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It's worth persevering Unclued, although very tough it is happily unambiguous so far as endings go. Like others have said I think the pre-amble could have been better word regarding the zigzags (I'd even question if a word entered in an 'L' shape can even be described as a zigzag). I too found the lower half the easiest place to start and worked up the grid. Good luck with your week!

Please put me out of my misery on Clue 1.

Are there clashes?

I worked out WHIN the same way as greengage at first and missed the 'unclued' W - my superfluous 'unclued' came from dropping ST('saint') instead of just 'S'. Both are unnecessary complications in my view - the puzzle was hard enough without resorting to this.

woodlouse - 1 is a place name and starts with a double consonant (with one of them unclued).
There are no clashes.

Thanks, that gives me hope

Endgame: the instructions surges get I am looking for an 8 letter thematic word “in line” with the text, which I take to mean in a column; the 8 letter word to be revealed when a four-letter word at present part of it is shuffled (leaving new real words in place of the existing clued ones). Possibly one of the eight squares will be one of the blanks, for which the new word will provide a letter which otherwise I would have to supply to complete the name. But can I see a case that fits? Where am I going wrong? Or do I just keep staring?

Suggests, even.

Don't worry about the 2 remaining blanks, unowned - they resolve themselves (but not directly via the 8 letter thematic word).

I was completely confused about the Zig-Zag instructions until I came here, but thanks to everyone's help I have, at last, begun to fill the grid in a tentative fashion.
But I am having difficulty.
Please can some kind person tell me if there are any/many Clashes in the puzzle ?
Thank you.

Samovar, I have filled the grid and found no clashes, but nor have I found the four- and eight-letter words....

And I now have the endgame sorted, and no clashes involved there. BTW I think the wording of “grouped WITH the symbols” is another oddity, though the sense is (I think) obvious.