Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I think the preamble suggests that only one further character should be changed to produce the fourth '0'. I think it's the adjacent square (21dn] that should be changed to 01 giving 2001. This way a single number is changed for another single number, rather than two for one.

drxx

I am sure you are right - brilliant observation by you!. I have been looking everywhere for it

Thanks jigjag, having all of 2001 in the first square (as I originally had it) certainly looked neater, but I don't think it's what the preamble is asking for.

Cloverjo, the title is a cryptic indication of how to obtain the instructions from the extra words.

Is it? Can you explain?

And why are a couple of people talking about rings?

Betty2, Socratic is an anagram of acrostic. The rings are a reference to circles that required to amend the grid.

I'd completed the grid and the alterations required but couldn't see how the title connected to the rest of the crossword. Thank you malcolmd!

drxx

yes I agree its neater in the first square. Then the number all comes before the words whether you read down or across, whereas with what they want, part of the number is after a letter when you read across.

It was a clever idea though to use 2 cells with numbers in. I wish the setter had used say, "halfcut" instead of hellcat. That would have resulted in a neater amendment.

A very good puzzle that continues the run of interesting ones (my standard). A number of regular threaders have not posted on this. I wondered if they found this puzzle too easy?

Belatedly, no jigjag, have not found it easy, finished the grid apart from 18d and can't parse some of the clues including 11a & 35d.

Have not got a clue (sic) as to what the instructions are as cannot make head nor tale of the removals and am afraid despite the number of useful posts about changing the author line to title and totally confused, does everything just end up as non- words?

Will live in hope for next week.

manic mary...
35d change jacobi's "core" CO to LE (the in French)
18d nice refers to Nice in France ... hence French old length.. Persic is extra.... couple of articles here and there means you need an English article "a" + a French one "une" . Together they make the length required.

You should have an author at 20a .....replace with one of his best known works(it was a film too) (1,5,7)
Then you need an actual figure in front of this for the whole title... so change the clue number 21 to 01
6d needs to be changed to the antagonist of the book ... i think it's already been mentioned in the thread .. it's 3 letters with 4 numbers after it