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After some cold solving ad head scratching managed to get a complete grid I am happy with and pleased to confirm a lot of it by checking here afterwards. I was slightly confused by crunchers comment that all quadrants contain all clue types. Had a slight panic that I had missed something but happy now that the opposite is in fact true and each quadrant is a distinct clue type. My only final annoyance is the missing letter for the final clue. I have a letter that both fits the clue and makes a six letter final helping word but I feel like the adjective form doesn't fit the brief. As far as I can make out the final option should be five letters long and a noun. Have I missed something or am I just being too pedantic (happens a lot!). Thanks

Hi Charlesberg. No, I don't think that you're being pedantic. It irked me that there was a mixture of noun and adjective in the list provided by the add/delete/change letters.

The last clue : since the answer is YSHEND, the letter removed has to be Y.

And don't take too much notice of crincher, he's a denizen of another site, who doesn't like knowledge to be shared...

Charlesberg - Agree. But sure your are not missing anything. Think it was a way of setter using all clues - so becomes related to - to correspond with the last clue the third could have 'atic' added or the first 'ic' etc. But as a previous setter of crosswords (a million miles from this standard) think we give a bit of leeway.

Thanks both. I realise in the grand scheme it isn't hugely important but just one of those things that can bug you. Very enjoyable puzzle all told.

I too was concerned about the last word being an adjective not usually associated with the other three terms.
A perfect solution would be to have an extra 2 clues for the SE corner. This would allow the last of the words to have 8 characters and the setter could have used the more usual fourth member of the group.
It would also mean that there would be no need for bars.
I considered posting this thought at the weekend but decided not to as never having been a setter I have no idea how hard it would be to construct a 6 by 6 gride using 12 six letter words with three already predetermined.
It would have made it a much more satisfying puzzle though.

I'm miles behind everyone else. Could some kind person give me a hint as to the Gentlemen bitten, Early cleric and Spear-throwing troll clues? The latter has been driving me nuts as I keep thinking of Loki but can't find a way to fit him in !

Hi Samovar.
Gentlemen...definition is 'grass for everybody'. Wordplay : abbr for gentlemen included by a (shortened version of) a carnivore with striped face (also a term of racial abuse).

Early...definition is obsolete term for armour pieces, wordplay is 'nearly' a cleric known for his egg, first letter of service.

Spear-throwing tool is the definition, - it's a shortened version of the name of an Australian RAAF base used for rocket launches in NASA and other programs. Straightforward wordplay, letter for thousand included in 3-letter word for grief, with 2-letter god at the end.

Thank you so much, Meursault. Sorry to be late replying. I thought it might be "grass" but was way out of line with Troll for Tool ! Now I might manage to get on. (With luck ).

Rather late to this one - and the new Listener has just arrived. I do not understand how to complete the four quadrants. For the NW quadrant I have what I would term a "word ladder" with each answer (all across) being a one-letter change from the previous answer. The NE quadrant is all across answers being the same as the set of down ones. The SW quadrant appears to be (almost) normal apart from rows 2&5. The SE quadrant eludes me although it should be the one with down answers reversed.

It does not help that I cannot get three answers:
Course follows trail ending abruptly (swallowed by this?)
Extremely admired in animal communication field
Generally more accessible first episode?

Finally, what is the thematic element appearing in the same place in each quadrant?

All hints, nudges and help greatly appreciated.

Hi Thepost.

NW quadrant is ladder from Firers to Curats. SE quadrant is the quadrant with reversed down entries. Use the W from Waters and Meadow to get you going. The UR in circles helps with positioning Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus.

Course follows : 'swallowed by this' is the definition - a swallow hole. Dog ending abruptly with 4 letter word for course (as in bearing).

Extremely admired : AD in variation of cat sound, giving definition 'field'.

Generally more accessible is definition, use 'open' for accessible.

The thematic elements refer to Empedocles' classical elements. Each of which occurs in an equivalent place, one per quadrant.