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Candle dave - Norah deleted most of response at my request ...

elpenor, I think a lot of us experienced that jump from difficult to easy but, even though you've filled the grid, it is well worth spending a little time 'retro-solving' the Across clues. Then you'll see the real cleverness of the puzzle, including the order and how the definitions were affected.

Thanks crates

Easy once you find the work (which I didn't know), otherwise hard work without much encouragement in the way of crosschecking. Solved enough down clues to deduce the across words, then went back to 'solve' the across clues, which seems to be what many did. The only questions I have left are:
7 down - I can't parse the last four letters or make anything from them.
'Vixen initially...' - I can't see where the first letter comes from.
'Learner stopped...' - I see a previous post has been deleted.

7d - the last four letters is a lift manufacturer

Vixen - the first letter comes from “one”

Learner - the whole of the clue other than the last word indicates the first letter

Hate this. Have cold solved 20odd, no help whatsoever in solving the remainder.

Sounds like you have to have the blinding flash of inspiration or you're struggling.

Still have two others unfinished as well. Have virtually full grids from 3 weeks ago and 2 weeks ago and no idea on end games.

This is starting to get more tedious than fun....

SH, surely the across clues have something in common. That helped me get more of them. Plus the entry in alphabetical order got me going in the top and bottom of the grid.

If I ever tried setting puzzles I'd love to create one where clues have *************** This seems to be true of some of the across clues. Beyond that, I've no idea why I've found some answers which fit the grid.

Eventually got all the down answers though, which suggested lots of related words to fill across answer gaps, and eventually yielded book title. Not sure I can be bothered to work out the clever stuff around the across clues.

Note by Admin - *** Phrase deleted as it gives away the end game

I think I must have got completely the wrong end of the stick with this one. I have plausible answers for 15 of the across clues, I have discerned the order obviously, but other than that I can't see anything that they have in common, which several people have referred to. Hardly any of them have any letters in common with any of my down answers either, which is a bit concerning.

I did finish the circular one from 3 weeks ago today though, so that's some progress.

SH Leaving aside your impasse for the moment, just try to fill the whole grid with words that seem to fit nicely. It's a grid of two halves, one half's words being (mostly) thematic in one way and the other half's words being (mostly) thematic in another i.e. the top half being distinct from the bottom half. Once your grid is full (not conflicting with the down jumbles) look again more closely at the across clues; it's the icing on the cake !!