Inquisitor 1161

[Ripper]

Hello
I've filled in the grid and got the 'explanation' from the extra letters in the down clues.
I've got various sets of 'spare' letters in the across clues, which make no sense to me.
Now I'm trying to find the 'two possible causes of the treatment' in the grid.
Any hints would be wonderful
Perhaps I'm not thinking laterally enough and just recalling the awful 'food' in the bush-tucker trials!!

[slaney]

Hi Ripper - perhaps not exactly the "causes of the treatment", but more a pair of puppet-masters!
As regards the successive pairs, if you look at 11a the letters to be removed are the first two, and for 13a the first two of the second sentence - this should set you on the right direction.

[Ripper]

Thanks Slaney
Just to check if I'm on the 'right track' No. 5 I've got 'her' as the removed letters
Oh dear, this is going to be a long one!

[slaney]

Yes - 'her' from 5 prefixed with one letter from 1a.

[slaney]

...prefixed by...

[Ripper]

Thanks Slaney
That's made a bit more sense

[boondoggle]

Hi there,

My completed grid requires two extra cell dividers at 36a and 13d. Anybody else found this or have I missed something?

[slaney]

Yes boondoggle, there are two symmetrically placed bars missing there.

[s436]

Almost there. I even see the "possible causes", but the resulting highlighted squares would reveal, well, nothing obvious! Am I missing something?

[slaney]

s456 - if you read the preamble it says "hidden in the grid in unabbreviated form" so carry on from what you already have.