EV 961, Whither Goest Thou? by Charybdis

[dr b]

Back on the toughie track this week, for me anyway. I spent quite a bit of time convincing myself on several of the wordplays - I knew what the extra letter had to be but couldn't see where it was coming from. So I have the instruction and 8 clashes, but don't see any sense to the "route" thus described, nor do I have a clue on the thematic phrase. And what's that X doing there? Perhaps the solution to the mystery lies in answering that question. I will ponder more later...

[dr b]

P.S. I'm also confused by "THE letter in one clashing square being used twice". Aren't there two clashing letters in each of the 8 squares, or, none, since the preamble says they can be left blank? Even more to ponder.

[bellabee]

ditto

[bellabee]

.....although i'm expecting the obvious work [3 words - 9 letters in all] by jk to pop out eventually.- but how to get the clashes down to 1 letter? i've tried adding, subtracting, multiplying and number of letters inbetween but nothing works.

[ringer]

Hi All
I've ended up with an anagram that is repeated, using 2 clashing letters twice,ie 9 letters for the anagram but cannot see what the pattern might be (if any) or the significance of the X (again if any). Perhaps the anagram speaks for itself.

[turnerjmw]

I'm not sure there's that much to the last part of this, though I may have misunderstood it. If you move a clash in the first down clue you might get an idea (that was what I put in first before I twigged the wordplay). I think you can use either set of clashes. The timing is thematic, for me. I think I agree with Ringer, whose post I've just seen

[bellabee]

yes i am -but thanks for that [rather late for it though!]

[dr b]

Boy, I'm not getting this at all, to the point where I don't even understand what ringer and turner are saying! I looked at the down clashes and the across clashes and noticed that they give almost the same set of letters - the downs repeat one letter whereas the acrosses repeat a different letter (can someone confirm?). But I see nothing beyond that. Am I looking for something spectacular that isn't there?

[bellabee]

the down and across clashes are the same dr b. if you repeat the cell at 17ac.

[dr b]

Ah. Well, that was a bit of a letdown. I really was looking for something spectacular that was not there. This would have made more sense on Friday, no?

[ringer]

It certainly would dr b. I think the joke is now on the compiler

[Jogler]

Feel a little let down ... and it would appear we were not alone. Have slight issues with the highlighting - and what did the x have to do with it? A good 'one' would leave one groaning but not befuddled!

[haggis58]

Just need 17a and 8d. Also can't work out the second word of the instruction. Any help out there?

[kayakamina]

Only just got around to this and I share some of the frustration of fellow solvers.

Maybe instead of an X in centre of the grid it should have been a ? given the theme and the question?

I think that providing you have the right angle the highlighting is clear.

[kayakamina]

Hi haggis

17a A truck is a UTE

8d If (provided) follows No t en

Second word starts with F and now you have 17a you should be able to get the other two letters.

Good luck K

[haggis58]

Thanks Kayakamina - have now got answers to 17a and 8d. However I have an S for the start of the second word assuming that this comes from 15a. Also I now have 11 clashes so must have something wrong: 2 clashes in 8d, 1 in 3d, 3 in 10a, 1 in 17a, 1 in 19a, 2 in 31a, 1 in 38a and 1 in 39a

[kayakamina]

Haggis

Fry - small fish

There are 8 clashing points with two letters in each cell.

[haggis58]

Thanks again Kayakamina. Have resolved the problem - one of the first answers I entered in the grid was 'elvers' for 15a (anagram of vessel and r giving a superfluous s). I wonder if the setter did this on purpose to mislead. Now that I have the correct answer there are now no clashes in 15a giving the correct total of 8 clashes. Have highlighted the route but see no significance in the pattern with the theme. Also, the letters in the down clashes anagram to the theme using the l twice, but the across clashes do not as I have a t for the clash at the beginning of 31a. Am I missing something here?

[kayakamina]

Haggis

L not T at 31a.

[haggis58]

My mistake Kayakamina - all sorted bar the significance of the shapeof the route.. Thanks for your help.

[devadolly]

Good afternoon, I have just spent a very frustrating hour with Charybdis and come to N & C for solace. Shock, horror, reading the posts the clever clogsis are (almost) as confused as me! I too have the same answer as Haggis for 15a and must rethink that one, just don't see the word-play on worried now. I also have conflicting letters between 29d & 35a which doesn't bode well for the suggestion of Friday, but one might help with bellabee's jk which I presume was the 'must be seen with tome' for all the beat generation. The title of his main work would be an answer to the setters question.
Back to the grind-stone, it is a depressingly awful day here - unfit for man nor beast and Himself is not 'appy as his precious meadows are getting too wet to finish the rolling, my suggestion that they tidy the workshop went down like the proverbial lead ballon!