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HW - The compiler Alberich makes a similar observation on his site at http://www.alberichcrosswords.com/pages/listener.html


“All answers are to be treated as Rosicrucians, Visigoths or Boy Scouts. The relationship between them can be determined by encoding half the letters in the grid (to be determined by the solver) with a code also to be determined by the solver. This gives instructions in an Ugro-Finnic language which may be interpreted in seven different ways. On discovering the relationship a Lorentzian transformation is required to locate five virtual elements in the grid...”

Hi Granama1. Sorry, it’s not that I need 2 other cells to complete the endgame. I was surprised that the cells that the lines go through aren’t all empty, apart from the 15th cell which I know is required. Unless I’ve gone wrong, the lines also pass through 2 occupied cells which didn’t seem quite right to me.

Simondx, I'm a little puzzled. The 14 clash cells are left blank, add the one other cell - that adds up to the fifteen-letter phrase. If you add any other cells (occupied cells), won't you have too many and no proper phrases?

Pka1 - the correction in 9d is an M. Frog to from.
It too initiallly followed the path for the first phrase (6,9) taking the third and fourth letters - both “Ls” in the most direct order and hit the same problem with the 7,8 phrase. The solution is to reverse the 3rd and fourth letters. It does lead to a slight issue in that you have to back track half way up the second line before starting the third. However your sequence would lead to a diagonal that does not fit with the required pattern from the first three lines.

Thanks Smithsax. I did wonder if backtracking to the cell above counted as another line, but obviously not. As for my L, the least said the better, but the word sale appears in the BRB entry for the answer, so frog became flog. Puzzle fatigue again.

Hi Malone, I don't think I'm explaining myself very well. I'm happy with the 14 blank cells and the 15th that needs to be made blank, leading to the 15 letter phrases. All good so far. When you draw the lines in the grid through, they pass through 19 cells in total, the 15 blank cells PLUS 4 (I previously said 2) cells which aren't blank, one top right, one bottom left and 2 bottom right. My point was that I was surprised at this - it would have been more 'elegant' had all the cells traversed by the lines been blank. I realise that would have exceeded the 15 squares required for the phrases. So, initially, I wondered if I'd made a mistake somewhere.

Since posting my first question, I've read the whole thread and see that someone had already made the same point - sorry.

Thanks, simond9x. I looked out a copy of the grid and could then follow what you meant. It's sometimes tricky to post questions, or points without revealing too much!

Thanks for the additional info, hotelwhiskey7. I did start one of these a week ago without knowing what cycling meant. As a result, I ended up filling in a third of the grid without cycling certain answers and cocked it up to the point where it was either redraw the grid (couldn't be bothered) or abandon the project (much easier).

This week's puzzle has proved much less of a challenge - at least in terms of filling in the grid. But drawing the 10 lines is completely beyond me, unless I'm trying to create 4 letters! But if I am, then the letters aren't creating anything that I can tie in with the theme. I also have no idea where to look for the cryptically equivalent clues, although I think I know what one of them is, or what the blank cell does.

In summary, I think I find the instructions to these crosswords more of a challenge than the answers to the clues. Once I know for sure what I'm meant to be doing, then half the battle is won...

Stay alert,
Suzannah

Susannahj, ypur post mentions exactly what's needed for the 10 lines! Your four-letter word will fit one thematic element..., wrap it up for you, so to speak. For the other element, it's a description of a production.