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This week we have a non-interactive Prize by Maskarade so I'll probably leave it until midweek.

Judging by the number of posters Maskarade's puzzles invite, it's clear he (that's not me making assumptions, I looked him up) is an incredibly popular setter, so I look forward to reading through the blog:-)

Good luck everyone and Merry Christmas 🎇

Stay safe:-)

It is interactive!

What was I saying about not making assumptions 🥵

Also, be aware of the Special Instruction - I only mention it because it took me 20 minutes to spot it!

Great to see this is available in the app. I really should go to bed and pick it up in the morning…

I've run out of steam in the south-east corner so I won't finish until the morning now, but once you have worked out what the instructions mean, most of the special clues are fairly straight-forward to solve. If you are sure of an answer, but can't parse it, it's probably a special clue.

I hope you managed to answer 59a

Gee, it would be a shame if he couldn’t.

I was going to say that this was a DNF because I hadn't got 48a but I then, just as I'd finished typing I had a PDM - hurrah 😀

This is actually the first Maskarade I've done (I think) but, I always read the threads, and so I don't think this puzzle is as difficult as many of his others have been - that's not to say its easy though.

If you do get stuck there are several long anagrams and, if you're looking for a good place to start, I recommend 3d, 6d and 18a.

There are still a few parsing I'm unsure about - even with the Special Instruction ....

10d - I can't see where the 3rd letter comes from or if it's even cryptic?
36d - All the letters are given by wordplay but the answer looks like it's a ......
2d - I see the wordplay but what's the definition?

Other that that there is some Latin, some films and cities. and that rarest of all clues - an uncontentious homophone 😂

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and, as always, if you get stuck, don't hesitate to ask for a hint.

Thanks to Maskarade for a challenging but most enjoyable puzzle.

Stay safe:-)

2d - Cancel my query, it's referenced later:-)

I certainly did, although I'm not sure it registered at the time. Now you mention it, I think it's the first time I've seen it in a crossword, but I'm sure not the last.