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Crossword Help Forum
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robt

6th October 2025, 19:12
Hi, yes that was me on the G forum and yes I am Odo. Thanks for the kind words!
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jono

6th October 2025, 22:39
Good fun I thought. The message helped with the last few in the SE corner for me.
Thanks for popping into the forum Rob, it’s always nice when setters do and congrats on your Guardian debut.
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xwordfiend

6th October 2025, 23:28
Never happened before. I think I have completed the whole grid except 9A and 4D and I have no sense of what the letters mean, what the theme is and how it links to 5D. Any help?
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buzzybee

6th October 2025, 23:56
XWF
You will need the modification from the theme before you can solve 4D. An obscure word for a horse, 3 letter word for "contest", the thematicly modified word "exhausted", ie only itsfirst and last letters.
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brendan

7th October 2025, 00:00
Hi Xwordfiend,

9a - 1,1 "a special" then 4 letter "project" (common word but didn't know it could mean this) + 3 letter "German" - extra letter - definition is "aggressor"

4d - 3 letter "contest" around 2 letters brought about by theme - definition is "horse" (a word you'll know but unless you already know it's a horse you'd never guess it!)
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brendan

7th October 2025, 00:02
Sorry,

9a - 3 letter German "minus" extra letter
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brendan

7th October 2025, 00:28
Thank you Odo/Rob, that was good fun and I look forward to your next offering.

Thanks also to Jono for providing us with an interactive grid - it's always appreciated:-)

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aspria

7th October 2025, 12:31
More or less sorted this. Can anyone shed any light on 14a (Tailless bird) - and is the penultimate letter of 25dn the same as the second letter of 5a?
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brendan

7th October 2025, 13:00
Hi Aspira,

14a - 3 letter "river" (one offered used on crosswords good around 5 letter "bird" minus its last letter/'tailless' minus extra letter.

No, penultimate letter of 25d is not the same as the second letter in 5a.
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brendan

7th October 2025, 13:04
Sorry for typos...

... one "often" used in crosswords "goes" around...
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