Crossword Help Forum
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Smellyharry, I have both Bradford's and find the dictionary far more useful. My book of lists is still pristine, the dictionary is crumpled and battered.

Very happy to be able to use my knowledge of the subject matter to complete without alarm, but very unhappy with the use of the subject matter as 'targets'!

I am struggling to make the middle bit of the grid fit together. I have solved all the clues but can’t place the three obstacle cells in rows 8 and 9. I might of course have gone wrong... Would some kind soul be willing to put me out of my misery? Thanks!

Orientfan, you need to place an obstcle cell at the end of the answer to 20, ie in the sixth cell from left along row 9. There is also an obstacle cell immediately above it, at the end of the entry for 4. The third obstacle cell is four cells further right on the same row (8). It comes at the end of 13 (RECLUSE), which turns through 90 degrees after the U.

Thanks so much dryden. Clearly I have gone wrong somewhere...

I had gone wrong... but by starting from scratch and entering what I knew to be correct I found my error.

Thanks to all for the help and generally good-natured discussions on this site. I wish I could contribute more but I usually don't get to look at the puzzle until Monday evening at the earliest.

Echoing several other recent posts I'd like to thank you all for your help in managing to complete these often infuriating puzzles where I'm frequently even unable to decipher the preamble! I won't mention you by name as there's apparently already a site dedicated to mutual back-patting...Having said that, I think some of you must have very devious minds. My problem is I can't finish the western sector and it seems impossible with the info at hand so please can someone put me on the right path. My columns 1-5 and rows 7-9 currently reading
ILLSE
?CAU?
TORRA. I thought I had a spare S and G but maybe not. A thematic word easily fits in the middle row but I can't fathom where the two letters can be deduced from. Or have I simply made a cock-up? Thanks.

Bazotto - ILLSE is correct. The next one is SCAUP. The next line is TORRA as there is a reversed duck GARROT. By the way you must be referring to the non-answerbank where the contributors don’t actually give answers but just talk about how they got on with the crossword.

Although I have pretty much completed the grid and have identified 9 of the 10 targets, the last one - which I think must be in Row 11 and have 7 letters - is beyond me. My 3 fillers are O S and C, unless I have gone adrift. Could anybody offer me a hint please?

The one you need is 6 letters -C-T-R.