To Sil@49, I’ve also found a lot of interest when you’ve recounted your solving experiences and enjoyment in various comments over the last few months. Where they differ from my own it’s particularly interesting to me, especially as someone interested in the process from both sides – solver and setter, as one immersed in British culture and vernacular or otherwise. Hope nobody else minded my ‘lecture’ on a few revelations that everybody’s comments, brave guesses and official answers had given me.

Having been outed as the author of 11ac, I personally think it’s OK to use ‘to’ as a ‘plus’ sign in an anagram (add this set of letters ‘to’ this set of letters and mix them all up). But I was half-expecting to be accused of racism for this one, so I can take redundant prepositions on the chin.

Many thanks to all commenters, especially those with inside knowledge to elaborate on it – much appreciated, Mr & Mrs H.

In the way that a setter might often start with theme words or favourite clues from their clue-bank to begin filling the grid (e.g. see Anax’s Actually Setting – The Anatomy of a Crossword for an example or his From The Top – the full story of setting a cryptic), I’d expect that when you’re aiming for a perimeter nina, after choosing a grid with an unchecked perimeter you’d put the nina in first then try to find words that fit and give interesting clueing options without causing bottlenecks or restricting the choice of checking solutions too much. Obviously there are other considerations at times, such as with Araucaria’s alphabetical jigsaw crossword in about September with RIGHT and BOTTOM on the two sides that don’t include the starting letters.

I think variation in boundary conditions or methods of seeding the grid can add interest to the challenge of setting and sustain interesting variations for solvers too.

Personally, I find ninas enjoyable from time to time, but also appreciate simple great clueing, interesting themes and mini themes and use of cross-references, as I also appreciate four-headed hybrid setters! So I’d say to all setters, keep up the variation and enjoy it and I’m sure we solvers will too far more often than not.

It’s also fascinating to see that it’s not always that obvious even to seasoned solvers what looks like a “typical John Halpern” clue as opposed to a “typical John Henderson” clue. Clearly the constraints of the word in question and its wordplay possibilities ensure that the lines are blurred, and possibly it’s the grid fill as much as the clue construction that makes their characteristic styles shine through in single-setter crosswords.

When a particular setter isn’t setting all the solutions in the grid, they’re not able to put in words that they’d personally have chosen, for example to suit John Halpern’s cheeky/risqué predelictions or to deliberately mislead or subvert (e.g. notice the trend for Henry = H and subvert it using Thiery Henry by using Thievery as a solution, or to set a grid filled with every kind of ‘flower’ clue you can think of, or a grid where each across clue ends as the next one starts, or every solution contains a double-letter, all of which I’ve seen recently, and all of which have caused enjoyment and admiration.

I’d also suggest that the target publication’s setting rules and target difficulty will have an influence on clue style. For example, Ray T setting Telegraph Toughies as Beam (which he’s done twice) differs to a degree from his regular, but anonymous, Daily Telegraph cryptics.

Also the music of the day is obviously Buffalo Tom’s Soda Jerk,
but obviously this is news to you.
Good puzzle this one, though even for those of us who admit the time taked to slog it out.

Looking back at my first post (#12) I did 9 predictions: only 3 of them were right … !!
[but poor Bryan (#6), he was completely wrong]
And, although I hardly had any criticism: 2 out of 3 times Paul was the victim.

I think, the result makes very clear that some styles and certainly those of you, more or less Libertarian topsetters, are very close or at least show an overlap.

I will not express my feelings about who or what I liked most.
It was a giant team effort, and so it shall be remembered.
And I/we enjoyed it immensely – and look at that number of posts for a Saturday puzzle!

Very many thanks all round – for your part in a super puzzle and your hint at #33. With that bit of help, I cracked it! [You must have had some fun!

It was amazing how all of you managed to fit everything together and also to include the Nina.

Well done!