A FOUR - DIMENSIONAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

The usual directions "Across" and "Down" operate within the individual pieces of grid. The "Hyper-" directions jump from a spot in one grid to a corresponding spot in the next grid across or down. To help illustrate this, the spot (19 Hyper-Down) has been highlighted. The grid can be considered a subset of a 5x5x5x5 hyper-cube, although trying to visualise this in four dimensions may not be any help in solving the puzzle.

There are exactly four cells of the grid which are maximally cross-checked, being part of spots in all four directions. These special points therefore each have five clues relating to them, counting this one (which may have been news to you).

The Hyper-spots are all five cells long, so I haven't indicated the length with each clue.

This document has been adjusted so that it should print out OK on one A4 sheet, although you may have to cut back your top & bottom margins (or shrink the font-size even further) to squeeze it on. To give you more chance, these introductory paragraphs are omitted from the print-version.

GOOD LUCK!
1.   2.   3.     g g g 4.   5.   6.       7. g g g     8.   9.   10.
  g 11. g g   g 12.         g g   g g   13.       g   g g   g  
14. 15.     16.     g g g     17.             g g g     18.     19.  
  g  

ACROSS

1. Point to vessel - more recent (5)

5. Strangely (3 Hyper-Ac) up (5)

8. High border, with plants (5)

12. Thus heard in (14 Hyper-Ac) (4)

13. Too alternate - bad lesson (4)

14. (24 Down) 5-0 ... very cool (5)

17. To them, I would be one (5)

18. It is fleet of foot or it buries its heads (5)

26. Time range, at heart ... (3)

27. ... or wrapped about a pole (3)

32. Imbibe a little Spanish - yes, softly (3)

33. It can (3)

34. Six note contest (3)

36. Cash in on this name musically - it sounds Native American (3)

42. The P.D. arranged some distance (5)

45. Opening of widest artery (5)

48. Pale sunrise about castle (5)

50. Sign mantra measure (4)

51. 'Tis (48 Across) to flame or heartless moon (4)

52. To make broad put out, wined (5)

54. Decay or screw! (5)

55. When Elliot about, ask for duties (5)

DOWN

1. Point always opposite ... always! (5)

2. Oddly wired? (5)

4. Particularly charged (3)

6. Half of test book (3)

7. Townshead farming label (3)

9. European reported to condescend (5)

10. Put out, or even leave in, cat? (5)

24. (17 Across) greeting right claim (4)

25. Help badly into second (4)

28. Help for cellists in Balero's input (5)

29. Leading adze, oddly, a gem (5)

30. Child of the Spanish, end of the French (5)

31. Herb named at close of (35-Down) (5)

35. (1 Hyper-Ac) European beheaded in (42 Hyper-Ac)s (4)

37. At changed of pound, deduct penny (4)

38. Provide for death with cry of pain (5)

39. Took advantage of Grain 500 (5)

40. Perform's operation - subject's "leader" pays! (5)

41. Crushes not a gram of zest (5)

44. 1/e (3)

46. Adjusted tap fitting (3)

47. Dashes not a gram of treasure (3)

  g  
20.   21. 22.   23.
   
  g     g  
g 24. g g 25. g
g   g g   g
g   g g   g
26.     27.    
   
28.   29. 30.   31.
  g     g  
32.     33.    
  g     g  
  g     g  
 

HYPER-ACROSS

1. Point help to Contras

3. Strangely (5 Across) clean

11. (26 Across) points to remove

14. Sign half-virile half-goer

16. Reported on, we can be a product of great tedium; ...

42. ... parties, little education (on drugs); ...

43. ... student accomodation becomes a public house when student's head lost!

49. Measure proprietary hollow

52. Superlative brew, containing some head

53. Lollies for geeks?

HYPER-DOWN

1. Point served without outer resolve

2. Drink-waiter: one left

9. Decorate location without advertisement

10. Half-amuses with a key used at the end of a line

15. Sheepish - only partly bullish

19. Stay down under

20. Barren ewe strips bare to get fresh

21. Stunned lawyer with mark of Zorro

22. Rewritten song follows point of twits?

23. No, a wild streak of trips!

 
34. 35.   36. 37.  
g   g g   g
g   g g   g
g   g g   g
  g     g  
   
38.   39. 40.   41.
  g     g  
42.       43.     g g g 44.   45.   46.       47. g g g     48.        
  g 49. g g   g 50.         g g   g g   51.       g   g g   g  
52.       53.     g g g     54.             g g g     54.