Enigmatic Variations N0. 1602 - "Birds" By Piccadilly

[Matakari]

Good day, I’m off to a good start, but am stumped
by the following for which I would appreciate some
help, thank you.

1a Elizabeth’s diminutive black dress debtor confiscated ( 9 ) : BR?V????S
15a Cathedral city conceals dismembered hart? That’s vile ! ( 7 ): ???T?LY ( LOATHLY )
32a Book that is containing name identifying hop-stem ( 7 ) : ??A???E
38a Winged a teal in flight ( 9 ) : ???E?N?TE
4d Old Norwich ale in lodge regularly served ( 8 ) : ?OS?LI??

( In eight clues a consecutive group of letters is to be removed, affecting the surface reading. These groups of letters can be rearranged as BIRDS, which are to be inserted into eight normally clued answers to form new words. Numbers in brackets refer to lengths of grid answers. Chambers Dictionary ( 2016 ) is recommended; one entry is in Collins. )

[JJ109]

1a Themed answer - the bird to input extra is 5 letters beginning with R
15a 3 letter cathedral city surrounds anagram of hart
32a Themed a 3 letter bird to be inserted beginning with O
38a Themed a four letter bird beginning with T to be inserted
4d the L is wrong - 5 letter bird beginning with S to be inserted

[JJ109]

32a The A is wrong

[JJ109]

1a Fit the 5 letter bird into the grid starting at the R, this then leaves 4letters B _ _ S and the definition is a diminuative form of Elizabeth. Usual abbreviation for Book + dress - dr(debtor). This gives you a 9 letter word that is obviously unclued.

All the themed bird answers are done the same way
4d is therefore a 3 letter definition parsed by taking "regular" letters from "in lodge" and these surround a 5 letter bird to give an undefined answer

[Matakari]

Thanks, JJ109! Let me see if I've got the hang of it. My answer for
1a should then be: BRAVENESS?

[JJ109]

Correct

[JJ109]

You now alsoknow that the letters that make up "raven" have to be removed from another clue

Look at 35a

[Matakari]

JJ109, I'm just back from a short walk, and thanks for
confirming my answer. This means that I have to look for seven more
and repeat the process. I am yet to work on 35a, but I see the removal
in Laverne.

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, another of my recommendations that hasn't worked out -sorry!

PS I don't think the latest Guardian Genius will be your cup of tea either.

[Matakari]

JJ109, I’ve reached quite far with this one and will not
now abandon so quickly. I would be happy if you could
tell me the four other themed clues apart from
1a, 32a, 38a and 4d. Thanks in advance!
And yes, NACW, I had a peep at the Genius
and it surely looks like a brain scorcher.

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari.

PS I'm sorry to hear you're abandoning the attempt to find the thematic entries - you're missing out the fun part!

[JJ109]

Matakari - as you are adding the letters of a bird into other answers, the 8 where you do this by definition have to be longish grid answers.

But anyway they are 1a, 32a, 38a, 1d, 4d, 17d, 7d and 19d

I shall also say that they are not all UK birds

[Matakari]

Grateful for your generous help, JJ109! I think I’m
on the right track now with the birds, just three of them
I have to catch now. A few clues are giving me some trouble
and when these are sorted out, the bird element should
certainly fall into place. Some guidance for the following
should see me through. Thanks in advance!

16a Yearn to run around loch once only in Scotland ( 6 ) : ?NEDLY
30a Birds start to gather among gnarled trees ( 6 ) : ?ERET?
35a Lawmaker Laverne follows young man ( 5 ) : ??A?? (SWAIN)
25d Courtesan misrepresented link to a lad ( 6 ) : DA???A
32d Scene of confusion when Liberal leaves girlfriend ( 4 ) : ???S

[JJ109]

16a Scottish word anagram of "yearn+l"(och). Your D is wrong
30a definition birds = anagram trees + g(narled). Your first e is wrong
35a What Law of Physics do you know? laverne when you remove the letters of raven = LE. this follows a 3 letter word for a young male
25d An alternative selling of a Biblical female. Anagram "link to a lad" (once you have removed 4 consecutive letters that spell a seabird)
32d The S is wrong - confusion = (the Tower of) ?????- L for Liberal = a term a guy may call his girlfriend

[JJ109]

30a anagram trees and g(ather)

[Matakari]

Thanks again, JJ109, I think I’ve come to the end of a trying but
fruitful lesson, and I could not have done it without your selfless,
patient and constructive advice. I would like to tackle the Genius,
but the clues seem forbidding, so I can just imagine the challenge
of the jigsaw entries. Merci beaucoup encore!