Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here? I've cold-solved a handful of clues but cannot make head nor tail of what the coordinates mean, so cannot begin to enter anything in the grid.

No idea, I'm afraid. I've cold-solved c. 80%, so can help with clues, if you want, but I haven't worked out how the solutions slot together.

Assuming that there are two down entries per column then the duplicated letters in the indexing row giving the horizontal coordinates are A and S. It's puzzling as to why there are more letters in answers than available cells and answer lengths don't provide the required symmetry - apparently the 6 clashes play a role in this apparent incongruity.

I'm along way from finishing, but on the basis of the grid I have so far I can tell you that the co-ordinates conform to maths practice. So AN, for example tells you that the answer starts in column A, row N. What makes it tricky is that the co-ordinates do not uniquely identify cells since there appears to be more than one column A, for example.

If you look at the down clues it's possible to work out which must start in the top row. In a 12x12 there must be at least eight entries starting in the top row to avoid consecutive unchecked letters or otherwise non-Ximenean checking. If you solve all or most of those and write them in aligned vertical columns in any order, you may see that in one row you'll have all the letters of the AI across answer, which is a straightforward anagram.

While there is still lots to puzzle me I am sure my approach is right because my half-formed grid has enabled me to get the first clued across answer, the wordplay to which is very obscure. I would never have solved it cold.

Can someone please tell me where this crossword appears
? I had thought it was The Listener but I understand it stopped publication some years ago !

It's in the Sat Times or online if you are an online member of Times newspapers/crosswords

And just to add to my last, it's clear that a lot of letters must be lost or condensed in some way. There are a total of 149 letters involved in the down answers, with 144 cells available. Even with a generous 90% checking that 149 would need to come down to 130.
A number of entries must be completely different from answers to end up with a symmetrical grid. My guess is that the 11-letter across answer goes in a 12-letter entry so as to give four 12-letter entries altogether.

A better puzzle.

Dryden, to solve the extra letters problem, and to maintain 180 deg symmetry, could it be that there is some telescoping ? I notice that ESS and SENE are on their own in a row - perhaps the entry might be ESSENE ? I don't know, like you I'm only starting to put it all together.

With all but one of the across answers and most of the downs, I initially looked at rare letters, eg F. But my only down F was from FARO (U,A) and my only across F from UNFATHOMABLE (A,I), giving me no intersection point...

There is another down answer with F in it. FARO appears to cross at an another point, though as far I can see it gets absorbed into something longer, which I haven't quite worked out.
I agree that there is some telescoping, but I think there may also be some transformation to end up with real words. That may be what the preamble means by "resolved into, and ...replaced by.."

Could anyone please give me a hint for the DS down clue: Owner of digs converted army's dwelling in lodge (12).