independent magazine #600

[mad max]

have completed grid,but cant get the final part,(replacing three pairs of letters) the clashing letters I have are cd in di(c)ker,si(d)cup cl in red(c)ar,abvo(l)t and dc in di(d)cot, tr(i)tely.dont get the title connection either (inquisitor 949) any ideas ?

[ulysses100]

Hi mad max,
I've almost completed the grid. There's only one clue that I cannot solve : 9ac Toffee-nosed individual's mostly dated language _NOBO_ which I presume starts with S.
The clashing letters are all Roman numerals one combination of which gives the crossword number 600 = DC.
The others are/or CD=400 CL = 150 ID = 499 DI = 501 but I cannot see a combination that will give Inquisitor 949.
Also I cannot get White Christmas combinations for top row and right column (after Christmas Island and up to Christmas daisy ) except for Flake-white and ? Christmas card

[mad max]

9a. snobol (snob & mostly old)
flake white,christmas carol, marbled white
thanks for clue has given me something else to think about

[ulysses100]

Thank you mad max,
It would have helped if I had inserted aureola instead of aureole -- I may then have got marbled !
I'm still trying to work on the Roman numeral theory -- will let you know if I come up with anything.

[kettledrum]

I've just got back from a long weekend away and find myself in much the same position as both of you, but as I see it, the same pair of letters to be replaced is DC ( which is 600 - the number of the puzzle - as Ulysses has said). Now I am reunited with dictionaries and computer I might do better. Will keep in touch if inspiration strikes.

[kettledrum]

This is more thinking out loud than a serious suggestion, but....if one splits 949 up into 900 (CM), 40 (XL) & 9 (IX), and sustituted CM in Sidcup, XL in Redcar, and IX in Didcot, that would fit in with the clashing letters we've got.. Then what ?

[mad max]

many thanks for both your ideas, they sort of make sense as the title" weekend crossword" has been changed to "inquisitor" but "the long running anomaly" who knows, or maybe "crossword" is the anomaly and has been changed it to a more suitable title?

[kettledrum]

It gives me no great pleasure to see that my half-hearted suggestion was right. How were we expected to know about the number being an anomaly?
I feel quite strongly that solutions to crosswords should be understandable to any solver who just, for instance, buys a random copy of the newspaper. I think this required inside knowledge! What do you think?

[mad max]

yes I agree kettledrum, very annoying i'm even tempted to contact the independent ,I still really enjoy their crosswords though