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Thanks Loge, I wouldn't have spotted that anagram indicator. I'd been held up by having the wrong thematic item for 4a for a while and, having corrected it hadn't recalculated the first letter of 7d.
The abbreviation...of course! I'd fixated on acronym rather than abbreviation but by the end my brain was fried!
Thanks again - all done (:o)

For Norah

I see that you have been obliged to intervene (again) in the parameters for discussion on this thread. Not for the first time there has been a complaint that too much information been posted. I would like to put the case for a relaxed approach and soft touch.

In my view this thread offers an excellent service and provides a model for something of growing importance. We have an aging population, often isolated, and many of us are concerned about declining faculties (at its crudest a dread of dementia). We seek a good work-out for the brain.

I lag behind most of the others who contribute regularly on this thread. When I start the crossword I sometimes find it is simply too difficult (this week’s was); very occasionally I complete independently; more often than not I turn to this thread for hints. Malone, bless her (?) heart, is always helpful

There is always an argument that the super-alphas do not have to consult the thread. They can post a comment when they are done. Policing the thread will be impossible for you or for anybody else. So, in summary, please show a little tolerance to those who struggle and don’t deny them something that gives them pleasure. Mrs Seal adds that it keeps me quiet while she is gutting the herrings, doesn’t cost much (pencils with erasers on the end) and there is no mess on the sandbank to clear up afterwards.

Re sentence 3 of the preamble: given that OUT, FIG and UDA are totally unrelated, am I to understand that each letter of the perimeter answers + its equivalent from some unrelated word = the non-word that is the entry?

yes

Have just read William's post and agree wholeheartedly. In fact I would go further and say there is not enough given away on this thread.
There are usually two threads but the "straight" one seems hardly to be used. Though this one is used much more, and is qualified by "may contain answers" in fact it never does. If people don't want to disclose or be told an answer, use the other thread and let this one contain the spoilers.

This was a hard solve, that I would never have completed without the help received here.
I still can't see the connection between the "thematic items" and the apparent theme depicted by the shaded items.
Having disregarded Google, due to comments made early on, imagine my surprise when it yielded the required result via pseudonym and perimeter answers.

I'm still struggling to decode the thematic items. I'll get him indoors to take a look, he's better at that sort of thing. Are they in English? Does one need a knowledge of the classics to understand them? If so, I'm done for - give me birds and plants any day!

Jeez, that was tough. Mrs bobbycollins found the bugger. The five highlighted letters in row five are a massive gimme. Not sure if the thematics are classed as animals but I may be wrong.

Doh! Just realised where I'm going wrong - it does pay to read the preamble carefully. Clockwise - doh!!

.....and the hint to the thematic items is direct.