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Hi Chris
I have just parsed C
the sailor is reversed and is inside C**(*)
the 4 letter C word means "a pointed end"

I will look at your hints for the others later....

So grateful for this grid Jono - was just going to draw one on paper and saw your wonderful labour saving device - thank you so much - finished comfortably in two cups of coffee ( my grading of difficulty! )

JONO
You are a genius. My thanks for the interactive grid which worked perfectly.

CHRIS
Despite your generous hints, S and X still not parsed.Where is 'stink' that is removed from first 'sponge'.
I had a verb to sponge but the 3 letters removed did not = stink.

.....just got the parsing for S .....Doh,!

jazzgirl - X parses as 2 (reversal of animal) + 4 (unsigned). A new word for me!

Patgreg and Jazz, you’re very welcome, I’m glad you found the grid useful.

Patgreg, I like your coffee cup difficulty rating system… what’s the most fiendish level… ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ ?

DAVEL
Thanks.
Oh silly me, I thought the animal was a reversal of the last 4.
(I am a genealogist and a lot of early wills were unsigned i.e. marked X .... my excuse) 🙄

Brendan, more on the A-Z convention. I believe it's standard for alphabetical jigsaws, an Araucaria invention that caught on. Araucaria's puzzles always used it, as do those by Julius (FT) and Paul. But those are the only ones I've ever tried.

I'm not sure there's an answer to that - it actually is how many cups of coffee I drink while completing a crossword - so if it's a stinker and I have to come back to it anothe day the number of cups is not necessarily accurate! I only think of it in this way for Saturday morning puzzles - when write ins can be one cup of coffee gone cold - which is nowhere near the satisfying tussle of three cups sipped slowly while I deliberate!