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For Cipher, Read Love

Of the seven unclued entries, five are entered in one or other of two Playfair ciphers. The entries and codewords are a group of linked names; one of the codewords has a repeated letter – it is the first instance of the letter that is removed to form the codesquare.

The top row represents the initial stage, the central region an intermediate, confused stage, and the bottom row the end stage.

Playfair codesquare

In a Playfair word square the codeword, adjusted for any repeated letters, is followed by the remaining letters of the alphabet, I doing double duty for I and J (see right – in this example the first instance of E has been removed ). To encode a word it must first be split into pairs of letters e.g. OD YS SE US. Each pair is then seen as forming the diagonally opposite corners of a rectangle within the word square, the other two corner letters being the encoded form. Thus, in the example shown, OD gives NF (not FN, which DO would give). Where a pair of letters appears in the same row or column in the word square, its encoded form is produced from the letters immediately to the right of or below each respectively. For the last letters in a row or column the first letters in the same row or column become the encoded forms. Thus YS is encoded as MI, and US as SB. When all the pairs are encoded, the word is joined up again, thus ODYSSEUS is encoded as NFMIUMSB.

ACROSS

10           A time turning over field (4)

11           Mostly stop when circling game living in marshy area (8)

12           Ignorant about beginning to hunt grouse (8)

17           Government refusal to back positive element (4)

18           An indefinitely large number given backing for linked computers (3)

19           Duplicates cut flower having secured single example (6)

21           Want to dismiss Schubert piece, identifying original name (3)

23           Surrealist artist seen in a couple of particulars? (3)

25           Local source of pork cutlet partially recalled (3)

26           Sacred spaces? First in list involves Australia  (4)

30           You once brought in garden accessory for encouraging growth (8)

32           Tell about one rule that backs shopkeeper? (8)

33           Quiet comment dismissing second ministerial official (4)

DOWN

1              Confusion after losing small area for garden feature (4)

2              Minimal source of life where Sun first appears? (5)

3              One enjoying food festival, declining seconds (5)

4              Expression of pleasure as ache regularly abates? (3)

5              Data about lake in valley (4)

6              Organise military establishment to restrict one escape? (8, 3 words)

7              Yen to say more in uplifting special moment (4)

8              Country compartment containing computer connections (6)

9              Gesture of defiance from, say, Charles II’s wife not entirely accepting his mistress (8)

13           Representative not in position after time (5)

14           Old company supplying fonts, later in trouble, went down (8)

15           Religious office: source of entertainment aboard pirate radio vessel? (8)

16           Keen user hollowed out lump of wood (4)

18           Article about horse brought up equine disease (5)

20           Limits to elucidating Mensa puzzle supplied by comic character (4)

22           Style of living in some circles in European city (6)

24           British avoiding overseas highway (5)

25           Provide material for online humour? (5)

27           Crikey – historical European Parliament mostly upset about Government (4)

28           Perfume ingredient turned out to include trace of lime (4)

29           Second worker perhaps for broadcaster (4)

31           Source of tribulation for one sheep (3)

PDF of puzzle

Solution

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This is the website of Paul Henderson, who sets crosswords for The Independent (London) under the pseudonyms Phi, for the Daily Telegraph (London) under the pseudonym Kcit, and anonymously for The Times (London) amongst many other outlets. For a more detailed biography see the About Me page.

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