Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thanks very much, Crates, I'm pleased to say the penny has at last dropped !

Confused by 24d. Answer appears to be an anagram but does not align with obvious replacement. What have I missed please?

24d is originally (5,4) with the 1st word being substituted.

Thanks Ginge but I'm still not there. I've got the anagram as means-test and the substitute as chARTist. I can't see the way those two work together.

Hi smartie, chastest.

Thanks Ginge. Those two unchecked letters made all the difference!

Got to this one as I was away for the weekend. I think some earlier criticisms were a bit harsh. I enjoyed the challenge and completed unaided so happy with the overall construction and clues.
The only issue is the 34 d which as far as I can see has one common solution and one possible solution if you are American. I suspect this is a rare error on the part of the setter and I hope both answers will be considered correct.
I guess the problem with names is that anyone could decide to name their offspring using a random three letter word.
I considered naming my eldest "Map" - only joking.......

Does anyone have a satisfactory resolution for LES? It's not in the list of names in my edition of Chambers but is in the main body of the dictionary (though as a very different noun).

Yet I can't see another name that would fit...

I went for Les.

Whilst I thought the changed entry had to be in Chambers I didn't see that the names necessarily had to be. There was no other option for the revised answer as far as I could see.

For what it's worth the section in Chambers is headed ("Some" first names) rather than a definitive list.