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Hi everyone, I've been waiting for a thread to start to hopefully help with the end game. I've solved all the clues, have an eleven letter word for X, an instruction (4,7,3,4,6,2,5,2,5) and a possible phrase for the unclued lights (8,3,6,2,7,3,7), but completely baffled by it all. Any nudge or idea would be gratefully received.

Hi, Gitto. I'm at the same stage and think I have the phrase for z. However, I can't see how to follow the instruction yet.

Hi Gitto, I think that you must have the correct phrase for the unclued lights, ie the definition of Y. It seemed quite improbable to me, but having solved all the clues, I couldn't see what else it could be...

...so I googled the whole phrase, and one of the first sites returned referred to a gambling game. Which seemed promising. In the wikipedia site for that gambling game I found some of the terms used. There is a 5-letter word which suits the definition of Y. If you crosscheck this word in TCD, you find the exact wording which appears in the unclued lights.

For Z, look further at the TCD entry, you'll find something which fits 7,6

You and me both Gitto. I imagine you have the same possible phrase (though the 2nd letter of my 2nd 7 makes no sense). I take it you have noticed that a word appropriate to X (starting in the 1st word of the possible phrase) can be made by creating 3 new words? Beyond that I'm baffled. They seem to think it's very simple by Schadenfreude's standards in the other place ;¬(

Hi S_Pugh, it took me some time to get 21, I think it doesn't help that my TCD does not have 'recognise' anywhere in the definition for the first, and most common, entry. Though it does have 'discern' and 'distinguish'. The second entry tells of an arabic word for a hill...

Me too. X, Y and Z all clearly identified but I'm damned if I can see what to change or what will be revealed thereby.

I'm not clear on the parsing of 5 or 13, although I'm sure I have the answers right. Any hints?

Midgers, 5 is a six-letter Italian word, fairly well-known, for 'forward', an abbreviation for 'average' is dropped, giving the last word in the clue. the definition.

Hi Meursault, oh no I had 21 alright, it was just I thought it should be an A as the 2nd letter of the last word of the phrase (as in a cricket connotation!) - totally barking up the wrong tree and wrong game!

Hi Midgers.
5 : Avanti minus av (diffident extra); 13 : NINE S Y(on)S anagram (closed extra).
I should wait a while before discussing the change.

Thanks all. Like s_pugh, I was thrown for a while by the last word of the unclued entries, not helped by solving while listening to TMS !!