EV 817 Jumped by Oxymoron

[midazolam]

Here is this weeks Enigmatic Variations

To any EV solver!

I am undertaking the statistics for the Telegraph EV. This is because several people find the timeframe until submission too short and in my opinion there have been some crosswords harder than the listener. It would be interesting to see these statistics and depending on the results may influence this timeframe.

I could never reach the echelon of J Green and it must be stressed I don't submit the EV and never will do. So I have no interest other than seeing how we fare.

E-mail a scanned copy/reconstructed typed grid or a list of the answers with the info of the required theme to [email protected] by 6pm on the Wednesday after the EV (i.e. last post). However please e-mail me whenever you have finished as they will be invaluable to the statistics.

Just use any alias and not your name (if you don't want to) or home address. As we generally do with the listener threads � hints and tips only on the threads. Comments are most welcome and I will copy this every week, so spread the word.

Regards Midazolam

[Rapparee]

Thanks, Midazolam. Good to see you back. I assume you've been busy in your new role!

[mad max]

many thanks for link

[devadolly]

Hello Everyone - now you know what I am going to say.............it's Mr Oxymoron and my brain has frozen at the sight of his name!

I am trying very hard to understand his mindset but currently feel as though I am juggling jelly. Will some kind person please throw me a couple of hefty hints to persuade my brain to emerge from under itsduvet and be brave.

Regards

Devadolly

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

Hope you're well - I'm escaping from work for a few minutes
( another pile due tomorrow!! ). Basically some answers are clued with not enough letters to fit the number of cells
( e.g. 5a, 42a, 1d, 19d + others - 19d bells is clued but you need to add something before it ). A word, which has "jumped", entered in the blank cells will make new words. I'm still working on it ( three clues to do + trying to work out some of the words to go in the blank cells ) but getting there slowly but surely. I'm sure others will elaborate further.

[Rapparee]

It may help to know that all the missing words can be found under the same heading in Chambers. Look to the title for a further hint.

[novalis]

Just to add to Rapparee's very helpful hint -- think present rather than past participle.

[midazolam]

i remember failing on oxymoron's last effort "800" and this is another tricky puzzle. Pleasing finish, which eventually sprang out at me - and as always - good cluing.

I wonder why oxymoron has never submitted to the listener? or perhaps he/she has under a different pseudonym.

tougher but enjoyable crosswords all round this week

[devadolly]

Thank you all - I will now go and drag Mr O from behind the cushion and try again. 'He' gives me the most awful inferiority complex and has done since 'his' first crossword - yes, I have been attempting the EV since No 1 (that one was easy, very literary and to do with composers).

I still don't know how you all manage to home in on the hidden meanings so quickly, surely there are some that you have trouble with? Geniuses.

Novalis - I think you hide those scripts under a plant pot on Sat and pretend they didn't arrive until Mon just so you have an excuse to do the EV...................What subject are you marking anyway?

Midazolam - any success with the Tel as per time-scale for submission? Or even with meany /scarcity of prizes?

Regards to all

Devadolly

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!
German Writing ( GCSE ) to answer your question....and I'm patiently awaiting the post as I type ( but will be going to do some admin when I've finished this ). All those which arrived on Saturday have been marked and will soon be on their way back to the exam board.
I've just come on to say that, Stone(s) me, once people get I down and what needs adding before the clued solution
( there's another letter after it as well ) they should get the theme in a flash.
Hi Midazolam!
Hope that fatherhood is agreeing with you and that you are getting some sleep!! Agree about this week's offering....a nice challenge. It would have been interesting though had the title of the puzzle been a synonym of what it actually is but with the same missing words to be inserted. ( Or would that have been too fiendish?!? )

[midazolam]

devadolly -i have been accumulating many comments / gripes re: timescale with EV submission. Will send them onto the Telegraph soon.

All is well, busy but enjoyable - thank you rapparee and novalis

as an aside - does anyone know how to submit a crossword for EV submission - do you just send it to the crossword editor?

[copelander]

Um, this seems too easy a question, The completed crossword is sent to Telegraph Media Group, PO Box 604, London SW1OWU. I am fairly new to this site, but it seduced me in to the Listener chat and I completed my first Listener crossword this weekend. I enjoyed it but found the EV trickier.

[novalis]

Hi Midazolam,
I assume you mean one for actual publication. I would suggest the Crossword Editor is the right person. If you succeed ( and I hope you do ) will look forward to pitting my wits against yours.
Copelander, the postcode is slightly wrong. For EV it is SW1W 0XE. ( Postcodes vary depending on the crossword - the one you gave is used for Saturday's Cryptic and Monday's Herculis. )

[midazolam]

thanks novalis - i meant publication not submission

[devadolly]

Just an update for all you kind people who have tried to so hard to help, I have managed a few clues but nothing is making much sense, as usual. Also as usual, events have intervened and the score is 'Mr' O 250 - DD 0!

Hope we do get a Xword from you Midazolam but I fear that the speed with which you demolish those compiled by Mr O don't make me hopeful of a quick completion! Has the baby managed their first Xword yet??

Regards

Devadolly

[novalis]

Hi Midazolam!
Should have added to my previous post, in case you don't know, the Telegraph crossword editor is Kate Fassett.

Hi Devadolly!
Just to help you battle Mr. O a little more:
The first 4 letters of 5a are unclued, as are the 5 letters immediately following ( but not including ) the cell numbered 18. The first six cells of the row containing cells 32 and 33 have been vacated by one of the escapees, as has the four cell sequence where 34 and 35 contain the second and fourth letter of the missing word. Finally across, the first four letters of the full answer at 42 are unclued. The first 4 letters of both1 and 19 down are unclued. All the escapees can be found by looking through the full entry in Chambers for the head-word of the title. Without actually giving you answers I can't help you more than that.
I'm just waiting for one last set of scripts so that I can check the marking of one of my team of examiners ( hurry up Mr. Postman! ). Once that's done and reported on all there's left to do is a report for the Principal Examiner on the standard of work, common mistakes and misunderstandings etc. and that will be it until the appeals start arriving towards the end of August.

[ulysses100]

Hi devadolly,
The title of the crossword should really be "jumping", but the extra words have "jumped" out of the answers, and are thus not part of the clue. Three answers have an extra word, eg 1d is jack(plugs) and the other long one down on the other side of the grid is hare(bells). Three others are found within the grid and are read off horizontally within the solid bars, such as (jumping) spider and (jumping) mouse, and therefore the clues ignore the letter(s) from these words. I hope that this helps.

[ulysses100]

Hi novalis, it looks like we gave advice simultaneously. I hope that devadolly can now make some headway into solving the puzzle.

[novalis]

Hi Ulysses100!
Pure coincidence that. I found this a very enjoyable puzzle and echo your sentiments that the hints will give Devadolly the inspiration to finish it.