Inquisitor 86

[suilven]

I've answered all the clues and found the 17 extra letters but it seems there are a number of options for inserting them into the 17 empty cells whilst still forming real words. Which are the 'special clues' and how do they 'help confirm the unique solution'? I'm totally baffled by this one. Is the preamble just worded very loosely or am I missing a clever trick?

[GRM]

See: http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Question612338.html

[judypark]

I have completed all but 35A and 29D, but have no idea of the peripheral words despite reading the referred to AB previous postings. If someone would be generous enough to tell me one of the peripheral words I may be able to work it out from there.

[GRM]

35a [o]WE [a]ARS

29d anagram of 'russet' giving a colour

[judypark]

Thankyour GRM, I have completed the entire grid, including the periphery, but for the life of me cannot see how the "special clues" help the unique solution. Usually we have a Eureka moment with Inquisitor, we must be missing something here?

[Rollo]

I think that the words that go into the perimeter - like the words that form the grid entries derived from the special clues - must be words that can lose one letter and still leave a proper word, and that there is only one way of doing that.

However, I have not yet worked out the unique solution.

[suilven]

If, as I now suspect, the 'special clues' are merely the 17 clues that lead to entries one letter less than their definitions, and the 'real words' are merely words, then this has to rank as the most badly worded preamble I can recall. Totally misleading without meaning to be. If I am wrong I very humbly beg for Loda's forgiveness.