EV 1487 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1487 (Hints)

Difference by Chalicea

Hints and tips by The Numpties

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Solvers are accustomed to crosswords by Chalicea and know that they can expect something graphic in the final grid – probably something to be highlighted, with relatively gentle clues.

Preamble: Fifteen words from the thematic poem, which explains what led to the DIFFERENCE, appear in the clues (in the order of their appearance in the poem) and need to be removed before solving. Read in clue order, the initial letters of the words flanking the removals give an instruction concerning 37 contiguous cells. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.

There’s a fairly unusual device here which requires us to possibly guess at the instruction (at least in part) or spot words from a ‘thematic’ poem before we can be sure of how we are going to complete our grid. However, there is no other clue device and some generous clues are immediately evident so we can expect all to become clear as we solve.

Across

9a           Note louse wriggling in Spenser’s two high parts of heads (6)
Clearly an obsolete word is needed. As usual, the Big Dave convention of underlining the definition parts of clues will give solvers considerable help here.

25a         Without invitation, guest in Leith leaves endless grief and ultimately pain (4)
Two elements of wordplay give a Scottish word. ‘Guest’ is used in an unusual way.

29a         Old man has care of domesticated mammal (4)
The four-letter solution is a short name for a more familiar longer word.

36a         Diminutive first trinket retrospectively held no good now and then  (6)
We had to find another word for ‘held’ then consider the ‘now and then’ and the word ‘retrospectively’ to get that trinket.

37a         Where one hangs another etching, maybe, to atone, once, for travelling in bush with swag (12, three words)
You are unlikely (unless you are Australian) to have heard this delightful expression. We all know where we hang things but a short word that used to mean ‘atone’ has to be added to complete the phrase.

Down

4d            Infatuated ancient fool going too far (6)
The solution is an old word that seems to appear frequently in crosswords. This clue leads to the Spenserian spelling of the obsolete word.

14d           Flat cap raised by chatterer with no restraints – bore! (9)
‘Raised’ in a down clue suggests an inverted word. As usual, you can get help from Anne R Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary if this clue mystifies you, though she gives a shorter form of the word.

17d           Gran taking over from ma, at first and pa in sympathy for abnormal flower fusion (8)
The clue spells out for us how we have to play with gran, ma and pa to find a botanical word.

28d          Be, say, in Haiti somewhere engaged in corruption; awful boob pursued by law primarily (5)
Crosswords really introduce us to some quaint words. The wordplay spells this one out.

You need to be sure that you have obeyed the instruction concerning 37 contiguous cells that was given by 30 letters.  That word ‘contiguous’ is used by setters when the sides or corners of cells touch.

Do please send in your entry and add your comments here and to the setters’ blogs that are appearing on Big Dave’s site on Thursdays and to the detailed blogs that also appear on Thursdays on  fifteensquared.

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