Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

This thread is aimed at those needing a little extra help. If you're struggling (really struggling!) with a Listener clue, please post your request here.

Help with the theme may also feature here. This doesn't mean detailing exactly what's to be done, just more generous hints and nudges than can be found on the Gentle Hints Thread.

Unsolicited answers and details of the theme will be removed.

Thanks for this, Norah. Trying to get the right balance of help and encouragement for some solvers without spoiling the fun for others is a Herculean task - you're a brave woman to even attempt it!

Thanks Malone, I got the training for the Herculean task in my previous life as Text Processing Supervisor, ha, ha.

Am I on the right lines if I assume that this will be an easy week for the person checking the entries?
Also can someone explain 4 down please? I first had the fifth letter as E but realised it had to be a Y.

Yes it will!

4 down is word for row of bushes minus outer letters, inside word for cows in Scottish.

Hi unclued. It too is my interpretation that it’ll be an easy job checking the entries on this one. There’s some debate on the ‘gentle hints’ thread though.

Re 4d, the first and last letters give Scottish cows… a new Scots word to me!

The 'row of bushes' loses a letter from both ends and with the Scottish cows (2 letters) on the outside you get 'y' as the 5th.
My interpretation of the endgame doesn't make it easy on the marker - I have simply moved the grid leaving some elements behind (not erased). I think 'making it easy on the marker' would involve more than the 10 letters mentioned in the preamble... but, who knows, you could be right?

Thanks ever so much you two. I don’t like Friday finishes but I do accept that some puzzles need to be made easier. It took a while to find the quote even though I didn’t fall into the (probably deliberate) BP trap.

drxx I think this may be another GWIT ending!

I think you're right about the gwit, unclued.