Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I agree it's an ellipse but the setter has covered themselves - hope that's their preferred pronoun by describing it as a ring.

It doesn’t have to be an ellipse. A circle of radius the square root of 5/4 with an appropriately placed centre would pass through exactly the same six cells, so candledave is not wrong

25a - Temptation in competition to get ready for furling? (6, two words)

I have the answer, extra letter and wordplay, but can anyone explain how the answer relates to "get ready for furling" which, according to Chambers, means "to roll up" and, to Google, is related to folding away sails neatly - clearly I'm missing something but my answer parses perfectly, 3 letter "competition" in 4 letter "temptation" minus extra letter", so I'm sure it's correct.

I have just the two 32’s and 29 to complete. I don’t have the theme, but the first ten extra letters make it clear what’s expected I think. Am I right to have a 6 letter word made of extra letters starting at 8d?

Sorry, 4 letter "temptation" in 3 letter "competition"

Brendan, look up the alternative spelling of the first word of your answer

Aaaahh! I always miss those little extra bits in Chambers.

Many thanks Dodgepot - I was really pulling my hair out over that one:-)

Aha. Of course. Thank you Candledave.

I think, ''highlighted in a ring of 6 cells'' puts paid to the specialist geometry, dodgepot - you'd need a line for that (that's why I added an 'almost' to my 'circular'}.

Perhaps someone could help me with the construction of 32a? As my other two missing entries cross it, that might be enough.