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The RA is the artist from 28d, and is also part of the 10 letters making up 32a?

There seem to be two groups on this thread, those who are happy just to be “shipshape” and see the entry method, and those who additionally want to solve the question analogous to “how many people can you fit in a Mini?”, and they seem to be at cross purposes. I too can’t find a satisfactory resolution to the latter, despite contortions aplenty, and I’m no longer sure if I should be trying or it’s a fool’s errand

I decided it was a fool's errand, quisling. I can get 11 in my 'mini' with ease, and a few more at a pinch... not ideal when you consider the technology.

For the orphan RA, I just about managed to reverse ARC (sharing the 'c' with another member) but it's just too messy - and far from uniform.
Still, it should be possible (with the sheer number of candidates and the highly irregular grid) so, maybe there's another way?

Thanks, drxx. Ignoring the top row, I could fit everything together after a fashion except the last A of the first word of 26a, with the whole of 28d as one. But it’s an odd wrinkle when it’s not mentioned in the preamble at all. I think I’ve wasted enough time on it

drxx and quisling: I think I've stared at it enough. The 'out of the box' bit of 16 is enough to convince me to rest on what I've already got.

I must be missing something (particularly addressed to drxx & quisling) as I'm with buddy; I didn't come across any ambiguities with the "uniformity" of the entry method.

There is no ambiguity per se, ginge, the question is whether the contents of the “shipshape” are meant to read as anything, amplifying a characteristic for which it is noted. Take its second row, for example. That is why some people have searched for a more complete solution, without success.

Thanks for the clarification quisling,.

Quisling, are you saying there is nothing to read within the shape? It looks to me like a thematic list. I can read it all, though not in a perfectly uniform way.

Interesting, graham9perkins. I can account for every letter, apart from the first two cells of 16a, but not contiguously. Notably, the first letter of the fifth line of the “shipshape” only works for me if it straddles the next five and joins the last two. You may well have something more coherent. Where does that letter fit in for you? And the top line?

As for a thematic list, I’ve never seen it and I’m not about to start, so I’ll take your word for it!