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Ground to a halt now with this........help required please with NW and SE sections! I have the second part of the message (or most of it..) so know what to do with the clues before entry

12a Beauty attracts (5) ...possibly charm/ charms ?? no letters placed

14a Anti fraud system likely to occupy company accountant (7) letters in grid "possibly" ????AC ( 1st 2 might be CO for company??)

18a Vehicle on runners in collision at the outset - major operation ensues (8, tw words) I have ????ACT ( although A and C are dubious!)
20a Cover the roots of edelweiss regularly with drop of water (6, two words) ????N. ( I have looked at alternative letters in edelweiss as alternatives ... but getting nowhere fast!)

12a Attracts is the definition, and the change described by the second instruction has affected the beginning.

14a The last two letters are CA, which should have a letter in between, in accordance with the second instruction.

18a Your last three letters are correct -- to become AC?T

20a Alternative letters of edelweiss indeed, but lose the S, and the N is right, and follow second instruction at the start.

Having said which, I have the two thematic entries, but am not clear how to apply the first instruction to them.

Sorry, not alternative, regularly spaced.

Throck, I think you simply shift each word one cell to the right, so that the first starts in column 2, the second in column 4.

I read 20ac the same way, letters 3, 6 and 9

Thanks, keepatit, that was the only thing I could think of, too.

many thanks throck ... a great help ... that corner nearly sorted now

Stuck on 45a: In LA, conform to expectations with test-drive off-road initially (5,two words). For the grid entry I have E?TO..... have tried all variations of how the 2nd part of the message could have worked... perhaps I have gone wrong somewhere and have a wrong letter??

it's Hew To

I can't see the two thematic elements- help please!

i can see one of the 2 at the start of row 6 ...move it one column along...looking for the other now...