Spectator # 2482

[Matakari]

Good day, Neveracrossword, after following some news on the American elections, I’m back on the puzzle. I had a good stare at it and oh, oh, oh dear, I think the penny dropped, but I was expecting something more, like a definition or a synonym for some of the unclueds. I am still somewhat puzzled because Doc tells us to “Perm all five” and there are eight unclueds. Then how do we know that 10 (D) is EQUIVOCAL and not EQUINOXAL, and 40 (A) DIALOGUS or DYALOGUS and not DIALOGUE?

[roslyn251254]

10d only the 1st is in chambers so go with that one
40a Which is the only one with all 5 vowels in? (that's what the 5 in the title is)

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari. As Rossim said, the theme itself leads you to the correct answer. The penny maybe didn't drop far enough!

[Matakari]

Perfect, I’ve got the vowels for all except 20 and 29. Where did I go wrong now?
I have 20: ?NE??ONIA ( No U here )
and 29: ?O?L?FLOWER ( No U here )
Thanks in advance for enlightening me!

[novalis]

20 - U is your second missing letter
29 - Your first O is wrong

[Matakari]

Many thanks, Novalis, I got the answers before I saw your hints, though! My 2 down, for which I had AVERAGE JOE, threw me off. MAN, instead of JOE, set me on the right track. I'm done now and thanks again for helping through this interesting teaser. Have a great evening, all!

[Matakari]

Neveracrossword, I think the penny dropped in the right place this time. Many thanks! I'm returning to "Hoping for a Hat-trick" by Yimin over the weekend and will certainly coming to you for a few hints. Thanks again and stay safe!

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari. My 'the penny maybe didn't drop far enough' was because you didn't get the 'five' reference in the title and didn't see that Dialogue was necessary. That made me wonder if my 'facetious' wasn't a perfect example after all! Glad you got this one done...