Sunday Telegraph Enigmatic Variations EV 986 Sunday September 25th 2011

[haggis58]

A very straightforward gridfill this week with a very satisfying result. Shame the result wasn't so satisfying for the Scottish Rugby team!

[DocHH]

Hello Haggis58,
Some new words for me in the perimeter. I must admit at first I was thinking that some of the ingredients might be of an alcoholic nature, and that the results were preprandial!

[dr b]

A very nice puzzle, I thought. Very clever way to conceal the extra letters, nice pdm when I realized what the "ingredients" were, and some hunting to find the words for the perimeter.

Off to catch a train! wooooooo-wooooooooooooooo..........

[AndrewG-S]

Final step took me ages as the answer was a bit obscure at least from one perspective. Made me groan and laugh when I got it. Great fun, thanks Ploy

[kayakamina]

I too found this EV good fun.

I struggled to identify the seventh word which, appropriately, only came to me in my bath!

[novalis]

Managed to get to this earlier and agree with the comments. A very well constructed puzzle and the letters to be highlighted didn't screw me.

[devadolly]

Hello! Is there anybody still there? Very late in getting started thanks to all sorts of appointments and after 'getting along nicely' and finishing the grid (all be it not sure of 6d/14a I have only managed to identify 13 of the 16 and neither they nor the perimeter letters make any sense perhaps I could request a clonking great hint or two from someone please.

[kayakamina]

HI DD

I thought that maybe the heavy hints given be me & novalis had spoiled it for some as there has been a very small 'attendance' to the thread!.
In establishing the perimeter words, I began identifying the theme from the 6 letter word in the bottom left corner starting with the letter at the end of 28d.
The seventh word is made of one barred off letter from the top & bottom of the grid, and two letters from either side.

[devadolly]

Hi K, I had read yours and N's comments and had thought along the lines of a certain nationality leaping and shouting from their ablutions but there was still no hint of light. I have a nasty feeling that I have gone wildly wrong with some of my answers as I can't see any connection with house-building, plant stems or furry animals which is all I have come up with.......oh dear!

[kayakamina]

DD

The BRB gives you an alternative meaning for the word associated with the individual you have identified, and that should lead you to the class of the theme.

[devadolly]

Thank you again K, I presume I have to be fairly brass-necked about my approach to the preamble? Am still unseeing but have hopes!