Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I've finished, but it doesn't feel like I've applied the second hint in any significant way, and I can't see the new 2d in Chambers, although it is a place name. Anyone else feel the same?

Only by applying the second hint, can you be cofident of 11down, and 2d is in Chambers as part of the entry to the adjective derived from it.

Thanks gem94 - the drawback of an electronic dictionary is not being able to look at entries around where you look first...

I figured that the 2nd instruction must have to do with picking that letter correctly - but can that really be the only place where the final grid shows evidence of the 2nd instruction?

Making sense all the instructions is proving a nightmare since they are so open to various interpretations. The only one that's clear is the first one. However I interpret the phrase from the six extra words (including the method advised earlier in this forum) I end up with a sequence that has nothing to help form a new 1across, for example (and I think there are only 7 new possibilities for that). I assumed from the preamble's 'right order' that the first two letters acquired from original paired clues would start 1ac, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Am I completely on the wrong track?
So far the only feel-good moment was the application of the first instruction, which proved neat. There was no pleasure to be got from the clues, which have some of the worst surfaces I've seen in along time.

The second instruction and the six-word message specify two different ways to fill the empty part of the grid, producing the same result. As has been pointed out, the six-word message is the much easier way to fill, but it leaves one letter unspecified. The penultimate letter of 11D can be determined only by following/applying the second instruction.

And the penny finally drops - that is quite incredible how it all works out.

I take back my point to unglued earlier; the eighth letter is not the elusive one, I had missed one elsewhere in the grid.

Have to say I'm flummoxed here. By following the six-word instruction you get a new nw corner with one blank space (? in 11 down). Then follow the third instruction and I've got eight letters which anagram nicely but don't need the blank square. The most likely letter to go there is already available in 24 across, surely? What have I missed?

deadlypun - jaye's comment above should be enough. Perhaps cast a wider net in your interpretation of the 2nd instruction, that's what I failed to do originally.

Thanks, keithdgs, but the penny is just refusing to drop on this one. Just can't see any way to resolve the blank cell problem when I've got the anagram without it so there are 3 possible alternative choices to go there. Will have to give the brain a rest and try later.

Thanks everyone. I've got an eight letter word starting and ending with A. I can't see how it relevant to "quads" however. Can anyone help without giving too much away?
To get the penultimate letter of 11dn write down all of the first letters of the original paired answers and see which letter hasn't been used in that quadrant. I was amazed when it gave me the missing letter. My mistake was to think that finding the 8 letter word was in some way linked to identifying this letter.