a sense of quiet satisfaction. Obviously that's not enough for you.

Sorry,Bullfrog,we shall have to agree to differ.Like you I used to scratch my head alone for 4 days till I got it right.Of course the prize is no incentive.It's just that if I can manage all or nearly all of a difficult one ,it would be absurd not to send it in.If you call using a forum cheating then you might as well not use it.Your personal satisfaction is your own problem,psychologically speaking.This has all been said here many times before.What amazes me in general is the amount of venom & intolerance certain users demonstrate online.Ever heard of "solve and let solve"?

...and by the way,Bullfrog,isn't using dictionaries & the net just as much cheating by your definition?Where do you think your own mind,as you put it,comes from? But that's probably too philosophical............

Agree to differ we shall, greedy kite. And as for your 'philosophical' jibe, we all draw our own lines -- mine is not to ask anyone else for answers (or even to enter a thread where I might see an answer by accident). Clearly, I wouldn't be here helping other people solve their clues if I had a real issue. What you or anyone else does after that is a matter for your conscience. It's interesting though that you perceive my quiet satisfaction as a psychological problem, but not your need to submit a solution that others have helped you achieve.