h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I love doing crosswords but I’m not very good at them. Can anyone help?

Name given to the third Sunday before Lent (12)
- - P - - - - E - M - -

Try 'SEPTUAGESIMA'.

Great, thanks.
Mind if I ask you another?
The object of a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by the Church and accompanied by excommunication. (8)

Got any letters for that one?

Anathema??

;^)#

In a desperate bid to increase my student income I tried to learn how to do prize crosswords. Admittedly not a very good investment of my time. Anyway, I found a couple of sites that helped a little: http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound//wordgame/cluesolv.htm
http://www.puzzlers.org/guide/cryptics-solving.html
But they're not a lot of good if you don't know the word. Old WordPerfect 5.1 had a speller that could do crosswords - but as far as I know this is a very serious omission from MS products (anyone know better?)

ANYWAY - I'll try to help out with your crosswords and maybe if I ask nicely you'll help me with mine?

J

If you have a rough idea of the word, you could always try the ms thesaurus in word.

Argh! I hate having thought of that, never thought I'd come across a situation that I had to recommend an ms product.

so, do you know what it is yet?

Prase bee Footbacon, reviver of dead threads

apparently yes

Oops she did it again!

I've done it many times

It seems to be catching...other people, complete newbies to the guide are at it too!