Ev 1060 - Change Of Title By Oxymoron

[Twit-Who]

I enjoyed this puzzle and it kept me gripped right to the end but I do have some moans on editing:
Bar missing from penultimate row
5d should be marked as 2 words
39a should be marked as hyphenated

Other clues have been marked as such so let's have some continuity. Perhaps it was to make the puzzle more challenging which worked.

I was held up somewhat by not reading the preamble properly - my own fault of course. Speaking of the preamble maybe I've missed something but I don't get the "As instructed by the completed grid"?? Obviously a choice has to be made but I see no instruction.

[DocHH]

Hello Twit-Who,
Definitely a relatively easy work out from Devadolly's nemesis. There is an instruction. Last week I suggested you look in a particular manner in order to resolve the last element of EV 1058, the same applies this week, but 2 letters less than clashes.

[Twit-Who]

Ah yes, so there is. I'm a Twit again. Can't believe I've made the same mistake again.

[dr b]

I thought this puzzle was the greatest!

[devadolly]

I only got a chance to open the Xword at coffe this morning................yes DocHH, a heartfelt groan echoed throughout the land. However, I have (slight) hopes as I have actually done some of the clues, absolutely no idea of the theme etc but your post has certainly helped T-W, not that I have done the offending clues but it will help.

[Canary42]

Am I the only one who hasn't the faintest idea what you're all talking about ?

[devadolly]

Sunday Telegraph Enigmatic Variations Crossword Canary. As you will see from the posts, there are two levels of skill......T-W; DocHH & drb (plus others) and the likes of me who struggles most of the time. Do get the Xword and join our nattering & chatting.

[Christiana]

Hi all and DD in particular, plodding along as I do. Particular thanks to Twit-who for pointing out the hyphen in 39a. I had been staring at that for some time, with most of the grid populated. Would never have got it otherwise as it's not in my version of the BRB, even with a hyphen.

Have completed the grid, albeit no understanding of the subsidiary indication in 2 down, and have solved the clashing letters situation, BUT seem to have 12 rather than ten 'missing' letters, and, so far, no idea what to do with them.

[DocHH]

Christiana, look in the BRB for the 2nd word of the 39a clue in the BRB, there are 2 options, take the latter, there you will find the hyphenated grid entry.
For 2d, the entry into the grid could also be what was an affectionate term for an early portable radio. It starts life as an affectionate term that your children's children might use.
There are definitely only 10 missing letters, which read as you would read a book really do set the scene!
Canary42, the game plan for these EV threads is to give hints rather than direct answers, so posts tend to be a little cryptic/obscure, which also makes it more fun providing hints. Twit-Who gave several hints in the initial post, I gave one hint and dr b another, despite his short post. These hints also indicate that to others we have actually solved the EV. At times the thread may well be better placed in the Drinks section of AB!
That said, it's time for a preprandial, will be washing dinner down with a shiraz cabernet sauvignon! Yes, even on a monday!!!!!!!!!!!
Devadolly you do yourself an injustice.

[Christiana]

Well, this has been a long struggle after a flying start, but I think I finally have all the component parts. I'm still left with a couple of queries, though. Doc HH, I had the answer to 2D, it was (and is) the word play that escapes me - old woman, German? Thanks for directing me to the 39a entry in BRB. I thought I understood how the clue worked - wrong.
One of my hold-ups in getting the scene-setting element was that I thought 37a provided one of the missing letters (an s) and it doesn't so where does the 's' come from? This re-focussed my attention on 39a, again I don't understand the word play, though I have successfully identified the scene now. So full but not satisfied, so to speak.

[kayakamina]

Christiana

The old woman is a Grannie. If you have 'time' for 'German' you will get the
cross-dresser.

[Christiana]

Thanks K - my 'favourite' type of clue for getting wrong. I'm always missing these letter substitutions and never seem to learn! Still puzzling over the word-play in 39 across

[dr b]

one definition of funnel is: "The offspring of a stallion and a she-ass". Succeeded is S, north and south china are Seas.

37 a is missing a bar in the grid before the S.

[devadolly]

Apart from getting over-excited about actually having finished a grid by Mr O..... and, not only that, having ascertained the perp, and the place, I am letting myself down by not being able to work out exactly which lights I am supposed to be high-lighting, my brain is confused by the preamble................... now don't you scientists raise your eyes to heaven and mutter under your collective breath, it just doesn't seem to conect properly. HELP!

[Christiana]

Thanks dr b, especially re. the bar in the grid. Had found, thanks to doc HH, the funnel definition, and had wondered about 'seas' but geography let me down, I fear.

[Christiana]

Hi devadolly, I'm assuming we highlight each 'missing letter' in the correct place in the grid for that particular clue, which will then read in the normal manner, albeit with big gaps in between, the scene-setting element.

However, probably best to wait for confirmation.

[DocHH]

That's also my interpretation Christiana, so "book him Dan O". A few years ago we went on a mini-cruise around the Keys starting from there!
Devadolly, now that you have a fully populated Mr O grid, and I if I remember correctly not for the first time recently perhaps he will no longer be a NEMESIS!

[devadolly]

Still a Nemisis DocHH, just can't get the appropiate letters into clues after 2nd M! B seems OK (ish) and C & H are fine .............................I think it is going over the shoulder, there is only so much stress a body can take and it's Himself's b/d next week and I have totally forgotten where I have hidden his (very superior) present for a 'not really important birthday') That's the trouble with getting them when one sees them!!! What with that and a 33rd w/a the week after...........................................purdah sound good!

[TheBear69]

I have the setting but I also have an additional missing letter in 37acr. How does the wordplay account for the last letter?

I'm somewhat surprised that Oxymoron did not choose an entirely different way to resolve the clues (replacing each clashing pair with a different letter entirely) given that the one of the choices was in transition...with the same number of letters

[dr b]

37 a is missing a bar in the grid before the S (as noted by Twit-who in the original post).