EV 847 Fields of Action

[DocHH]

After last weeks elusive resolution of the relevance of the title, this week's one, athough obscure was much more obvious. Populated the grid quite quickly, but took a while to hunt down everything that needed highlighting!

[ulysses100]

What was the resolution of last week's "Three Fours" then DocHH ?
The last few weeks grids have been (relatively) easy to complete, as is this week's (though I still haven't got 30a : Rejected German leaves stooped over ?en?ed
I have hunted high and low through the grid that might have anything to do with the famous quotation but am still at a loss. Please do not give anything directly away but a hint would be most welcome !

[devadolly]

Well DocHH, you are a clever one! I'm getting nowhere fast, I am thinking martial thoughts but it isn't leading me down any right roads so after I have sifted the spam (should be doing emails instead of sneaking looks on this site) I shall sulk and do the Griddler or try and finish yesterday's 5 unit sudoku instead. That is of course, until I just have to have another look at the blessed thing.

Regards

[DocHH]

Hello ulysses100,
Last weeks reolution of the title totally eluded me, although I am convinced it needed a "character" inserted into it to be relevant. I'd worked on things like "There are eleven names of ours" , plus things that ended up with a reference to EV, but got nowhere! So if at first you don't succeed, give up!

30a is crucial. There are to possibilties for the definition, and therefore because of the way the clue is phrased, two possibilities to the wordplay. There are a total of 12 squares that need highlighting for the "REPRESENTATION" of the quotation. Dont think about the actual words in the quotation.

[DocHH]

Hello Devadolly
I just struck lucky with this one, if you want some hints on answers, only too happy to oblige! Give moggy a stroke from me! (That is in no way a hint!!)

[devadolly]

Yes please DocHH, hints very welcome this week. Did you by any chance see the last few posts on last week's? Did suggest a name ending in O for you.......................

Ginger Mog most appreciative, currently sitting on a window sill situated over a radiator looking very superior!

[DocHH]

Certainly did, but couldn't thread him in. Give me a hint on which clues, 1a is a French Landmark!! having got that it just seemed to fill the grid. Fee ??? FO FUM!

[novalis]

Nice this week - Once 16a was in the author was fairly easy to deduce.

Just a thought - You could argue a case for 13 squares as the representaion of the theme. Chambers supports both possibilites.

[DocHH]

Hello Novalis
Possibly, but that would not put the other 7 squares to be lurking at the end of the thematic barrier, just part of the "representation" of the quote, with the barrier forming part of the "representation". It would also no longer be a barrier. Though happy to be corrected.

[BigDave44]

Could someone please explain what is meant by ODQ(2345&6). My copy of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is second edition, and cost �6.50. Does this mean I have to buy a later edition?

[ulysses100]

Thank you for the hint DocHH -- I'll give it some further thought.

[DocHH]

Hello BigDave44,
There should be a comma after each number. I have the Concise ODQ published in 1993 and the quote is in that. And in any way Google or Yahoo searches should reveal the actual quote, once you have 16d and the words spelt out by the extra letters of the down clues.
Glad you got Sat Teleg 13x13 grid and answers sorted.

[copelander]

DocHH, I've filled the grid and highlighted the representation, but for the life of me I just can't see anything lurking at the end of what I presume is the 5 letter barrier. Any hints ??

[DocHH]

Hello copelander
The last letter of the barrier is contiguous with 2 letters of the 7 that form the "something else thematic". 1 horizontally, 1 diagonally.

[novalis]

Hi DocHH,

Was merely playing Devil's Advocate. I agree that one should be on one side of the barrier and one on the other. From the point of view of symmetry alone the 6, 6 split is much better.

[ulysses100]

I have found two representations of the quotation but the first is only five letters long (the last letters of 24d) and the second is a six lettered African fox ( which goes from 25 horizontally, then vertically up and diagonally to the right) incorporating part of the barrier, but I still cannot see why the answer to 30a is fenced (if indeed it is !). As to the other seven letter word I am still hunting ( a plural ?). Any further hints gratefully received !

[DocHH]

Hello ulysses100
The answer to 30a is not fenced, and the correct answer is critical. So a couple of hints for that, the word "over" in the clue is an instruction on how to enter the alternative word for "stooped" after it has been modified in accordance with the 2 words prior to "stooped".The 4th letter of the correct answer to 30 is important, to the character in the lead.

The whole of the "representation" is in a straight line, and each participant is either side of the 5 letter barrier. How many ways can that happen? I had to revert to Chambers to confirm the leading character. Symmetry for both the barrier and characters is important, see the last post from novalis.

The 7 letter thematic item lurking at the end of the barrier is singular, and for a hint see my hint to copelander. It is not in a straight line, and the central letter of 17a is also critical. I went astray here, I was mislead by misinterpreting "young adolescent" in Chambers for what I originally used as part of the answer, Chambers actually uses "young hooligan" for what should be used in the entry.

Hope this helps.

[novalis]

To give you all a laugh --- There was a clue in this morning's Herculis crossword about the cornus genus of plants.
This afternoon at Wolverhampton there were horses running called Gone Hunting and Cornus. I had a �1 double on them. Both won!! ( 8/13 and 8/1 ). I collected just short of �10.50. That will pay for a few stamps.

[devadolly]

Hello everybody - Thank you for the clue DocHH, I had already managed 1a plus a few others by midnight ( naturally couldn't resist) and have just had another go (helped by the GMog of course) and have now beaten about half the clues into submission but all too widely spaced to be meaningful.

However, you have all definately got my flum distinctly moxed by your posts! You sound like a collection of physics dons discussing the finer points of black hole theories and I am now in distinctly 'crawl away' mode

Please, somebody, take pity on this stupidity and give a (whacking great) hint about the author and/or the title and let me try and redeem myself.

Oh wonderful Novalis - a betting man, bet you drink too.............Nanny won't like that!!!!!!

Regards

[DocHH]

Hello novalis
I hope you spend your winnings as frivolously as possible.

[novalis]

Red wine only DevaDolly!!

If you've got 16a ( and it begins with a three letter prefix for "bone' - oss rather than ost ) the Irish author should leap out at you ( not literally as he died in Paris in 1900, complaining about the wallpaper if his reported last words are correct ). It's important to be earnest about that.