EV 891 by Samuel

[devadolly]

Just thought I would start a thread for N & Cing. If nothing else, all you CC's can tell me you have all finished it in 15 minutes 34 seconds or whatever!
Managed about a third so far but am distracted (as usual) this time by the dog! She was spayed on Friday and has to spend her time in the house until the wound is sealed and she doesn't like it one bit. What is worse she is 'on the sick' for at least 10 days, especially as she is a dog that jumps anything, and collie's not allowed to work are very noisy and make their displeasure known, as soon as the tractor starts or a wheelbarrow rattles the howling starts.......................................
..........................................Her
e's
hoping she can go back in the kennel after the vet check tomorrow, might make her feel things are more normal!

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

Make me the first candidate for dunces' corner this week!!! I've six clues left ( two blocks of three, both on the right hand side )....... but that doesn't mean that I've identified the extra letter in all those which I've solved ot am anywhere near finding the author.. A couple of glasses of Pinotage might lead to some inspiration!!! ( Or inebriation!! )

Hope your collie is soon of the sick list.

[turnerjmw]

Hi devadolly, hope the poor dog is giving you some peace. I found this at the tougher end of the EV spectrum, though clever, like most of Samuel's puzzles I've seen. An obscure quote (with a missing conjunction), and some superfluous letters that take a bit of finding. 27ac should have (9) after it of course, not (8). Even now I'm not completely happy with my final addition.

[novalis]

Hi again Devadolly!

That should have been "off ( not of ) the sick list"
Have had some little inspiration and now need definitely three ( 13 & 15 a and 10 d ) + possibly two others.
Cooking calls then it's back to EV.

[Christiana]

Hello Devadolly et al. As I'm still on holiday in the wilds of Lincolnshire (hail storm this a.m) I haven't even run the EV off yet. I'm trying to get acclimatised as I've had an offer on a house accepted here and just waiting for the surveyor to do his stuff etc. Returning to the Algarve on Tuesday but unlikely to actually move back to the UK until late spring. Even then I will be to-ing and fro-ing for some time.

Will now attempt to get into the Telegraph Crossword Society site, but may not look at the actual crossword until later, as it's somewhat antisocial to ignore one's hosts! I was good last week and didn't even run EV off, but with my return imminent I think I will indulge this week.

[devadolly]

Oh good you are all there! Thanks for the 'get well's' for the invalid. Idiot Himself took her out with him when he went to feed-up and of course (even tho' she was tied to the fence), she has managed to get dirty and was caught washing herself. Naturally it was me that had to clean her up and apply the saline spray but to stop her licking she is now (tastefully) dressed in an old T-shirt tied up behind - I will kill Him if she bursts her glue!
Done a couple more, and thank you for the clue at 27ac turnerjmw - as to you CC novalis, what chance do I stand if you haven't finished it by now?
Good luck with the house Christina, still prefer the idea of the Algarve to Lincolnshire myself................

[copelander]

Good evening all. Sorry to hear about the frustrated collie, Devadolly. Keep plugging on, DD. Novalis, 10d is consecutive letters (with an extra letter tucked in there ) I've the author, done the deletions but am not happy about the final instruction, especially as there's a diagonal word jumping out at me. Christiana, what an exciting life!

[Jogler]

I have quite a bit done; have found some anomolies. As well as a missing participle I seem to have a missing letter from the quotation and I can only find six letters of the author's name that are appropriate to the rest of the instructions. I agree 27ac has (9) not (8); I also find that 30 dn has (4) not (3). Yes the diagonal word is meant to be there (I think!) and should be treated in accordance with the quotation. I am hoping that it all resolves itself but for now I am going to the pub! I hope the dog is quickly better and that everyone is warm and dry. Our river rose by a couple of feet in as many minutes this morning and the folks down Preston way must be growing fins.

[turnerjmw]

Jogler, you're quite right about 30dn. I am sure you and copelander are spot on, too, with the diagonal. I've no doubt that completes the puzzle. Funnily enough, a letter at the start of 13ac could create a verb with the same meaning. If you are missing a letter from the quote, I imagine it might be from 11dn, which is the one I can't fathom, even though the answer and intended wordplay are clear. I am, though, happy enough with the seven letters.

[copelander]

My problem is that I don't have an adjacent empty cell in which to insert an extra letter.

[MatydaLover]

My copy of ODQ 5 gives the quotation with 38 letters. 11D does not appear to contain a superfluous letter and I can only find 33! The diagonal word that appears can indeed have an extra letter (after letter 2) to make the "change in circumstances".

[turnerjmw]

I can't see anything in the preamble that requires the cell to be empty. Apologies if I'm stating the obvious, but by unchecked I think it simply means "holding a letter that forms part of one word-solution only", as in Chambers. And it distinguishes between two possible cells for the letter entry. So the final solution could have a cell with two letters in it. [The alternative is to add the letter in a cell in which a letter had been removed in the previous step, but, though there is a possibility (see above), it's much less convincing than this answer]

[turnerjmw]

Sorry, MatydaLover, our posts crossed. Agree with you, and think 11dn is supposed to supply an S, but doesn't, thus the quote drops the penultimate four-letter conjunction. I don't have the ODQ, but that's all I can find.

[Jogler]

There is nothing like a trip to the pub to show one where one has gone wrong! I had seven letters for the author all along but was misled by a copying mistake. However I do still have the problem of the missing letter from the quotation (which I agree should be in 11 dn) - more a matter of a minus sum than a plus one. I think this must be a editorial oversight but would be happy to be shown the error of my ways!

[copelander]

Thank yoy TurnerJMW, Jogler and Matydalover, For some reason I had a brain fade and didn't distuish between a blank cell and a barred off one. Duh!

[novalis]

Hi everybody!

First chance to look at this since Sunday. Many thanks for the help Copelander but I'm miles behind you all as I have yet to indentify the author. Anyway, it's back to finishing some Christmas cards and then another look at this.

[ringer]

Just dropped in to say hi to all but can' t really comment on this week's EV as I only have about 3 entries!! Parents' evening tonight, concerts tomorrow and Sat so it will be Sunday before I have a moment to myself! ah well back to the practising!!

[phurley]

I'm more or less comfy with adding the extra letter to the diagonal but I'm really struggling to pinpoint the 'T' (hope I'm not giving too much away). Any help would be gratefully appreciated!

[novalis]

Hi Phurley!

Look at 14d. You are looking for a less common spelling once you've removed your T.

[phurley]

Cheers Novalis, I had the last letter wrong so no wonder I couldn't find it!