Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

33 across needs 'reversed' placing after 'hatch' and 'say' removing. As it stands it certainly doesn't seem to work unless I am, as usual, missing something.

I haven't got the theme but am I correct in thinking that if the answer to one of the themed clues is, say, Newcastle, it might be that you would enter the non word of nwate?

Loubyloo10, I'm not sure how your example works - but if the answer was, say, Night, the entry would be Ght, Nipper would be Pper...

The main point is that I have now established that you do enter a non word. My example was if for instance the theme was to remove all the even letters. I assume that you have to work on the non themed clues before you have a chance of working out what is going on.

Thanks, Loubylou11 - yes, there are some non-words involved. The removal is pretty simple.

As it happens, three of the modified entries are words in their own right, but that is coincidental.

As a rule, where puzzles involve modifications to solutions prior to entry in the grid you can assume that non-words will be involved unless the preamble states that 'all grid entries are real words' or something to that effect.

Hi Malone. I am completely baffled! Could you please give an example of your suggestions applied to one of the answers in Speccie 2462. Thanks.

Hi, Farr. My examples were taking NI, Northern Ireland, from words - night becoming ght and so on. This was just a nudge towards it being two letters that were removed, and a nudge towards what the two letters could indicate.

In this week's Spectator - Inger = fetcher, as the BR at the front is dropped. In some clues the BR is elsewhere in the word. I haven't got the clues to hand.

Thanks Malone.