Inquisitor 1147

[roslyn251254]

My first attempt and my grid is almost complete. I have the conundrum and realise it's to do with Only Fools and Horses, but what do I do with it? 30 squares to be blacked out?
Also not sure of
21a Load a conveyance for Walter. The defn part has 4 letters RA?T , the wordplay has 5 letters , the extra letter being "L"
25a Hit smashing leman. The defn part has 4 letters ?HIN, wordplay has an extra"M". Chin = hit but I don't see it.
Grateful for any help as i've been pondering since Mon!

[Quizmonkey]

Look at the grid and the white squares.
21A - the extra L is in the clue, not the answer
25A - same as above with the extra M

[turnerjmw]

As Quizmonkey says for the clues. For the blacking out, think of the theme tune

[roslyn251254]

Thanks quizmonkey and turnerjmw - I've worked the answers now. (I was on the wrong track, thinking of Walter ... as a person!)

[roslyn251254]

I get it now - didn't even notice what the white letters spelled out! All very clever! Many thanks!
Quizmonkey & turnerjmw (as xwording experts!) - how would you say this crossword (generally) compares with others ( e.g. speccie, mephisto, ev , etc) - might try it regularly??

[kayakamina]

Hi

I believe it is, ( generally), the hardest of the four you mention. For what it is worth
I grade them-
1) Inquisitor

2) EV

3) Spectator


4 ) Mephisto

Good luck.

[turnerjmw]

I agree with Kayakamina's ordering, for what it's worth, and would defer to him as the expert! Inquisitor and EV can be quite variable in terms of difficulty. I thought this was a harder than average Inquisitor. To try to put it in context, the toughest Inquisitors can certainly be more difficult than the easiest Listeners (generally considered the most challenging puzzle). They do get much easier with practice (notably spotting misprints, corrected and extra letters, and deciphering the preambles). If winning a prize is important to you, I'd imagine the Inquisitor is a good choice, as I don't believe, though I may be wrong, it's available online. Certainly there seem to be fewer queries on here. Good luck

[roslyn251254]

Thank you K and turnerjmw, you have made me feel VERY clever today!! I'll definitely try it again"! I don't think I'm ready for the Listener just yet!
The prizes don't really matter, it's the "doing the puzzle" that's fun! I am given the Independent so not even any expense involved!

[turnerjmw]

roslyn251254, this week's Listener (4108) is a great deal easier than the Inquisitor you've just completed. The difficulty is that you never know until you start . . .

[roslyn251254]

Thanks turnerjmw - I just read the new Listener thread - I'll download it and have a go!