Ev 1435

[hankir]

Help with:

19. Hot baths are vacated after one side of thermostat’s bust (6 or 7)

Also hint on the poem. Chances are I have never heard of it.

[Neveracrossword]

19 Thermae, hot baths. Therm(ostat) + A(r) E. It's treated...

[hankir]

Thanks NAC.

[ProfessorMaisie]

The poem title is a single very short word, hankir - look at the other (complete) entries together.

[ProfessorMaisie]

I think 19 should be 'one side of T(hermostat)' + HERM (='bust') + A(r)E [otherwise the 'bust' doesn't feature, as it isn't an anagram].

[ProfessorMaisie]

...but that's purely academic - the other way still gives the right answer.

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, PM. My parsing is often … dubious! Could the 'bust' equal gone, removed?

[ProfessorMaisie]

Maybe if you go via 'bankrupt' as an intermediate synonym, Neveracrossword - but most senses of 'bust' = damage of some sort (apart from the statue/bust example, of course).

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks again, PM. That all sounds logical.

[hankir]

Thanks ProfessorM.
I did figure out the poem.
And 29 cells.

Don't know how the last line applies to the grid.

[ProfessorMaisie]

Do you have all of the 'men', hankir? Or have I misunderstood what you're getting at by '...last line'?

[professorplum13]

Help ..i can't get 29 letters to highlight ... i have 5 men...24 letters ??

[ProfessorMaisie]

professorplum13 - you'll need a 6th for the highlighting.

[professorplum13]

Ah... i get it now ...the highlighting forms ....

[ProfessorMaisie]

...I think you're missing Bill @ 24a.

[ProfessorMaisie]

...sorry, it took me far too long to do the sum.

[ProfessorMaisie]

...and even then I got the wrong one! You were looking for a 5 letter one!

[hankir]

I have the 29 cells. 6 names.
I do not understand how the filled grid reflects the sentiment expressed in the first and last line.

The first line I can guess by the way answers were modified.

[roslyn251254]

The first line tells you to choose the clues that didnt have their 1st letters taken off.
The last line tells you they are boys names?
The highlighted spells out the name of the poem ??

Do you mean something else though?

[ProfessorMaisie]

Personally, I think Ifor has produced a very elegant puzzle that (with great economy) nails its subject perfectly. To paraphrase -

If you keep your head screwed on when all around you are losing it, you'll be a lot of things - but most of all, you'll be a man (+ all of the attendant virtues of that state - given a certain Victorian outlook, of course). And the icing on the cake - the men = the puzzle title! 'What's not to like' (as they say these days)?

[hankir]

Thanks ros and ProfessorM.
I did not understand how the grid was reflecting the poem.
But after explanation from both of you, I see why it is a wonderful creation. Ifor always has challenging and satisfying crosswords.