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Thank you, mattrom, roof, tombo etc - 18 and 8 were the words I had been trying to fit in but couldn't parse. It was a tough, and largely unsatisfying solve - I've enjoyed M's puzzles in the past but entering words that are not defined, often words you've had to look up, does not give you the eureka moment that most Geniuses (for instance) do. And, without this thread, it would hardly have been possible to make sense of the last sentence of the rubric. I never submit the Prizes because I don't feel the prize is worth the effort plus postage, but I like to get them done in minutes rather than hours ... The clues are cleverly phrased but give an obscure surface reading which further muddies the delight.

RH 19 is my last one - I have a 4-letter synonym for "stuff" to which I've added an H which only gives me one possible word to enter. I don't understand "half of the crimson stuff". Please can someone enlighten me so I can put this to bed?

tintin - https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cramasie - I didn't know it either ...

- and that's exactly the annoyance - you spend half the time trying to make the only word that will go in comply with the wordplay - the opposite of how crosswords are meant to work . Normally when M does this, the undefined words are linked but the randomness of the solutions and obscurity of some of the wordplay bamboozles one ...

Thank you Prospero for adding to my vocabulary!

Thanks Ged - would you and others mind if I just tested my understanding? I deliberately have not so far looked elsewhere on this thread; my intention is to go in later on remaining clues. So apologies.

My reading of the (opaque) instructions was that A need to be added to one of the clues in 7 across, B to one of the clues in 1 down, then C in one of the clues in 8 across, D in 2 down etc.

It now seems that I have this completely wrong! It should be A in the first half of 7 across, B in the second of 8 across, C in the first half of 10 across etc.

Could Ged or others confirm this? Then I'll have another bash. If so I must say that the instructions were ambiguous. Maskerade always gives tough clues but this is a step too far! Thank goodness that AZED is a Jigsaw which is always good fun!

yes, your third para is correct, williamseal ... I think that was sorted out earlier in the thread - thank goodness, or none of us would have got anywhere.

Thanks prospero - your immediate response is appreciated.
Certainly I've wasted a lot of time and energy - will now revisit. Expect to hear from me again when I get stuck on the individual clues.

Yes,Williamseal, your para 3 shows that have it right for insertion of the additional letters

I am struggling to find this instrument. I thought I'd got it with Chordophone with almost a plea (do phon) inside an irksome task. But as I put it in I realised it was too long! Any suggestions welcome.