Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thanks wintonian, nice to know I'm along the right lines.

Cripes! Now that I know what it is, I'm not sure I'm any the wiser. Perhaps after a couple of chilled glasses of 9 out in the garden it will all make sense.

I have struggled across the finishing line, thanks to massive help from colleagues here. A brilliant puzzle but I thought in many ways it was unfair. As so often happens, in the early stages of solving there was virtually no cross-checking, which is surely an essential feature of a crossword!

My final 5 letter word of the 6,5,5 reads PAISS. Which letter is wrong? Thanks.

the first s I think unclued

Murky - don't give up so easily! The top left unclued octagon correlates (or perhaps better said codes) directly to one of the four unclued squares - not just any one. They all do. If in doubt Google the first 11 letters of the 16 mentioned in the preamble ...

There is NO ambiguity in the endgame (for once!)

Thanks planks I’ll have another look now I have finished my lie down in a darkened room.

is there a clue somewhere as to the number one needs to use? I am close to failing at the final hurdle.

I think I'm close to be being barred for excessive posts but no the code varies, but all on the same theme. There are conversion websites should you need them but frankly I find writing the alphabet out on two strips of card and sliding them along is easy enough (or just build a cross reference grid on Excel or similar).

Good night all and good luck, no more posts from me!

Afraid I've nothing new to say on the puzzle.
Gazzar, I really hope you get some relief, whatever works. Whisky usually worked for me,
Rad, yes, I think you're absolutely right. In many respects it's an excellent puzzle, but unless a lot of us have been incredibly stupid, it does require about 80-90% cold-solved before further progress. And really that isn't what a crossword is all about, in that in general the entry for one answer contributes to the solving of another....
Last, but not least, after all his contributions today, I hope that when he returns S_Pugh can spare a few words for Keepatit.