Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Regarding Row 3: look at Row 11 which has to be 6 3 6 ??, so Row 3 must be the reverse according to the symmetry.

GivuzaKlu, writer ripping etc: wordplay is a reversal of a pronoun the writer would use when talking about himself + 4 letter word for ripping, excellent, uncommon + abbreviation for verso all reversed minus a letter. Def is fanciful - think how bowlers bowl in cricket.

White's bishop is a horror too - it's a white wine from the Bordeaux region minus B and there's a letter ignored in the wordplay. Def is at least literal - to do with breathing.

Good night all. I'm sure I'm going to have nightmares about this puzzle!

Yes to 1, lordbadger.
For 2 and 3 - I went freestyle (ignoring bars/cells) and placed them according to an image (it's their 1st I think - but I'm no expert... and I don't intend to become one).

...I only needed 2 cells for the first addition (it looks to be directly under the last of the major elements) and only 4 cells for the other object.

Thanks drxx .. I did wonder about that and thought, “no way”, but now that I’ve looked closely I think you’re right .. given the difficulty level, maybe the ring is required to be 3D with a further inscription!

That's how I did it.

I finally have answered all the clues - but I do not know if they are all correct. I am unsure as to how you deduce how to insert the answers at
in the upper half of the grid starting in row 1 in columns 2,5,7 & 11. With those yet to be inserted I only have 10 clashes. I can insert those 4 answers with 1 clash in column 2, none or 1 in column 4, 4 in column 7 and none in column 11. Am I on the right track? I haven't yet got a scooby as what to do next.

Making progress….

Could I have help with

Current help critical (7)

Hepatic vessel, grand and purple from below (8)

Bugloss excluding sap holding up sheep (8)

I also seem to have more than 24 excluded letters? The one about Geelong gave me 7 for a start! Am I off track?


Thanks for help/answers

Novice, in the hepatic clue g = grand and puce = purple and 3 letters omitted. In the bugloss clue, excluded sap = bled and ewe = sheep with one extra letter in wordplay.
I still haven’t got the current clue - my last one!

The current clue clues 2 letters for a 7 letters answer - it is in the chambers crossword dictionary but not in Bradfords. It also means sandy coloured.

The current clue only has two letters two letters indicated in the wordplay, the letter used in physics to represent current and the usual single letter abbreviation for year. Another possible definition of the answer is "of or like a rootstock with a hot taste".