Ev 1059 Down Under By Chalicea

[DocHH]

Hello EVers,
I started off quite well, solving clues more or less in clue order. Came to a crunching halt in the SE sector, but sorted after a while! Then spotted a "string" of letters that helped. However I think it was a rather sneaky title as it is only partially "Down Under"!

[Christiana]

Seem to be finding this a real plod this week. Several clues still to complete, and, as a result, have only obeyed half the second instruction and not yet attempted third part.

[devadolly]

Thank you for your instruction DocHH, my line would be crooked! As to third Christina.....................haven't got a comprehendable second let alone third.
Thank you too Jim.... for the offer of help, quite honestly I feel I am losing the will to live, my brain seems to be disintegrating by degrees.............will plod on!

[kayakamina]

I was late coming to this puzzle and, judging by other posters, I am not the only one having difficulty satisfying the instructions.

I have one of 'two' and the 'correct' conveyance but as I had assumed the final
piece would be French I am lost as I cannot see it!

Anyone with my e-mail address care to put me right please?

[Ruthrobin]

So sorry Kayakamina, this is one of mine, and if you are having trouble, then it must be a lot tougher than mine usually are (usually they are rated relatively easy).

[kayakamina]

Thanks Ruth. I fear I am being a bit slow this week so I'm going to put it to one side and come back to it tomorrow.
It's no reflection on your setting I'm sure!

[slaney]

Have emailed you K -I'm being a bit slow on the uptake too.
I went astray in the lower third of the grid due to carelessness with the wordplay.
Some fiendishly well concealed misprints there Ruthrobin - thanks for the challenge!

[DocHH]

Kayakamina,
If you have the corrrect conveyance you know from where it started, then 1 down further to the east diagonally, then 8 west and read in reverse in the grid. Although it is relevant to the theme, I have never stopped there!

[kayakamina]

Thanks DocHH

I'm not surprised you never stopped there!

I'm not sure it qualifies as one of the 'two' though.

[ixion]

It gets very hot down under!

[kayakamina]

DocHH

After a fresh look at the grid this morning, and a small correction to a stupid error (the wrong 'the' French), and I could see the answer.
I'm a bit confused though by your 'read in reverse in the grid'?

Thanks for your help.

[slaney]

I'm beginning to think that my original grid is fine, and that I was reading too much into the instructions.
K, that was one of my errors too - it does kind of work.

[devadolly]

How great to have compilers joining our N & C'ing. You have (enviably) devious brain's and I marvel at how you manage to think up these xwords. As you no doubt have observed by my pitiful posts, you 'strain My brain' to its limits....I get terribly excited when I finish one, almost always with the help of the EV'ers.. very rewarding.
As to this one, have managed the grid (bar two) and now have the instructions but little else, my clashes are dotted throughout so must be wrong and nothing seems to 'string' together........ plod, plod......

[Ruthrobin]

Devadolly, I think lots of us watch the blogs and even intervene for setter friends, where we may have test-solved or are just good friends, if the blog looks to be going awry, hypercritical or just in need of a nudge. It was jim360's first EV last week and I had test-solved that so was watching carefully. I am an abysmal solver so understand the problems, but have been setting for about six years - this one was set about four years ago when part of the theme was in the news. Compiling just requires a different mindset (and takes months!) but I think we see themes everywhere.

[devadolly]

Well I think you are all very devious Ruthrobin! If that is Jim's first EV he is obviously going to be another Mr O (Oxymoron) my nemesis. Jim, are you mathematical by any chance? You will hear the groan from afar if you are but I imagine our Docs will be rubbing their hands in glee!
For all that..............................still haven't got there.

[DocHH]

Kayakamina,
I apologise for the misleading comment, it might have made sense if I hadn't directed you to 8 lights west first!

[kayakamina]

DD

Jim is a Physics Student at King's College Cambridge and was part of their
team in last Monday's University Challenge.
He wrote a great debut EV and it was nice that he joined us here on our thread.

[Christiana]

I find all this fascinating, and am filled with admiration for the compilers, not only their devious minds but the patience and the test-solving etc.

I have, at last, completed this one. (Challenging, but enjoyable, so thanks Ruthrobin) Like K, had made a careless mistake which meant I had 8d remaining when all else was done. Having driven myself bananas with it I discovered I had the ending to 5a wrong - too casual by half. I fear that, even if i had what it takes mind-wise, I would lack the necessary rigour to be much of a compiler.

[kayakamina]

Hi DocHH

No problem. I was well off my game yesterday & should have just put the darned thing to one side.

[Shoni70]

Can somebody help me please. I have one clue to solve and am baffled by it 33ac Skimped, twice trimmed, short in the past. An O is the misprint so is it shoot in the past or short in the post? It is only a three letter word ending in P but i cannot fathom it although I have looked at all synonyms for sklmped.

[kettledrum]

33a (sk) imp (ed) = skimped trimmed twice
Imp is an old word for shoot / scion