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Totally agree with you dja. I think this puzzle is going to need considerable help to be given as there is no assistance initially from other answers.

Has anyone worked out where the two 12 letter down answers go? Thanks.

Hi Unclued - probably a bit early to be saying where answers fit in as many folk will still be working on it. Like anyone having cold-solved as much as I could I just started trying to piece things together and it was surprising how quickly things can fit together (allowing a bit of back solving too) - you already know it has 180 symmetry and by virtue of the number of clues and the 13x14 you should know roughly where the unclued entry lies. If you want a more precise location for the 12's I can email you them.

No problem s. I’ll carry on cold solving. I have solved about a half with nothing in the grid!

I'm still stuck with one 8 letter answer...

Where discharge from loss ends with extremes of gold exchanged for taxes (8)

Just a hint would be appreciated

Hard to just hint here but misprint is in first half of clue, definition is specific type of tax or duty (which isn't in my Bradfords or CCCC).

Thanks, S_P - just right as a hint

Please give the number of a column that contains a 12 letter down answer. I know it won't be 7.

Hi Bananabean - if you want to know where the 12's sit just provide me with an email address and I'll let you know. I'm very happy to provide (and receive) hints but if I give column numbers it blows it open. If you want a hint (and this is how I broke it) there are just four 5-letter across entries, if you solve these (and have the two 12's) then you have a clear entry point.

A little disappointed at what I see on here as constitutes 'help'. I saw that rrRobbo (comment 70) noted a similar experience last week. I think the object of the forum is to give help and it provides a useful counterbalance against another forum which refuses to give help.

I've had a few hours to look at this puzzle, though somewhat impaired for the second half of the evening. Likely though my experience mirrors that of others. I have over half the clues solved but still haven't really put together the entries. So far I have only one H in a down answer, in Pyrotechnist, and only one H in an across answer, that is Reishi. So if I tentatively put those together, there seems to be the possibility that Lettuce sits above Reishi. In which case could Attractively run just 2 columns to the left of Pyrotechnist ? I'm still not sure, and probably just need to sleep. But if the 4 5-letter answers really do tie things together, well Taste and Trios possibly do. Though I don't have the answers to the other 2 5-letter answers and it might be nice if someone could help with those...

Assuming one 5 is next to one 8 across twice there are 16 combinations
:(First 8+any of four 5's) and (Second 8+any of four 5's) and vice versa

These combinations have to be considered with the many ways the two 12's can be entered given they can move 3 vertical places and 12 horizontal places

I think that is a lot to do but I guess it may be a clear entry point since a lot are clearly impossible