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w - 15 is a double definition - think snooker. 19 is that around a word meaning at home.

Thanks unclued for the help. Now completed with 5 ladders and 4 snakes but the grid looks a mess !!

I may be barking up the wrong tree but I have found some coiled up snakes. So far sea snake, garter, taipan, adder and water. Are these correct? My search for ladders is hopeless. I expected these to be I straight lines. My knowledge of others is limited; step? Escalier?

Thanks uncle-w. It was the è that was confusing me.

Rickye, but the snakes you see aren't starting and finishing where you need them to. Eg, I'd want to have a snake starting at the last letter of 19 and ending at the first letter of 20, so a snake ending with B...And I don't see escalier at all : I've just drawn straight lines for the ladders (some crossing each other).

Thanks Meursault

In my recollection of snakes and ladders there was always a snake just before the finishing square. Shame the setter couldn't incorporate that. If you get on that huge ladder you're almost home and dry!

Rickye - nothing better to do so I ran with your idea of coiled snakes and found your five - sea snake, garter, taipan, and adder - plus seps, naia, kaa, asp, dipsas, rat and tree. It may not be what the compiler intended but an interesting extra in the grid.

As usual I am behind everyone else having just completed the grid. But what now? I can see 5 "ups" and 4 "downs" but cannot find any thematic items. Surely ladders have to be straight and only snakes wiggle. One "up" is so short I wouldn't have thought you could draw a ladder. Help!

The thematic items are simply the snakes and ladders. You are looking too deeply into the theme! There are no extra words.