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kitsune - would suggest Tipped unnecessary as there’s a difference between bars and grid lines

‘Second pair…’ is an instruction re “a set” and definition is “point”

“Faith” is definition - take “sons” from a word for (to) shame (and extra letter) and then add the crossword sloth

This is my 7th Listener Crossword attempt and my inexperience is showing! I don't have the skill for a full blind solve so need to find an "in".

I think it would help if I could solve the second across clue, so a gentle hint there would be good please.

The 2nd across clue is an anagram of two words plus a final letter (the hyphen is important) with an extra letter in the mix - 'off' indicates it's an anagram.

All done and thoroughly enjoyable. Just one question. Does instruction (2) apply to the whole grid or just the two significant rows, do you think? Some ambiguity there methinks.

Thanks drxx, that's very helpful. I now have the second across answer, time to see if that takes me forwards or backwards!

Thank you, candledave. Instruction 2 had me confused because it seems to assume that solvers will add bars!when solving. Usually there is a specific instruction to do this in a carte blanche. In this case there is no instruction to add bars but instead an instruction to remove them!

I predict a rapid advance, bluecormorant.

jaypeedee - if I was still submitting solutions I'd have avoided putting in bars from the outset.
As it is, I scrawled in the bars as I went along and only removed the ones in the two rows - pure laziness on my part (and the result isn't as pretty as it should be}.

I took “any other bars” to mean any bars you may have inserted in the whole puzzle as you completed it.
This gives a very pleasing result.
For me this is the puzzle of the year. Elegant construction, interesting subject and some really excellent clues.

Thanks for helpful hints.

Still looking for that mysterious extra word which, if symmetry is in play, appears to be the second half of the first pair. Although, looking at the 5 specifications, one might expect it to come before the word I have, but there's no spare word in the previous column - definitely! 😠