Enigmatic Variations 800

[cruciverbali]

Today's puzzle is Title Unnecessary by Oxymoron. Looks like Killer is still on the loose - obviously didn't have the credentials to be the 800th EV puzzle.

[midazolam]

i see where you are coming from but how do you know what to replace the blanks with?

read top to bottom left to right - i just assumed meant for theme

i can see the only word for 21 down is dense - but others i am at a loss

[midazolam]

yes - i think i completely missed that too but i still cant see where you got the letters to put in the cells

i see that the only word to 21down is dense but the others??

cheers novalis

[midazolam]

sorry i thought my last post wasnt accepted

[novalis]

To midazolam -- first two letters are EV. Look then at the puzzle number and the shapes formed by your blank cells.

[novalis]

Should also have added there are three words in total afer EV to be read top to bottom, left to right.

[midazolam]

ah genius

that is the point of reading the preamble thoroughly

if this crossword was a listener i bet there would be quite a few who lost their all correct status for the year (although i would be far from that echelon anyhow)

[MatydaLover]

I'll go along with your sentiments. I don't know which I admire more - Novalis' spotting it or Oxymoron for setting it.

Bet there's a few of of us who didn't read it properly!

[novalis]

Thank you for your kind remark MatydaLover. Twas a couple of glasses of French red which produced the final inspiration!
Glad I was able to help anybody tackling this.
Roll on 801 --- which could be Killer. Talking of which I must now devise my "Killer" question ( O.K. my scorpion question with a sting in its tail ) as the last one in the last round of my last quiz of the Winter. A flick through Brewer's usually does the trick.

[devadolly]

Thank you again for your help Novalis, it is indeed dispiriting when one cannot get any idea of what is wanted from a crossword. As I said in my previous posts, Mr O and I are very different thinkers, happily he is the only one and the other compilers of these excellent crosswords give great pleasure, some easier to me than others but usually finishable, regretfully not soon enough to send in now the goalposts have moved.

To those of you who can see into all minds (especially Mr O's) well done! Just have some compassion for those of us who can't .

Regards

[mad max]

oh sugar, wish I had seen this thread earlier (I left blanks) thanks to novalis I will read the preamble more closely in future