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I've solved a bunch of the clues, but given that I wouldn't make Bletchley park can anyone enlighten me as to you how you begin the enciphering?

I'm with abiccoop - or probably in a worse state. Some of the clues seem straight forward - 11 down for example. But how would you begin to encipher this three letter word to make five? Perhaps I'm early with this sort of question, but I'm wondering whether to persevere with this one.

What do others think?

Sounds about the same as me! Hopefully someone will shed some light as I'd like to try it, but can't get very far if I can't put anything into the grid!

I'm halfway down the downs on my first run through the clues and have cold-solved all bar three. There has to be logic to the gridfill but it's escaping me at the moment. Hopefully the P will D.

Every letter in a solution becomes one or 2 letters in the grid entry. So eg EGG could go to HALAL.

2 down has a 3 letter solution but 5 letter grid entry. So two of its letters must map to 2 letters and one must map to one. Once you've solved a few clues you can figure out which letters must go to one and which to 2, which is a start.

Hope that makes sense

Ok, so then if we know from 21a that I must be 1 letter then J and G must be 2. But how on earth do you start to know what letters they make?

Thats where the fun starts! Although I accept it may not be to everyone's taste.

If you have solved 9a and say the first letter of that is a 1 letterer, then you know that that letter maps to the second letter of the new J. If its a 2 letterer then you know the first letter of its mapping is the same as the second letter of new J. Look at everywhere where you have crossing answers to start working out what must be the same as what.

I've solved just under half the clues and by doing that I have one entry that must be one of 9 words. So hoping to get some firm mappings soon.

I pencilled in HALAL as a potential modified grid entry (4 down), though I think it could also be CASAS or SALAL but not KABAB. But even if I'm on the right lines, I can't as yet see any logic to the substitutions. Well past beer o'clock so I'll come back to his tomorrow.

Please keep it up posters - I'm regaining my will to persevere.