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I thoroughly enjoyed reading that,AJT and Jack on a roll.
AJT, you once described yourself as "a very old woman" but you have the mind of someone at their peak.

To Baldi - Thank you, you couldn't have paid me a greater or more unexpected compliment. Actually I shall be 80 nest week, but I delight in the mental challenge of a difficult crossword. Thanks again.

Hi
First chance I’ve had to post since the ‘combined effort’ at solving this crossword.
Many thanks to dizoz, ixion, AJT, baldi et al - really enjoyed joining in solving what at first appeared to be a very difficult puzzle.
I’m a regular Guardian reader and fan of their daily cryptic crosswords, but this was the first time I’d looked at a Genius crossword - will definitely have a go at the next one.
I have one ‘loose end’ to tie up - with 3d HEARSE there must be a sub somewhere else defining EARSE. If I’ve accounted for all other subs correctly (might have made a mistake though) then the sub in this case is in 24d - ‘in key-hole?’ but I can’t see the connection, any help?
Thanks again.
Jack

Ah! Just realised as I was about to send this - if ‘E’ = ‘key’ then ‘hole’ must be …..!

PS Many happy returns for next week to AJT.

Thank you Jack. I too so enjoyed our combined exercise. I've been doing the Guardian genius xwords from the first one; they're a very mixed bag. You perhaps already know that the Crossword editor writes a piece each month, and he usually gives the number of entries, and when the first one comes in - there's a habitual first very early in the morning. For me, Araucaria's are always the best - his wit shines through.

I thought that the combined effort was really what this site should be about - let others try to spoil it how they will.
Thank you

AJT scrieved:

I thought that the combined effort was really what this site should be about - let others try to spoil it how they will.

I'll second that. I don't take the Grauniad but have read through all of this thread this evening with relish. Happy birthday for next week from me too and many more of them I hope. I've got quite a few to catch up.

the only connection i can see for (h)earse to the presumed sub is a tad rude - ie "e" for the key and the rest for ...

ps what was the sub for (H)eigh-ho

Hi ixion

Sub for (H)eigh-Ho is in 25ac.
Timeless figure EIGH(T), this answer (House) no use = Ho.

Cheers!!

Hoever rude the hearse sub, it's in Chambers, which I suppose makes it acceptable!

Thank you, John (of Arran) for your greeting. And, by the way, you don't have to take the Guardian to get their Genius puzzle, in fact it's only available online - first Monday in the month.

Thanks Jack

Thank you for a fascinating interchange of lively ideas many of which are correct, but not all.The justification for EDUCE was very imaginative but in the end I had to leave for Gretna Green.

Wasn't this a super puzzle? And power there is in a team cracking a crossword.