EV 1602 Hints

Enigmatic Variations 1602 (Hints)

Birds by Piccadilly

Hints and tips by Phibs

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This is the second time that I have provided the hints for a puzzle by Piccadilly, probably the only setter to name himself after a cigarette, though I can’t help feeling that Capstan Full Strength has more of a ring about it. I wonder if this particular crossword should carry a health warning…

Preamble: In eight clues a consecutive group of letters is to be removed, affecting the surface reading. These groups of letters can be rearranged as BIRDS, which are to be inserted into eight normally-clued answers to form new words. Numbers in brackets refer to lengths of grid entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; one entry is in Collins.

All but eight clues are normal, and it sounds as though when we remove those consecutive groups of letters we might end up with some non-words or single letters. We’re going to find that eight answers to normal clues are too short for the space available, and they are the ones that will need padding out.

Across

1a    Elizabeth’s diminutive black dress debtor confiscated (9)
When an abbreviation is followed by something that’s had another abbreviation removed, there just doesn’t seem to be sufficient material to fill nine cells. It turns out that the grid entry here is the one which is in Collins but not in Chambers, although you probably won’t feel the need to check it.

14a    Japanese stringed instrument accompanies western Chinese ceremony of deference (5)
Even if you’re not acquainted with the instrument, you’ll be able to work out the answer’s last letter and guess that it is a less common spelling of a familiar word, almost invariably seen as a verb.

18a    Dance with bird on liners (4)
When looking for the groups of letters to be removed, solvers should always be on the lookout for words which are infrequent visitors to crossword clues; there is one such here, although (depending on subject knowledge) it may be easier to work out which letters have to go than to identify how they should then be rearranged.

33a    Fellow at university embraces the ancient dean (5)
The answer here will be familiar, but not necessarily this specific meaning (the definition and answer are actually two forms of the same word).

35a    Lawmaker Laverne follows young man (5)
The laws are not those of the land but of the laboratory; my point under 18a about unexpected words applies equally here.

36a    A person from Zagreb takes beer at first in tumbler (7)
The nationality of the person is key to unravelling the wordplay.

Down

1d    Curse Ecstasy, cause of misery (8)
The word for a curse is more often used when talking about a prohibition.

30d    Erected shelter to protect one fellow in mountain range (5)
The wordplay elements are all cryptic regulars, unlike the resulting name, which belongs to a range spanning three European countries.

Definitions in clues are underlined

Once the grid is filled, there’s nothing more to do except to ink in the solutions and submit your entry.

This was by no means a complex puzzle, but it was none the worse for that. I like crosswords such as this and the ones set by Chalicea because they offer a bridge into the world of barred, themed puzzles for those who have previously only solved blocked puzzles.

Phibs Toughness Rating : 🥾/🥾🥾 (Extremely suitable for anyone new to themed and/or blocked puzzles)

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