Spectator 2525

[pragnard]

I think I've managed to fill the grid correctly now, but am stumped by "enumerations indicate lengths of clues' "full" solutions". Only 13D offers promise (t-- r---- t---- ?). Hints would be welcome as 2525 has exhausted me!

[novalis]

Plenty of debate about this two weeks ago. You need numbers and symbols (squared is one of the unclued across) to produce a sum, the answer to which is the puzzle number.

[ProfessorMaisie]

Only one clued answer has an entry that is thematically treated (4d) and it's this clue that shows a different number to the number of cells available (the 'full' solution would be 16 letters long if a single figure didn't replace a 3 letter word).

[pragnard]

Have I simply lost the plot here? I'm looking at my answer to 28A, for example (same as novatis'), and am trying to find a "full" version of this comprising 28 letters. Perhaps "enumerations" doesn't mean what I think it means?

[novalis]

I no longer have the puzzle but the maths term is entered as squared. 4 down has a number in it which is written as a figure. For the crossing clue think of a location in '1984' and enter the number. The unclued down going to the bottom row is a version of football. Enter a number in the first cell,. The unclued down entry starting in the top row is where the debate is. Some have entered a number in the last cell while others have opted for a mathematical symbol.

[novalis]

I should have added that at 5 down the last three letters are -one, again entered as a figure.

[ProfessorMaisie]

I'm guessing that you might be trying to enter some answers in isolation rather than as parts of an overall mathematical sum (but if you're thinking of 'the radio times' then 'the' is redundant (I think 'radio times' is a better fit than the radio station I came up with - Radio X).
Similarly, are you trying to enter the sum of the clue number (28 across) 'squared', because that would be 28 letters if written out? If so, that's wrong - 'squared' applies to the overall sum (or parts of the sum - there are differences of opinion on how the maths works).'
The resulting sum should equal the puzzle's number 2525.

[pragnard]

Ahha - light dawns. I now see (or at least think I see) that the phrase "enumerations indicate lengths of clues' full solutions" relates to the anomaly in the enumeration of 4D (16 letters in a 14*14 grid!). I'm not sure that you ever saw what I was driving at, but I really thought there was yet another level to this fiendish puzzle with a "solution behind the solution". I think I'll make myself a strong cup of tea now and try to calm down a little. Thanks for all your assistance

[ProfessorMaisie]

The light finally dawned for me too, and how something so familiar could have escaped my attention for so long amazes me - Radio Times! Not the obscure 'Radio X' after all. I'm now quite sure what the simple sum is.