EV 1020: Loss by Samuel

[DocHH]

Hello everyone,
I had a sinking feeling when I did the first pass through the clues looking for gifts! I found the clues hard, but fair in retrospect.
Hopefully someone will confirm the answer lengths indicated in brackets in 2 of the 10 answers undergoing "LOSS" before entry are wrong. Also that the number of clues with superfluous lettters is more than 29. I reckon the first 4 of those who may have been subjected to "LOSS" account for 26 letters, and the 5th is longer than 3 letters! Plus I think there is a missing bar under the 3rd letter of 7ac, A few new words for me.
Quite liked how the grid displays the theme!
Now it is defintely time for a preprandial Jamesons!

[cruciverbali]

Make that a post-prandial ruby port for me Doc ! Sounds like you are ready to move on to today's Azed:

http://image.guardian...2/05/22/2086may27.pdf

[novalis]

Hi DocHH!

Have managed to look at this today and have made good progress but it wasn't plain sailing.

As far as I can see 18 a and both 7 and 10 d have the wrong answer length stated.

Am struggling with 43 across - a key answer and, to a lesser extent, 26 across because I cannot justify the obvious answer.

I know roughly where the lines need to be drawn but still cannot work out how to resolve the clashes.

Shall do some more work this evening then have another look at this.

[dr b]

hi all, a good puzzle but marred by the errors. I think 18a is OK as 8 letters, but 7d should be 10 and 13d should be 9. 10d seems OK to me.

Doc I have 29 extra letters; the 5th "loser" is 3 letters long. There were 2 clues where there might have been an extra letter depending on how you interpreted things, but those letters did not yield a thematic loser, so I figured the 3-letter loser fit into the theme and that must be that.

Heading towards 97 degrees in old St. Lou today; 95 tomorrow for Memorial Day. Too hot too soon!!

[novalis]

Sorry Dr. B. A typo. It should have been 13d. 18 across is shown as 6 in the paper version.

[Jogler]

Dr b, that is warm; lovely and sunny with us in New Forest and we have two weeks off from the little people so the h-g is enjoying the cricket. If the weather continues fair we might even summon up the energy to go and have a look at the sea. Agree with the various comments on lengths - it would appear that our newspaper version does differ from t'internet.

[DocHH]

Thank you for the link to Azed Cruciverbali. I did it today, after the 3 Monday Telegraph crosswords. I didn't think it was too demanding, and to be honest I like the extra quirks in EV and Speccie, they make the final solution far more rewarding.
Hope you enoyed your ruby port! Probably soon be time for another?!? I'm indulging in another preprandial Jamesons!
The weather here is still glorious, but a light breeze is taking the edge off the warmth, particularly along the seafront, but showers are forecast for thursday. That will set the lawn growing again!
Jogler(s), enjoy the New Forest, and the peace of not having to look after little people!
Devadolly is late on parade again, probably enjoying her new surroundings in that bedroom she thinks is now too good for her and Himself!
dr b, I was counting a normally clued entry as having an extra letter. So thanks for that, or should I just say the phonetic shortened word?

[novalis]

Have just managed to have another look before going back to scripts. Am still not seeing a justification for the obvious answer at 26 across while 43 across has me completel baffled as does the method of resolving the clashes. Any hints would be very welcome.

[DocHH]

Novalis,
26a is a hidden word/name, look in the first annex of the BRB, it is also a normally entered entered answer with a clash with 15d.
43a is similarly a normally entered answer with a clash with both 23d and 36d. You should then resolve the clashes to give proper words/names in the grid. Join them and then look for one other square which completes the symmetry. Then read the letters and the shape!

[devadolly]

Hello Everyone, yes very late on Parade again! It's lamb sending time again for the freezers and as we are such a small enterprise it takes ages to work out how we want the lambs cut to supply all the orders and still have some left over for the rest of the year (no-one ever orders enough!) What I really need is lambs with 2 legs and 4 shoulders!
Did have a short glance at the EV yesterday but it isn't talking to me at all, have done more of the enigmatic clues than the 29 so think I'm 'on to' what is required but as to clashes etc, will pay closer attention to the posts later today.
Do hope you are relaxing with suitable tinctures to hand jogler's. Drb, does your unsaesonable v hot weather mean you might have more tornados? It must be very worrying they are so viscious.
Regards

[Jogler]

Yes, tinctures to hand, Dd. Currently exploring a very nice case of Muscadet.

[kayakamina]

A clever hint from novalis helped launch me and even with the poor editing I enjoyed the puzzle.

cruciverbali - Are you on commission for pushing the Azed crossword? I have noticed that you post a link to the puzzle usually on the thread of an unanswered question-
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1137874.html
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1137248.html
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1135580.html

[novalis]

Hi DocHH!

Many thanks for your as always very helpful hints. I was barking up the wron tree completely for 26ac but 43ac is still proving troublesome. Even with the two non-clashing letters I cannot get a handle on it at all. Getting that should, I hope, be the key to resolving all the clashes. Could I just confirm please that only real words/names are left in the final grid and that there is a total of three lines.

[DocHH]

Hello Novalis,
43a, the resulting entry could actually be thematic, but it is still afloat! The first words letters of 43a are the deifinition, followed by the subsidiary indication. Two letters as indicated by the word "initially" then a word normally associated with port drinkers!
You are correct in assuming the final grid has only real words and names, and that there are a total of 3 lines, as with any triangulation system! The resulant letters at the intersecting points in a clockwise direction are germane!
K, I hadn't noticed that cruciverbali had promoted Azed previously, it did however provide a short diversion the other day!

[DocHH]

Sorry Novalis, the first 3 words of 43a are the definition!

[AndrewG-S]

Very much bringing up the rear, I thought this was a fine puzzle, but the numerous editorial errors are getting to be a pain and certainly held me up on this one. Thanks Samuel - great fun.

[Spreadman]

Can anyone help with 33d. I have done everything else, got the theme, the shape and the appropriate name, but for the life of me, I cannot get this one. Help please!!

[kayakamina]

I thought 33d was a very clever clue.

Any Ol? ????

[Spreadman]

Thanks kayakamina, got it now.

[Christiana]

Well, the errors certainly held me up and I'm limping along at the rear at present. Nearly done now, but confused over 23 across, which I thought was a clash on the last letter but can't see a proper name. If no clash then confused as to what the 'force' is.

[novalis]

Many thanks for your help Dr. HH. 43 across had me completely stumped. I had the right shape but was looking for a way of resolving the clashes that gave something else of the requisite shape. That was a titanic error on my part.