EV 1010 Lego by Chalicea

[DocHH]

Hello everyone,
Straightforward clues this week, and not too many new words. I couldn't restrain a shiver on completion though. Quite topical! Soon be time for a preprandial Jamesons, dinner will be washed down with Carta Roja, monastrell. Normally £7.99 a bottle at Sainsbury's, buy 3 bottles for £12.00, buy 6 and get a further 5% discount!

[dr b]

Hi Doc, I thought this was a good one, with some hard to spot extra letters that caused me to work backwards once I got the instructions. I think I have justified every extra letter in the downs.

In the midst of March Madness here in the Hew Hess of Hay, so wall-to-wall basketball for me for the rest of the day. No Georgia Tech in the tournament this year, I am afraid to say, doc, but my U is in and won its first game.

[DocHH]

Dr b, Sorry to disturb your wall-to-wall basketball, but what on earth is Hew Hess of Hay? Although I went to Georgia Tech, I doubt if I could be classified as a Rambling Wreck. Additionally as DD will hopefully confirm, a section of our alma mater was known for sports excellence.The Sport section of the paper is discarded without being read. That is also despite of the fact I also went to a Grammar School in White Hart Lane! The benefit of going there, apart from an excellent education was that we were released from school early if Tottenham were playing a weekday afternoon game!
The only extra letter I had difficulty with was in 25d!

[dr b]

Sorry, I don't know how those H's got in there. U S of A, is what I meant!

[DocHH]

Perhaps an over-zealous profanity filter?

[devadolly]

Good evening Gentlemen. Did the 'schoolmarm' really change your innocuous offering drb? What a world!
As you say DocHH, the Establishment was well endowed with sporty types, made me quite exhausted just walking across campus wit5h all that running and jumping going on, have to revert to the Bar for a restorative!
Talking of (oh so sinful) alcohol, himself was given various excellent bottles to celebrate the lengthy abuse of the body, just partaking of a very good Chase Vodka (made from the same spuds that are/were used for Tyrell crisps, rather good if one can purchase a very superior Voddy that is British made don't you think?
Have made good inroads and by some lateral thinking most of the grid is (at least provisionally) completed but, am as usual having trouble with the spare letters..............and what the Dickens has Lego to do with anything?

[novalis]

Hi everybody!

Solving the clues and finding the endgame was no problem. What is puzzling me are the elements of the endgame. I have definitely located the 4th and the 6th to 9th inclusive parts thereof. The rest is eluding me unless the letters are a little jumbled therein. If that is the case the final element is still proving elusive because there are two possibilities, again with jumbled letters.

I've had too uch Aussie red so I'll now leave it until tomorrow.

[DocHH]

Hello Devadolly,
I'm not a vodka drinker, but was encouraged to be same while in Russia on several occasions, it was always taken neat, and at any time of day. The hosts gave me several bottles to bring home, one of which has Faberge on the label! Have never seen those labels in the UK. I have to say that the vodka I sampled there was far smoother than anything I have tasted in the UK.
OK, the first 5 spare letters are the instruction, the next 4 an abbreviation, then an initial, a surname then, well I'll leave you to decide! There is a hint in my original post however.
As for Lego, once you have obeyed the instruction, you will be enlightened as to why I could not restrain a shiver! BTW the quote is the 4th Concise Edition ODQ

[ringer]

Hi all
Quite enjoyed this - and some new words for me. novalis - perhaps look at the grid from a different angle. My daughter in her wisdom decided that instead of cooking for me today we should have a takeaway as it would be kinder on my palette. Heaven help her digestive system at uni next year!

[Rockin]

Good old Sainsburys, seen the same offer and bought a crate. A cheeky little number with a hint of cosmic sadness. Drank two bottles before I got out of bed. Totally sloshed. Painted a white cross on my chest in support of the down-trodden and danced to The Cramps, "Human Fly", for an hour. Fab track. So deep." I'm a human fly and I don't know why.. I've got ninety six tears and ninety six eyes". Covered in sweat. Hunger beckoned so I fried up yesterdays leftover shamrock in goose fat and ate it with a blow torched soda farl and another bottle of afore-mentioned loveliness. Fed and sloshed I thought, Everyman. Stared at it for hours. Couldn't make out a darn thing. After eating some of it felt really unwell. Back to bed and then ring mother. She loves to hear I'm doing well.

[devadolly]

Rockin' - try frying your Shamrock in beef dripping, it crisps up much better!

[kayakamina]

Hi all.

I may be asked to leave the club when I tell you that my tippling consists of a glass of Sherry before my meal and a glass of wine (sometimes two!) with the food.
I enjoyed this EV which was very topical given the anniversary of the event and, as with some of you, I worked backwards to justify some of the clues.
Thanks Chalicea.

[DocHH]

Devadolly, an excellent suggestion culinary suggestion for Rockin. He would not have got a better response if he had posted in "recipes"! How are you getting on with Lego?
K, I am sure all the regular EV thread contributors adhere to the recommendation to "drink responsibly"! However I was told years ago that a University is a fountain of knowledge, where Students learn to drink!

[novalis]

Hi!

Have come back to this time and again. Had the instructions and completed grid by Sunday, can see the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th elements which need to be dealt with per instruction in the grid but the remaining elements are proving elusive to find. Any heavy hints would be more than welcome.

[dr b]

novalis, I think ringer gave an excellent hint in her post. 45 degrees might do it.

[devadolly]

Hello everyone, had just started a reply to all when my internet decided to collapse in a heap (just don't try to tell me that all this technology doesn't have a (malevolent) life of it's own!)
Having problems in the SE corner of the grid and am not doing well with guessing the extraneous letters. As to the posts about 6th,9th etc.............HELP!
K drinking responsibly as all we N & Cers do, is drinking what one wants when one wants to! What sort of sherry, I'm a summer fan of Manzanilla.
Quite right DocHH.....and didn't they do it well?
How's the basketball drb?

[novalis]

Hi Ringer and DR. B.

Many thanks for your hints but I am still favibng problems. I have the obvious diagonal elements bur can find the thers by a circuitous route which involves the letters being in the wrong order. I'm sorry but I just can't see it. Perhaps I'm looking too hard.

[dr b]

novalis, some words to be shaded are broken up. But the shading itself follows a precise pattern.

[DocHH]

Novalis, start at the light numbered 18, and aim to the light numbered 4! That should give you elements 1, 2 and half of 3. Recommence at the light just south of 29 and head to the beginning of element 4, to give the other half of element 3! You should be shading in a pattern that is sort of symmetrical.

[devadolly]

I give up, it's been a rotten day, it's going over the shoulder!

[novalis]

Due to circumstances beyond my control this is the first chance i've had to come back to this since Wednesday. Many thanks Dr. HH and Dr. B. for your hints. To be honest breaking up words never occurred to me.

Now for this week's Spectator.