ev 769

[Physicsgirl]

I only have 4 squares to complete and despite best efforts cannot do it! Missing clues: 1d NOL?
31a S?AI?
24d ?A?E?T
possibilities are NOLL, NOLO etc. but cannot find definitions for these things, so are my letters wrong? Also SCAIN, PALEST? Really annoyed at having to ask for help so maybe just a hint would do.
Also, is "EMPLONGE" a word?! I'm assuming that OLPE is a greek ewer. Many thanks

[novalis]

emplonge is gnome backwards ( i.e. retired financier ) round place (pl) + e ( middle letter of ocEan )

[gen2]

Thanks for that explanation novalis. I posted mine off at lunchtime today, I was certain that that was the correct answer but hadn't fully matched it to the clue with 'gnome'.

This week was harder than last week and took me nearly 5 hours to complete. but it is very satisfying when you finally get there. Keep trying Physicsgirl

[Physicsgirl]

Have done it all, but would not like to guess how long it took! Did not know that gnome was a financier. Thanks, N. gen2, you're just showing off! 5 hours? Pah!
That's 3/3 completed since starting with 767, but still wish I could have got those last 4 squares with no prompting. Think I have been bitten ....

[cruciverbali]

'Long' appearing in emplonge is a coincidence.

Financier = gnome
Place = pl
the middle of ocean = e

30d: Definition = William's (Shakepeare) to pen (trap)

Cruciverbalist

[Physicsgirl]

Thanks, C. I take it that Will or William usually refers to Shakespeare. Are there any others I should know about? e.g. Hardy for Thomas Hardy (I got that one!). Any tutoring thankfully received.

[novalis]

One that appears frequently is Edmund and refers to Edmund Spencer.
A little tool which might interest you is Tthe Collins electronic spell-check. It's brilliant for virtually the full content of Chambers dictionary and the solving of anagrams. Where it falls down a little is on words starting with a capital letter and hypenated words. It is, despite those slight drawbacks, a superb weapon in the EV fight.

[cruciverbali]

Yes, Bill and Will usually refer to WS and Ed to ES. Scottish words turn up frequently in barred puzzles, and are usually indicated by a place (eg Perth, Ayr or just 'far North') or a name we associate with Scottishness. Obsolete and rare words should really be indicated as such in the interest of fairness, as are dialectical usages ('in some parts' for example). Words from other languages which appear in Chambers (and American spellings) are also fair game, and they can have similarly appropriate indicators (eg 'Uncle Sam's' for an Americanism)

Sorry to go on !

C

[cruciverbali]

Yes, Bill and Will usually refer to WS and Ed to ES. Scottish words turn up frequently in barred puzzles, and are usually indicated by a place (eg Perth, Ayr or just 'far North') or a name we associate with Scottishness. Obsolete and rare words should really be indicated as such in the interest of fairness, as are dialectical usages ('in some parts' for example). Words from other languages which appear in Chambers (and American spellings) are also fair game, and they can have similarly appropriate indicators (eg 'Uncle Sam's' for an Americanism)

Sorry to go on !

C

[Physicsgirl]

Do not apologise! I love getting hints and tips like this, and do not really have anyone but you people to learn from. so, carry on to your heart's content, you have an avid fan here!

[novalis]

Cruciverbalist's advice is excellent, as always. Watch out though with Perth because it sometimes refers to Australian rather than Scottish usage. The more EVs you do the more things like that will become second nature.
Just further details about that little tool I mentioned earlier:-
It's Chambers Concise ( don't let that put you off ) Crossword Dictionary and is made by Franklin. Mine predates the 2003 Chambers Dictionary but I should imagine that the later versions have kept pace with the updated dictionaries. If you'v a birthday coming up drop a few hints!!

[cruciverbali]

Very good point about Perth , thanks Novalis. In fact this is what makes solving some of these clues so much fun, and I'm delighted that you have such a thirst to learn more about cruciverbalism, PG.

For instance, take this recent clue to a 4-letter word:

Formerly, Scots took part in Anglican ceremony

Formerly could indicate that an archaic Scottish word is required (but that would be mean !) and it is in fact the actual definition of a Scots word.

Good luck with 770 !

C