EV 959 Hobson's Choice by Jaques

[dr b]

Our run of tough-but-fun EVs continues this week. Lots of well-concealed misprints. I was a bit leery of "not quite as rendered" but it all works out OK. I have to admit that I was so intent on finding the "closed loop" that I did not notice its shape until I was done colo(u)ring. Excellent!

Incidentally, Samuel indicates in the comments here

http://fifteensquared...3-products-by-samuel/

that the entire word "batter" was supposed to be flipped in the pancake puzzle. I know some of us would not rest until that was cleared up.

Basketball! Quadruple-header today! Hooooo!!

[DocHH]

Hello dr b
I definitely enjoyed this weeks EV, some hardish but fair clues. I would have thought that given the quotations originator that ODQ should have used the format we extracted from the extra letters!
I stared at the grid for quite a while before spotting the start of the "loop". I suppose the shape should have been obvious really.

[Speravi]

Very enjoyable fare. I spotted part of the loop quite early, which helped to speed completion. Thanks, dr b, for the pointer to Samuel's clarification.

[bellabee]

Quite brilliant to construct this with everything in the right order and only real words in the grid i thought

[AndrewG-S]

Yes clever and fun (and more tricky than usual again). The closed loop took a while to spot and I fear a trip to the newsagents is again due for the final part. Good news to hear that all the batter was due to be flipped, although my artistic skills were not very good in this regard particularly on the 'a'.

[devadolly]

Whoops! Blown it re: the batter! Not opened the paper yet today, chance would be a fine thing but doesn't bode well as all you scientific types aka Doc's b & HH have finished it. Think I will just chuck it over the shoulder and get on with planting! Feel very THICK these days, quite demoralised!

[haggis58]

Excellent fun crossword this week. Completed it without any help for a change! Had to borrow my son's 'rainbow' crayon set to complete. Still think the answer to 14d is dubious. Does anyone out there do the Inquisitor crossword in The Independent Magazine on a Saturday? This week's one was reminiscent of the spectrum!

[dr b]

haggis, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking on 14d, there is an alternate spelling in the OED (and I assume Chambers) which makes the extra letter the required one.

[ringer]

Hi All
Another cleverly compiled EV - it has taken me some time to justify all entries. Am not convinced, haggis58, by the necessity of rainbow crayons though. Devadolly - do have a go at this one - I started in the SE corner. I should really have gone with 1a, especially as us Maths team at work once had a band with this name!!

[kayakamina]

I agree with the other contributors that this was a very well set and enjoyable puzzle.

Contrary to ringer, my SE corner was the last to be filled and I am still wondering which plural, as mentioned in the preamble, is wrong - according to Chambers?

[slaney]

Hi K - I think it's 20a...
and I'm with everyone else on this one - good fun.

[kayakamina]

Thanks slaney.

I should have consulted the BRB instead of the on-line versions.

[AndrewG-S]

interesting comment on colours ringer, you have started me thinking that you may be right...

[DocHH]

Hello everyone,
Given the quotation, the relevance of the shape of the loop and what the author was referring to, my belief is that haggis58 should not have sequestered his son's rainbow crayons!

[dr b]

I'd agree that, given the quote, a more monochrome endgame is called for.

[DocHH]

dr b, that was a far more eloquent expression of my thoughts! Do you play chess and/or bridge! If you do that would explain the terminology!

[devadolly]

Good evening, well, finally managed to open the paper and have started, am finding the SE corner most appealing, though am getting a little bogged down in the US direction! am particularly intrigued by the reference to a band made by Ringer as 1a is refusing to come to light and 5d is elusively hovering just out of reach - I do so hate it when the long answers evade one, as it always seems such an achievement when one fills in so many lights at once!
Himself was given a bottle of Chase, English potato vodka for his pi-day last week, I can recommend it, a very interesting taste and definitely served on the rocks. Most enjoyable!

[dr b]

doc, I play chess (badly) but am baffled by bridge. "North, with a high honor in his doubleton, might have eschewed Stayman and responded three no-trump. When he did not locate a 4-4 spade fit, he had given the defenders free information about declarer’s hand" is enough to reduce my gray matter to jelly. Let's not even mention "South would have ruffed with dummy’s spade ace, overtaken the spade queen with his king, drawn the remaining trumps and claimed." Ruff is what sandpaper is, no?

[kayakamina]

DD Don't let yourself be sidetracked by ringer's mention of a band as I believe he was only recounting that he and his fellow mathematicians formed a band.
If you consider the 'piece of wood' at the start of 1a and ringer's profession you should see why they named the band the way they did.

As for 5d Start with 'drink nearly' .

[ringer]

DD, think calculations pre calculator days (ie when I was still the other side of the classroom) for 1a. I struggled with the word play for 5d, but the last three words provide the definition. Our band name was actually hyphenated, with the second part being spelt in a more musical fashion - but that isn't any real use to you! Oh - btw kayakamina, I'm of the female variety!

[turnerjmw]

dr b, not sure I quite understand your accent, but is "ruff" sandpaper or sandpiper?