Crossword Help Forum
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Okay, SPOILER ALERT

the L is first letter of 16a, the C is the 4th letter of 13a (directly above the L so contiguous), the F is the first letter of 9f (still touching the top corner of the C) and the A is the second letter in 10d (touching the bottom corner of the F).

The letters are not in order, I know - it's called an anagram, I believe they're popular in a certain type of puzzle!

I'll tell you what else they are - the words that appear in the text!!!

Buddy -yes they do

L you actually get a choice of 1st letter of 32a or 3rd letter of 38a, I is 2nd letter of 38a, O is 2nd letter of 32a and the N is the 4th letter of 25d - all contiguous.

Yes, they're anagrammed but this is a cryptic crossword!!

It isn't an anagram, brendan - it's a jumble (an anagram would still be a word).
You can't have two symbols in one quadrant and leave another quadrant empty - each of the 4 quadrants must bear the symbol of the name alongside it.

Give me strength!

man is is in the top left, calf is in the top right, lion is in the bottom left and eagle is in the bottom right.

One in each quadrant

But the wrong quadrants.

The preamble says 'naming symbols of each witness' - the four we all seem to have are definitely symbols, and are referenced in many other places. It doesn't say 'naming symbols, as listed in the themed book...'

Two of yours are alongside the wrong names, brendan - look again at the page.
MW belongs with M top/left
MK belongs with L top/right
L belongs with C(B) bottom/left
J belongs with E bottom/right.

So that's a no-no. but having the wrong word is okay?

This reminds me of a scene in Spinal Tap where they wanted a specific album cover but it was deemed too racy for the stores so it was changed, against the band's wishes to a plain black one. AT first they're furious but then a couple of people start trying to say why it's actually great with things like "how much more black could it be" etc but Nigel stops them out and calls it for what it is - the wrong one.

I know the letters are anagrammed and the quadrants don't match but I'd rather have that than a seemingly randomly chosen alternative to one of the symbols - but I know tastes differ or, as Geeker would say, YMMV:-)

And it looks like you've taken away a perfectly good/solid 4-cells-in-a-square beastie and replaced it with another jumble that can be read either from the perimeter in or from the previous beastie's paw out (but without ever spelling out - in order - what it actually is).

Could I respectfully suggest that as, inter alia, a retired bishop and a mediaevalist, the setter probably has at least a passing familiarity with the subject matter and has studied the illustration in question at first hand.