Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I have a complete grid, but am in some doubt about how to fill in the bottom row. If there is a clash between, say, D and L (ie letters 4 and 12) do I put in H (letter 8, halfway between D and L) or R (18, halfway between L and D)? Doing it this way, ie, making D letter 30, is the only reason for havinf the preamble state that A = 1, 27 etc. So i have two possible letters for each cell in the bottom row ... but that's where the brick wall appears. I know the missing letter, but its definition(s) don't help. What am I doing wrong? (There are a lot of brilliant clues, of which 37 is my favourite.)

Hi Cockie,

I read it a bit differently - say the difference, say between F and N would be 8 so then we take A = 1, B = 2 etc giving 8 = H so H would be written below the grid.

I agree, but the difference between N (14) and F (6 or 32) is 18, so R. Why are we given that a might be 27 unless we're going round a second time?

Didn't we "add" the 2 letters last time we had a puzzle like this....then at least we might have totals bigger than 26??

The definitions in Chambers of the missing letter do in fact help. Don't dismiss any of them out of hand, but consider each very carefully in terms of how it might apply to the clashing letters.

Thanks, buddy, your hint finally got me there. But what should we put in the clashing cells? Both letters or (because the word "answer" is used) the word derived from the wordplay rather than the word defined? Or leave it blank (surely not)? The preamble gives no indication, but clashes are usually "resolved".

... and as soon as I've posted I've re-read the preamble for the nth time and found what I need to know.

Can I get some help with the wordplay for ...

2d - Bear right after opposite prompt backfires (4)

I have the first 3 letters and with an H at the end it gives a famous "bear" but, I can't see what the final letter given by the wordplay is. The first 2 letters could be an abbr. of "opposite" reversed/backfires and R(ight) but that leaves the 3rd letter unaccounted for?

NB - The wordplay produces a word different to the definition by 1 letter.

look up OP in Chambers; "right" in this case is not the usual R, but instead 2 letters meaning all right or satisfactory.

Ah! I saw it was an abbr. for "opposite" and stopped there - rookie error ...again!

Many thanks Buddy, much appreciated:-)