EV 855 The Rule

[DocHH]

Hello EV N&Cers,
My first pass through this one for the gifts from Salamanca, saw me with a sparsely populated grid. Gobi desert sprang to mind, but having resolved the 4 perimeter answers, things went much better and soon had the task of resolving the last 2 letters of 38a and the unchecked letter of 24d. But inspiration soon arrived, and the grid was completed! Most satisfying.

[DocHH]

Yes Devadolly, just following a healthy appetite for young ladies! There weren't too many on the Uni campus in those days! First year I spent in Rutherford and after that in shared houses off-campus. Far more civilised. I worked in The Beacon and then the Hunters Moon to finance my social life!

As far as 5d is concerned I ignored the last word of the clue, and let the penultmate word do double duty. Anag of first word and abbreviations for 2nd and 3rd!

[devadolly]

Yes thank you DocHH, have got there, I note you hesitated to say like a woman!!!!
Good grief - the enemy! Telford had a far better view of the 3 A's championship, not that that was my Hall....... Live in town...with no-one to get meals or change the beds, no-way! Besides, I saw some of those rented pits.......
I was a croupier in the Casino in town, very lucrative, two terms work allowed feet up for the rest of the time to concentrate on partying. I found the male/female ratio excellent, must have been very wearying when they corrected it!
Am interested in this 'Inquisitor' - anybody got a link to it or am I going to have to root in bins now EV and Herculis done - don't like having it finished so soon, it must be wrong!
Regards

[DocHH]

Copelander
Have a look at

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Crosswords/Question727830.html

[copelander]

Thanks DocHH, I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one with a highlighting quandry. Devadolly, I only ever get the magazine by buying the paper, so wouldn't know if it's available on line......sorry.

[DocHH]

Devadolly, glad you had a good and fizzy Anniversary and completed EV satisfactorily.
Try the link to the Spectator on thursday in Q&P, Crosswords! Another barred crossword at the level of EV.
Living off campus suited me fine, a much more relaxed atmosphere for entertaining. Especially as we were in "subrbia" rather than Uni controlled off-campus sites. I didn't enjoy communal living, and have never really been a team player. Not sure there was a Casino in town when I was there!
Ciao ciao

[devadolly]

Thank ytou DocHH will try that link. Casino very well frequented by all the oil tech Persians and Saudis, all very civilised.

[Christiana]

Hi everyone. Physicsgirl you are early compared with me. I started and finished this afternoon, probably in my best time to date, so can't have been too challenging. It took me almost as long to find this thread, as the search facility wasn't working properly - what a surprise! 5d didn't trouble me, (perhaps I was too casual in ignoring the last word) though 13a gave me pause, and I still haven't worked out the cryptic part of 21a.

[novalis]

Hi Christiana!

Re 21a - You need another four letter word which means the same as 18a - Remove one letter from the end and put that in a three letter word which means eccentic or whimsical.

[Christiana]

Thanks Novalis, was just about to post again, having re-read the thread. I saw your earlier posting and light dawned.