Crossword Help Forum
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Look at the wordplay. Does it provide SMP or STP? Remember the pairs are omitted from wordplay.

Can anyone help me with my last entry!?

"lubovitch was a god at home..."

I have the Christian name of a US choreographer and then my only remaining pair for down clues is "VA". This fits in the grid but I can't find any reference to this being a domestic spirit in Roman homes (usually "LARES"). I can find one reference to the word as meaning "the shells of the dead". Maybe have to satisfied with that?

I think the first 3 letters are the choreographer and then the VA - this if the bad spirit and the opposite of Lares.

Thanks all, that’s very helpful.

Thanks Brendan. I'll stick with that then.

Have to say quite an an achievement by the setter to pull this off and somehow fitting the answers seemed more straightforward than some of the holiday jigsaws...

... but there are a lot of obscure words with two letters added to make an alternative spelling of another obscure word! So I needed to use quite a lot of online help.

don't seem to be able to find the kite puzzle ... I have this all done except for 3 six-letter words - 2 beginning with n and one with c ... maybe barking up the wrong tree - but certainly barking!

The Kite puzzle seems to have been taken offline by Grauniad staff. See the other (Kite) thread.

The Lubovitch entry troubled me for a while, as it seems to have two bits of identical wordplay and no definition. But Collins Online Dictionary gives “ghost, spectre, akin to lar, household spirit: see lares” for the longer form, so I think that must be the intention.

Rather than invoke an obscure (to me) choreographer, I’d have preferred something much simpler like “Grub for Roman household god”. But a challenging puzzle, particularly sorting out the corners.

Oh dear!!!

A busy day so I didn't start until after 3.00pm. So far, I have solved 4 of the ten normal clues. And only one of the special clues. I have spent most of the time listing the numbers of four letter etc. clues so I can fill them in in alphabetical order (I've been puzzled by having 5 x 5 letter clues and 15 x 6 letter clues, but assume I must have made a mistake) and listing the missing two letters so I can cross them out. I've only just started to looks at the clues with the missing letters and so far have got one only. I love alphabetical crosswords, but they usually give you the first letter. I'm a bit lost without it.

The big question is should I bother? My daughter is visiting tomorrow and I have lots of gardening to do and I'm booked to play Bridge on Monday.

I'll have a go at the 13 and 11 letter clues, but I'm not that hopeful.

I too am stuck on the six-letter n word.
Does anyone know by the way how long it takes to compile such an intricate puzzle? I presume it's not something that's scribbled out at the kitchen table the night before publication