Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I've checked all my numeric entries and understand the comment about 12d but still cannot see that the second stage makes any 25a.

I too was expecting a message at the end.
I guess the point is all the transformed grid entries are real examples of the same type of thing.
A gentle puzzle that was a great antidote to last week’s debacle. I am still upset that I cannot finish it despite a full grid and knowing the author.
I might need to buy the ODQ.

I can help you finish it painlessly if you like. My email is at post 85 of last weeks thread

Thank you but I'll mull on.

Thanks Jordan. Much appreciated but I will wait for the published solution. There is an outside chance the penny will drop in the mean time.
I spent far too much time last week Googling nonsense. I usually cross the line eventually with a Listener without help and have a rule not to visit the forum until I have finished it. I have not looked at last weeks thread yet but I see there are a lot of posts so I assume others found it tricky too.

I enjoyed this one. I liked both the solve and the transformation. Thanks, Elap.

I have finished the grid, finally - all makes sense, leading to the two- part message (? both starting with the same letter).
First part changes EVERY digit so might be saying convert digits to letters but this results in gibberish 'words', unless 1=A, 2=B is wrong
Any hints without giving anything away?

Yes, 1= A, 2 = B, etc. is not it. Apply the instructions you have literally.

Thanks Darla,
Got it now - very clever finish. But I was half expecting a quotation from Chairman Mao or the finished grid to say "now clear all cells and submit an empty grid" as we have seen before. Cheers

PS First six entries relatively straightforward with Excel but couldn't possibly have completed the remainder without my trustworthy VBDOS. (When this stopped working with Windows 10 I bought an ancient Windows XP laptop for £15 - well worth it, but so slow and it weighs a ton).