Sunday Telegraph Enigmatic Variations 984 Sunday September 11th 2011

[haggis58]

Have completed the grid and have all the unclued entries but I cannot see what to highlight nor can I see the relevance of Practically Worthless. Any help?

[DocHH]

Hello Haggis, try looking up 9a as one word in the BRB!

[Nical]

Am intrigued - what's the BRB?

[DocHH]

Hello Nical,
BRB is an acronym for Big Red Book. It is how cruciverbalists normally refer to Chambers, which is normally their definitive Dictionary! Needless to say it is a large book with red covers! My version has 1825 numbered pages, not an enthralling read, but it explains every word!

[kayakamina]

The BIG RED BOOK - Chambers.

One of the easier EV's but I can't get the blasted 'theme' out of my head!

[kayakamina]

Sorry DocHH, you weren't there when I started typing.

[DocHH]

Not a problem Kayakamina!

[haggis58]

DocHH - have already looked up 9a in the BRB but still none the wiser!

[PollyEsther]

Where is (was) this puzzle in today's Sunday Telegraph? I can only find the crosswords in the 'life' supplement. Am I being very blind?

[Christiana]

Hi, finished the crossword easily enough, but like K can't ditch the 'theme', and like Haggis haven't found the 11 squares yet, but haven't tried DocHH's advice yet either, so will try it. Oh and I have one answer I'm not quite satisfied with cryptically.
Sorry can't help PollyEsther, as I get my crossword on line through the Telegraph Crossword Society

[AndrewG-S]

The crossword is in the Life section - puzzles and games, on the second page I think, although I have mutilated it by tearing it out. The 9a as a four letter word is certainly in my BRB, giving the link to the theme. Thought this was an enjoyable although straightforward puzzle.

[cinnabar]

I am definitely one of the confused here. If the eleven squares to be highlighted are 'in the context', shouldn't they refer to the theme work rather than the alternative meaning of 9A in Chambers? But the most obvious phrase from the work is only ten letters, and I can't find it in the completed grid anyway. Am I looking for a straight line or some other shape, like the inverted L a couple of weeks ago?

[AndrewG-S]

It is a straight line, but not the obvious words.

[dr b]

High-dy hey, all, checking in quite late as I was traveling this weekend. Quite a straightforward puzzle, I thought. if you know the work in question the long entry in line 3 was a giveaway. Probably spent more time looking for the "cryptic representation" than in filling the grid as I am no good at word searches.

Haggis, if you can't find a def. of 9a that means "practically worthless" you may not have the right 9a!

[haggis58]

Hi Dr b - yes I have the correct answer for 9a and now understand its meaning with reference to practically worthless. Just can't see the 11 letters to highlight.

[kayakamina]

Hi haggis58

If the think of the title of the composition and the 2nd and fourth words in particular.
You'll see that a synonym of the 2nd goes 'in' the 4th in the grid.

I hope I won't get into trouble for giving too much away.

[Christiana]

The eleven squares worked as I expected, but am still staring at 36d - I have the answer but shouldn't the clue read" blind girl skips FIRST chapter"?

[dr b]

C, my understanding of the clue is that you remove the second C (chapter) from a word meaning "girl" (tho I doubt many girls would appreciate being called that these days) to get a word meaning (window) blind.

[Christiana]

Ah, now I think I get it. I assumed it was the second letter of chapter that had to be 'skipped'. Rather clumsily worded, in my opinion, or perhaps it's just me.

[haggis58]

Like Dr b, I'm clearly no good at word searches and still cannot see the 11 squares to highlight. I am expecting symmetry and a synonym for the second and fourth words of the song, unless I'm barking up the wrong tree.

[AndrewG-S]

haggis58, right on the latter bit, but not in a symmetric place