Ev 1064

[x_word_fan]

Good fun - I wondered why only the letters in the top half were to be highlighted - and now I know!

[DocHH]

Hello x_word_fan,
I have a fully populated grid, with the clash, but have not resolved it, so am grid gazing with both options in the clash! I hate grid gazing!

[jim360]

I'm assuming there is only one clash?

Anyway, finding this really difficult for some reason. Very tough clues - probably to make up for the fact that they can be taken at face-value.

[Twit-Who]

Me too DocHH. I partook of the dreaded grid staring for quite a while without a glimmer of light and then decided to come back to it later. I don't actually have a lot of hope for this one though.

[jim360]

Finally finished this (with a bit of help) last night - an enjoyable puzzle where the fact that not much was going on was more than compensated for by some seriously tricky clues. Thanks, Shark!

[Shoni70]

Struggling again. 19 ac - is it invert but why ? I have no idea what the three related words are and I have stared and tried every combination to try and find them. I thought easter might be one of them since the time, but no other connections can I find. Flummoxed - help please before i become an alcoholic !!!!!! Thank you in advance.

[jim360]

It's not Invert, no, and the theme isn't exactly appropriate as far as I know to the timing. Beyond that I'd rather not disclose anything publicly - glance at some of my other posts on AB and you'l find an email address to send any questions you still have about this and I'll get back to you privately.

[devadolly]

Good morning All. Have finished the grid, with the exception of 19a which doesn't make sense when married with 10d, is that the clash?? Like DocHH have done a lot of grid staring and have come up with ZILTCH! I think I shall join Shoni and drown in alcohol. Help someone!
NB what is AB Jim360?

[Christiana]

DD, Yes!
For once I had the revelation before I reached the point of despair. Only looked briefly at it before light dawned, so now we are happy - for this week, at least.

[kayakamina]

After the recent run of EVs with extra/missing letters required to lead to an instruction I thought it would be an easier solve than it was.

I got the clash early on but, like other EVers, spent ages staring at the grid.

DD
I think that the AB Jim refers to is Answerbank.

[dr b]

I was traveling in sunny Texas this weekend and filled in most of the grid on plane rides; finished it off this morning but am now in the grid-starers camp. I am no fan of word searches where you don't know what you're searching for!

[devadolly]

Thanks for the hints, am still grid staring and vote we start a grid starers club, I will put a good strong pot of coffee on and heat up some scones, then if everyone would like to bring a contribution we could enjoy ourselves as we stare!

[Christiana]

Grid starers! Concentrate on the clash, which will reveal one of the words. There are two other very strongly connected words, plus a symbol revealed by the highlighting.

[jim360]

Yeah, AB was meant to be AnswerBank. Sorry for the confusion!

[devadolly]

Still staring!

[kayakamina]

I hope I don't get told off DD.

There is a 6 letter word running up from clue 28 which should suggest a theme.

Good luck.
K

[DocHH]

Finished off the Telegraph Crosswords today quite quickly and thought I'd go back to grid staring! Had a PDM, there are so many clues to the theme, even one of the grid entries, that it should have been glaringly obvious from the outset! Really kicking myself for not seeing it previously!

[devadolly]

Thanks for the help K but I fear that I have a very wrong 10d, and I don't see how unless all the adjoining acrosses are wrong, as it seems to fit the clue very well.
Can't spare any more staring time, off to plant the onion sets, each into its own little pot and then let them get well established and the outside patch warmed up before letting them out!

[devadolly]

Just about to throw it over my shoulder and I worked out where I had gone wrong.....................................it's rather groanworthy when one gets it isn't it?

[DocHH]

Devadolly, I love that word "groanworthy"! "Glaringly obvious" seems totally inadequate!
I remember my Dad preparing onion sets, we were self sufficient in onions, even in North London! He stored the resultant onions by putting them in Mum's laddered answer to 37a with a knot between each onion! He hung the string from the roof beams of his shed!

[devadolly]

Hi DocHH, we just string them. Himself sits himself in the shed doorway and strings them into nice different sized strings on a nice sunny day after they have dried for a week or two..........keeps him out of mischief for an hour or two! But, that seems a long way off at the moment, just rotovated the various beds today and now we wait for a rise in temperature..........here's hoping!