EV 1648 (Hints)

Enigmatic Variations 1648 (Hints)

Westward Ho by Chalicea

Hints and tips by The Numpties

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Solvers can be sure that they will have no difficulty with an EV by Chalicea who invariably sets crosswords packed with thematic material but with relatively gentle clues that adhere fairly strictly to Chambers Dictionary definitions. Scientific and engineering feats, literature, music and particularly the achievements of women appear in her grids, often graphically represented. This will be her 48th in the Enigmatic Variations series.

Preamble:  Sixteen clues need an extra word removed to enable solving. The first and last letters of these words, read in clue order, give two instructions with regard to the unclued entries, the person who did what the first instruction says (making WESTWARD HO possible) and 20 cells to highlight. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.

Concealing an instruction in extra words is a relatively ‘easy’ device for compilers to adopt. (It was actually banned by the original editor of the EV series, Mr Lemon, but Chalicea has sneaked it in by using both ends of those sixteen words). The first task, on spotting a couple of them, is to work out whether the two letters are read in sequence or belong to the two independent messages. There are two ‘unclued entries’ and an instruction regarding those is going to appear. Someone ‘did’ what that instruction says. That’s rather cryptic – nothing to do but solve and discover what ‘thematic’ item(s) will need to be highlighted.

Across

10a          Expected before aged coach, reasonable steps taken (12, two words)
Just two clue elements here; a short word for ‘expected’ and a longer one for that name of an aged form of transport.

15a           Strong napa leather footwear swindler illicitly sold (7)
Two clue elements again – the footwear and the swindler – come together to produce this term. It is perhaps a surprise that Chambers confirms the adjective that is the answer.

30a         Some hidden tale voiced in author’s final words (5)
Clearly a compiler can be rather sneaky in the way an answer can be ‘hidden’ in a clue, especially when an extra word might be involved.

33a         Become member again without independent bullfighter’s weapon (5)
Hmmm! Not much of a surface sense in that clue (we are supposed to write clues that would make perfect sense if, for example, overheard in a bar!) However, Chalicea has clearly used a simple word for ‘become member again’ to guide solvers towards a rare word for what a bullfighter uses.

38a         Sour golfer’s shot dropping one slightly under two metres (7)
The Big Dave’s site convention of underlining will help here. The golfer’s shot in question is not ‘sour’ at all. The term for ‘slightly under two metres’ (that has to ‘drop one’) is of French origin.

40a         Mirthful beast naughtily eyed hot pants (12, two words)
Not more than six anagrams to a crossword – that’s one of the rules – and Chalicea usually needs them all. Here is one of them, obviously. It’s a gift to solvers, but this hint is included as this clue will surely be the one that produces a smile.

41a         In Stratford, enough tiresome lack-brains returned (5)
The Shakespearean word is probably familiar, as it appears so often in crosswords. Clearly all you have to do is send those ‘lack-brains’ back.

42a         Sadly ashen and like Sterne’s work (8)
The head of my English Department thought the work alluded to here (clearly by Laurence Sterne) was one of the most remarkable ‘novels’ ever written. I struggle to get beyond the first chapter (which is, I suppose, the point!)

Down

3d            Wise acts of economy started centrally by church in mishandled resentment (13)
Three clue elements here; ‘started centrally’ and the ‘mishandled’ resentment that has to absorb an abbreviation of the church.

5d            A story raised taking in party images (6)
The story that is raised is not an honest one and a short word for a party is taken in by it.

12d          What organs perceive, being surrounded by sexiness (5)
The answer is an unusual word. An abbreviation for sexiness has to surround a short word for being.

29d          Makeshift pekoe essentially as tea (6)
This is another of those occasions where the underlining in the hints probably tells the solver all that is needed. The wordplay produces three elements (one of them from Latin) that combine to form a Hindi word for ‘makeshift’.

32d         Docked old Afghan bloodhound consuming heart of rotten bit of tongue (5)
Here’s another of those words that we rarely encounter except in crosswords. The bloodhound has to be ‘docked’ before consuming the ‘heart of rotten’.

Wikipedia may have been needed by solvers to confirm the name of the person who did what the first instruction said and to justify the rather odd and unsymmetrical nature of those 20 cells to highlight. Do remember to do what the second instruction said and to highlight those 20 cells.

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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