Robert

Solved this pretty quickly (by my standards) for a Saturday puzzle, but I still don't understand 52 Down. Clue is "off-kilter' and from the crosses, I got 'alop' which solves as correct, but I do not understand it. Never heard of 'alop' and checking dictionaries and Googling it, I cannot find it any where. Anyone out there with an explanation of 'alop'?

Another annoying puzzle where you have to guess the arbitrary way to enter the answers when you know them and the theme. On Thursday, would not accept rebus with the "inflated grades separated by a slash like "F/D'. However today entering Greek φ does not work, you have to use a rebus and enter "phi". All so arbitrary. You can know all the answers and the 'trick' but still not get the particular ways to enter.

I found the logistics/scoring of this puzzle annoying. I understood the "grade inflation" theme and entered all the relevant clues using rebus function, e.g. as D/C or C/B, showing the increase (inflation) in each rebus answer. Puzzle solution was rejected as incorrect. Thursday puzzles often contain rebuses and in today's puzzle using rebuses accurately reflected the answers and the theme. Seems like the rebus way of solving was equally correct and should have been accepted. Rejecting it is arbitrary. Either solution - with or without rebuses should have been accepted as correct. Something to consider on future puzzles.

I saw all the right answers, but did not know I was supposed to put answers on black squares - entered them as rebuses instead. Does the puzzle allow you to put letters on black squares? not normally. Tripped up by the technicality of how to enter, even though saw every answer

Avoiding any spoiler, I note that one of the answers in the special squares *** really does match the special category of the reveal *** *** *****