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jogamel
In your fisrt clue, h is the extra letter and removing that yields the definition; in your second, the n is extra, 'respect' is the definition

Thank you everyone. Back to it.

Thanks Quisling @ post 7. I was convinced I had made some mistakes in the first 8 misprints, but the ones I had were correct. I now have 60 cells shaded in 3 different colours. I had 2=2 and 6 = 1+2+3, the former being wrong and the latter correct, but in the wrong order (so to speak).

Sounds right, Gitto. Interestingly Serpent’s way of resolving the ambiguity (minimum highlighting) is not the one that usual versions use (minimum entities), so what I assume to be his required solution would not be found online

The resolution of the ambiguity only leapt out at me after my initial incorrect attempt at shading. That is/was a very clever addition to the puzzle. Finally, especially after the Pisa puzzle, foreign names are becoming a little bit of a nemesis to me.

This was an interesting one. Had a quick question - is there a hidden word, mostly in the third across clue that gives a hint to the colouring? Or am I just overanalyzing the construction?

Still don't understand the parsing of a couple of clues, but oh well.

I don't think so, cruciluci, although the information which you'll require to deduce which of the two possible solutions is required is presented in a similar way. Just make sure you put your 22 bars on the correct side of the grid!

I thought this was a brilliant puzzle. Tough but ultimately fair clues, a carte blanche which didn't require 90% of the clues to be cold-solved before entry was possible, and an unambiguous end game.

Having explained what the object is to my other half, she now wants one for the living room!

Thanks Serpent - that was a lot of fun.

Many thanks to Serpent. A significant but manageable challenge and a wonderfully quirky theme. I guess they have to fill the long winters there somehow….

First post for me (I think)... be gentle! :-)
I've been battling IQ every week for absolute years, with very modest success for most of those! Maybe a handful completed up til maybe a year ago. Yep, slow learner.. but no weekend is complete without trying!

I wanted to say that I am lost in admiration for the geniuses who compile these things.
Also much appreciated are the very subtle and "non-spoiler" hints that the regulars on this forum (discovered recently) provide. Also very cleverly done. Thank you!!

This latest IQ is MAGIC!
I got this one all backwards... figured out the theme from the redundant letters (never heard of the object before), and got the bars put in, but was "7 down" fitting the answers in the grid. I always struggle with the numberless/bar-less variety particularly.
I was looking at an empty grid apart from 1 across, this morning. Haha!

Playing chess sometimes thinking "backwards" from where you need to be and reconstructing how to get there is more fruitful than trying to brute-force your way forwards. So it was with this wonderful crossword.

Absolute MAGIC!
Thankyou to Serpent, all the other setters and your good selves for years and years of brain testing FUN!!

Oh, and Hello!
(even my post is backwards!)

MickG, thanks for your interesting post. It was great to hear you enjoy Inquisitor puzzles and the Inquisitor threads on the Forum. Although there's no hard and fast rule, most of us aim to give hints. The occasional answer does make an appearance - I gave one myself recently - but that's just life!

It was lovely to see your enthisiasm for that latest puzzle. It was certainly a bit different!