Listener N0 4765 - Character Recognition By Vagans

Matakari | 09:36 Sun 28th May 2023 | Crosswords

21 Answers

Good day, I’m doing some mental gymnastics with Vagan’s “Character recognition”. There seems to be a fair share of anagrams here, but are quite tricky. I would appreciate some hints for the following and thanks in advance!
( Every clue contains a superfluous character that must be removed to enable solving. Removals always leave real words, sometimes needing spacing or punctuation adjusted. The removals in down clues form three groups of six; those in across clues describe another group, of which solvers must highlight four members (each in a straight line, 14 contiguous cells in all), thereby forming a fifth. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference; one answer is an abbreviation.)

ACROSS:
36 Washes out French article worn by male (7) LE?????

DOWN:
2 Band go bad after depression (6) : CO?C??
8 Opine Amir ill when mixing lubricant (10, two words): MIN???????
12 Will, perhaps, of some sad Parisian couple leading to hopelessness (11): SE?????????
13 Repeat stocking filler for the wicked that could blame crackling on the ingle (10): ?A??O?CO?L
25 Those in Calais keeping Tay in oil hauled up plates of sea gooseberries etc (6 ): ??G??S

Ev 1592

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JJ109

8 Mineral Oil (Opine amir ill (minus "pi") anagram

roslyn251254

36a leaches ...MAL not MALe at the end

roslyn251254

2d clue should read GOD ..BA is extra
The band goes round your neck

roslyn251254

12d SAD is extra ...defn is the last word
25d AYIN is extra...your G is wrong (32a is ERA ...hidden in the clue...)

JJ109

13 parrot-coal

roslyn251254

13d LAM is extra...

JJ109

13 Parrot-coal (that could blame crackling on the ingle) = Parrot (repeat) + coal (stocking filler for the wicked}

.... but where is the superfluous character?

JJ109

Thanks Ros - crossed post

Matakari

Question Author

Thanks, jj109 and roslyn! I got 13d but did not expect a hyphen. I would like the answers to 2d, 12d and 25d as well as an explanation for the extras BA,AYIN, SAD.

roslyn251254

2d ...your 2nd C is wrong...should be L
12d could be thought of as 4,7
25d "those" in Calais would be CES

roslyn251254

2d clue should read Band god after depression...so you need a 3 letter depression followed by a 3 letter god...

roslyn251254

12d ...french for "some" (plural) in french followed by a "couple" (4 letters) is in there...

Matakari

Question Author

Thanks for the extra hints, I'll be studying them after I clear my head with a little stroll.

Neveracrossword

Matakari, I know recent EVs might not have suited you, but today's should be more pleasing. The link- on AB - accessible to me! - was posted this morning.

Matakari

Question Author

Thanks, let me see how much more I can learn before I take up the challenge of the EV recommended by NACW.

17a Freedom curtailed when rotund: such is life in Edinburgh (5): ?IE?L
30a Tourist stumbling upon US hostel containing rare hearth (8) : ?AT??O?S
33a Gratin taken by the handful in Holyrood from King and Emperor, very quietly (4): ?I?P
37a Crash in the Maldives starts to lift all auto risk insurance (5): ????I

9d Plan in Yorkshire dale that last appears (6): INT???
24d Some old Tibetan in modern Gaul (6) : F?ANCS