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Ken - you can figure out the grid structure from the clue order without solving any clues. The 90 degree symmetry helps a lot.

Once you've done this the whole thing becomes a lot more straight forward.

Ken - you can figure out the grid structure from the clue order without solving any clues. The 90 degree symmetry helps a lot.

Once you've done this the whole thing becomes a lot more straight forward.

Cs75 - I really needed the four words and wordplay to solve part of the grid. If you have the four extra words and have solved the grid fully the word play should be clear.

Thanks for all the encouragement to battle on. The grid is taking shape.

I spent hours trying to draw an Escher-type impossible shape (art is not my forte), before realising what was wanted. Helped by a surfeit of Es and Ss.

I thought it would be Escher for a while too, Luftmensch!

I've finished and I'm very impressed with the puzzle. I don't like it when answers have to be entered jumbled but at least with this one there was a purpose to it.

I have to say, though, that for me at least, the title and the four extra words didn't help one bit. If anything, they slowed me down, or perhaps I got the wrong four words. I kept on thinking about an IOU; and while the construction is clever, it is not impossible, and there are many more examples to be found on the internet.

orson - I think the title makes sense for two reasons.

First, at first glance to the solver, it does seem impossible. How can one create 52 real words out of 40 entries, half of which are jumbled?

Secondly, as mentioned previously it alludes to the famous mathematical problem relating to impossible constructions involving the thematic item and one of the words within it

In response to Ken at #74 (sorry for tardiness) looking at the shape of a Mephisto reminded me how these grids are constructed and focused me on the sort of shape this might take (which I think other posters have suggested already). The end product doesn’t look much like a Mephisto though!

I find it quite helpful to play around with the grid shapes that might give the required answer lengths when crosswords like this with no bars given crop up. So helpful, I thought it might save paper and rubbing-out to have a grid I could play with. So I got a bit carried away and made one.

Here: https://codepen.io/dcwarwick/live/wvdebxB

Anyone's welcome to take a look and play. Maybe it'll help. For this week's, you could turn on 90° and explore the different ways the across clues might stack up to give the required down lengths, for example. It turns out you can get most of the way to a full grid without solving any clues. I hope I'll find this useful again in the future too.

Which reminds me, I've got so distracted making this that I've not solved many clues yet...! Off to do the proper solving work now!