EV 919 Go-Getters by Ifor

[dr b]

[dr b]

Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?

Well this one left me in pain, which is not receding. I have a full grid, have identified the GO-GETTERS, have the instructions from the extra letters, have found the ODQ quote, and, knowing nothing about the theme, have no idea what to do next. Any hints as to how to apply the instructions to find the word, or how to modify the grid in light of the "singular objective" would be appreciated.

[novalis]

Hi Dr B!

You are further on than I am. I've yet to identify the go-getters ( because, despite my having a full grid, I've still only three sets of two letters ) and I've not found the quote. I'm going back to it now but I woke up with a pounding headache which hasn't cleared during the day.

[turnerjmw]

Hi dr b, I never get on with Ifor's puzzles, and this was no exception. The knowledge you'll need of the theme is mainly to work out the thematic abbreviations, but if you've filled the grid I imagine you know what they are. As for finding the word, if you look at the penultimate line of the quote and refer to the instruction made by the extra letters, you should find what you need to write under the grid. As for the final grid modification, what the GO-GETTERS do when they complete a single one of the actions is hinted at by the next phrase in the quote (think swapping sides)

[copelander]

Hi, Dr b, Did you not notice me waving from afar? I'm just back from holiday and seem to have left my crossword brain in Italy.Like Novalis I haven't identified the Go-getters, have an almost complete grid, and have just 3 sets of 2 letters and no idea of the quote. Ah well, maybe a glass of white will help!

[dr b]

thanks turnerjmw; I was fooled by the 3rd word of the instructions into thinking that some thematic knowledge was needed to find the word under the grid. Very straightforward now! Still pondering what alterations to the grid will make sense, given the quote, and will leave real words in the grid.......

Hope you feel better soon novalis!

Hope you enjoyed your holiday copelander!

[turnerjmw]

Evening, novalis, copelander. Dr b, swapping positions might have been more helpful than swapping sides. Imagine baseball with only two bases. BTW, if anyone can explain the wordplay to 1ac to me I'd be most grateful

[dr b]

aha, and, duh. Couldn't see the forest for the trees on this one!

[midazolam]

Lots of thematic material here, but it all fits together once the quotation is obtained via one of the names and the extra letters are worked out. turnerjmw - the only link I could come up with for 1 across is:

?? *??? (where * is the extra letter). see the definition of "assessment" in Chambers. I am sure there is something better as the EV editor is so particular.

The only Ifor puzzles I have done are in the Magpie, so nice to see this setter branching out.

[devadolly]

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!
After recovering from measels (measles probably) am brain dead and have only about a third of the grid populated and no idea of anything despite being quite competent during the last couple of weeks. Have the prospect of the week from H*** this week and feel more like a limb rag than a competent person (too dragged down to even pick the lock of DC for succour and sustinence) and have two deadlines looming at the back-end of the week that cannot be ignored, so props, crutches, heavy hints and careful nurturinbg would be much appreciated!!!!!!!!

[AHearer]

I thought this was a really nice offering from Ifor, with a very neat ending. I had to go back once I had a full grid to sort out some of the wordplay, but I could see it all except for 1a even when I knew the omitted letter.

[Christiana]

Hello all, especially you Devadolly, as I have just this minute glanced at the EV for the first time and immediately wanted to scream 'help' too. The furniture removers come on Wednesday by which point the BRB and the Bradfords will have disappeared into one of the crates, possibly never to be seen again. Especially as the removers are saying they are unable to give me a date for actually delivering the furniture but are "unlikely to leave the Algarve before the 23rd". (that was not their story when I booked them!) As this is the day I leave the Algarve, complete with Marley the cat, I am unlikely to be reunited with either my furniture or the BRB for some time. I hope Marley won't mind rattling round in an empty house too much!

Given that I thought I was ahead with my packing, but am now panicking at all that remains to do, it is just possible I may not finish this week's offering! Please be ready in DC with a glass of Merlot or similar, Devadolly. I think I'm going to need it!

[turnerjmw]

Hi midazolam, nice to see you slumming it on here! That was one of the ideas I came up with for 1ac too, but it didn't explain the "in additional" to me. I also thought of CSE backwards internally, but couldn't find the reversal indicator. We'll have to differ on the punctiliousness of the EV editor, though. More mistakes than in IQ and Listener combined. Some might be typesetting ones. but surely someone sees a proof.

[serpentinew]

I too find 1 across rather interesting to interpret presuming that additional is part of the definition and the 4 letter word for examination is a tenuous link via tax.
Another minor quibble is that when you follow the instruction and the theme - Is it not two words that need to be wriiten beneath the grid - not having an ODQ with me it's certainly 2 words in wikipedia?

[qwerty99]

Serpentinew - you can never be too careful with Wikipedia. The word to be entered under the grid is hyphenated

[DocHH]

Hello everyone,

Apologies for tardiness. For one reason or another I didn't get started on this until today. By which time Herculis, 26,266 and the Quickie had intervened. I found the first Go-Getter and immediately thought back to childhood, and was looking how to construct TRIANG from the rest of the clues. Arrived on station eventually, and creased myself laughing!

ODQ 7 definitely has the word hyphenated.

Apologies for Absence are tendered for the next 2 weeks. Herself and I are going try and avoid the rather intrusive current hoopla by spending a while in a Country not involved it!

[devadolly]

Is there such a Country DocHH? If only............

[Jogler]

Phew...have strenuously avoided looking at the thread until getting to the end. Our first thoughts were exactly yours Dd, and as we were both hit for six by something very nasty yesterday our brains were actively rebelling. In addition, the rubric seemed to have so many possibilities that it was a while before we differentiated between the methods of dismissing the various extra letters. However, it was worth the effort and gave an enjoyable pdm and a clever finale. We are unable to add anything to the 1ac topic - makes no decent sense. Good luck with the movers, Ch; and have a great holiday DocHH.

[DocHH]

Hello devadolly, sorry to hear about your measles, I have to say I spotted there was good reason for your absence last week! Would Outer Mongolia qualify? Not much N&C this week, all a bit serious! But at least where we are going the catering is a lot better than in DC, and with waiter/waitress service!
This Ifor perisher is nearly as bad as MrO!!

[kayakamina]

During my research to confirm the thematic abbreviations I discovered , to my surprise,
that there were officially 11 dismissal modes.

I enjoyed this puzzle. Well done Ifor.

[DocHH]

Kayakamina,
If that's the case, and I have no reason to doubt the outcome of your research, then thank goodness all the columns weren't involved!