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It has to be me being thick but I don't understand maskerades instructions. Can someone please simplify for me.

Hi Barny,

Don't be so hard on yourself. The instructions just mean that the wordplay in some clues only leads to the inner part or "heart" of the answer. Once you've identified one or two of the Special Instruction clues you'll immediately see that the unparsed or outer part of the solutions all follow a pattern.

Thanks Brendan.

I still can’t see a definition in 2dn, or how any other clue makes up for the lack of one.
In 47ac, I don’t understand what purpose the words ‘encore in’ serve, and the answer is a part but not the whole of the definition, surely?

Hi Rogissimo,

2d - I agree, there doesn't appear to be any definition. Initially I thought this was referenced in 31d but, on re-reading it, all that clue is saying is the wordplay relates to the unparsed letters in 2d - no mention of a definition.

47a - Again, I agree. If the "I" comes from "end of Verdi" then what role does "encore" serve? I'm okay with the definition because Chambers gives one of the definitions of "requiem" as "music for it" so that seems fair enough.

Thanks, brendan.
My view is that the Chambers definition refers to the setting of the whole (or substantially the whole) text (as in Fauré’s, Duruflé’s etc), not to a single movement from a setting, but I see your point. We certainly agree on the encore element, which isn’t even necessary for the surface and only adds to the confusion.
Ah well, it’s (nearly) Christmas, so I’ll stop grinching now.

Interesting that nobody else can explain the "encore" in 47. For what it's worth, I think the setter has mistakenly indicated an E (end of encore) rather than an I, and "in Verdi's Requiem" is the definition.

Hi Loge,

I think that's what has happened and somehow Maskarade has mistaken the I for an E, hence "end in encore".

Of course, I'll no doubt be spending the rest of the day wiping egg from my face but I've had plenty of practice so no problem there:-)

Somehow I’ve managed to get most of the outer answers and have a bit of a hole in the middle!

Would appreciate hints for 33a and 43a please to get some inroads into that area.

Great that the big crossword is in the app this time. Makes it v small to read the numbers on my phone though - strongest reading/ sewing glasses are only just up the the task!

Hi FemmeNoire,

33a - I initially and very confidently put "snowman" and it really held me up! "being by the fire" is split 2,5 and the whole word means "he won't appreciate".

43a - Is a Special Instruction clue - you have a 5 letter "antelope" minus its last letter/tailless - definition is "filmic African City" (probably the most famous one)