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As so often, I'm puzzled by an apparent anomaly: some of the Down clues have too many 3 letter blocks allocated eg 6down is referred to in six clues, which would give 18 letters- does this mean that some of the blocks are the same, and only used once?

I'm finding it hard going, done about 5 clues!

Hi Dylan

Yes your guess is correct.

I really enjoyed this one.

Shout if you need help.

Very clever of Ifor to fit all the letters of the two messages into the clues in such a novel way. Presumably the second message applies only to 8d and not to the whole grid!

I have a problem even with that one word. If all the letters are intended to be covered by the message, one of the across entries is changed into a word different from the one clued. It would have been so easy, and so much more elegant, for that word to be clued.

I have the same as that Rad.

Good puzzle though I thought.

As soon as I had posted, I realised that we are (probably) meant to apply the treatment to the whole of 8d. There will then be more than one across entry affected by the changes.

Yes the whole of 8d.

Don’t forget the 2nd part of the 2nd instruction as to the exact type of replacement.

Make that THREE across entries which may be affected by the changes, although the usual convention in crossword puzzles is to omit accents etc.

I make 2 across answers that change!!

Perhaps this is where we should cross the border into the other thread!

I have been able to tie up some loose ends and complete the puzzle after realising what was meant by “thematically” in the preamble. I see now how incredibly clever it was on the part of Ifor to construct the down entries and clues. It is perhaps a weakness to have some of the three-letter words repeated, but I am lost in admiration for the way the three-letter words are combined to make the more interesting six-letter words.

Thanks, Ifor.