EV 855 The Rule

[DocHH]

Hello EV N&Cers,
My first pass through this one for the gifts from Salamanca, saw me with a sparsely populated grid. Gobi desert sprang to mind, but having resolved the 4 perimeter answers, things went much better and soon had the task of resolving the last 2 letters of 38a and the unchecked letter of 24d. But inspiration soon arrived, and the grid was completed! Most satisfying.

[dr b]

A nice diversion this morning while waiting for the basketball games to start (it's March Madness time here in the US). Still hung up on the intersection of 5d, 13a, but the rest was, as Doc notes, easier once the perimeter was filled in. I'm sure inspiration will strike sometime today. Or tomorrow. (No hints yet, please).

[copelander]

Good afternoon,all. Yes, a not too challenging offering this week, and no highlighting, thank goodness. Wonderful outcome in the Six Nations rugby yesterday.....nailbiting 'til the final whistle, but well deserved (I'm quite biased ).

[DocHH]

Hello drb,
I got a bit puzzled at that intersection for a while, ask for hint as and when! I suppose that qualifies me as one from Georgia Tech!! Enjoy the basketball, we had Rugby mania yesterday, apparently it was possible to watch Rugby games for about 8 continuous hours, The Six Nations Contest! Not me I don't have TV here.
Hope you're hooked on EV now!! We are also quite nice group of "solvers"!?!

[novalis]

Hi DocHH and dr b!!

Hope you are both well -- I'm in the same position as dr b ( but with 5d and 21a because the more I look at 5d the less clear it becomes I just can't get a handle on it
Also -- what are your thoughts on 30a?
Does the definition come first or second? I reckon second but then again I usually plump for the wrong one!!
How's the weather over there in the U.S?

[novalis]

Sorry Copelander, you weren't there when I posted. Yes, an excellent result for the Irish and well-merited. I prefer league but appreciate both codes and like to see good rugby.

[copelander]

Novalis, I reckon the definition is 2nd in 30a. 5d was the last one for me too.

[DocHH]

Hello Copelander and Novalis,
Copelander, I didn't ignore you, we overlapped. Can I at least claim a small relevance to 13ac?

Novalis, in 21ac, I ignore the last word of the clue and let the penultimate one stand double duty, how about you Copelander and drb?

[novalis]

Hi DocHH!

Thanks for that -- ( I (think ) I have 21a. It's 5d which is bugging me. I shall go and have another look at it, aided perhaps by a glass or two of S. African red.
For a laugh a group of fellow-quizzers joked that we should apply for "Eggheads". I've just printed off an application form!!

[DocHH]

Sorry Novalis,
I should have said the last word in 5d is the one I ignored! In 21a the curtailed word is in the clue not the light. I've bottle of Tempranillo for tonight, Crozes Hermitages with dinner last night.

[dr b]

OK, I had popped in 6d without properly pondering the wordplay. I had (so I thought, and correctly so) 5d early on but couldn't make 13a work. A proper 6d makes 13a clear, and leaves the afternoon free for basketball and taking my 16 year old for driving practice (if she ever wakes up, but hey it's only 1 pm here).

re 21a, Doc, I felt the last word in the clue was necessary.

Novalis, the weather, as it always is in the American midwest this time of year, is 5d (fine, cold and changeable)! We always say if you don't like the weather, stick around - it'll change.

[devadolly]

Good afternoon/evening all.
As usual am trailing behind you, but only got started recently, too nice not to totter down to the garden. First two lots of spuds in the greenhouse and the onion bed prepped, we are having the penultimate 'feed' of home-grown Anya's tonight, they have kept wonderfully having been dug last August!
Doing quite well but the same problems with the 5d & 21a plus a bit of a void in the centre, my 19d & my 29a don't agree with one another and there are a couple of other blanks - including those two squares staring at me in a rather malevolent way...............no doubt all will become clear at some stage. I think the same as you Novalis re: 30a.
I'm beginning to think we ought to be called the EV N & C wine club! It is a bottle of Charles Heidseik shampoo for us tonight - it's our wedding anniversary!!!!
Regards

[devadolly]

PS: Forgot to say, fantastic result for Ireland yesterday, doesn't matter, Union or League all Rugby ..............Great!

[DocHH]

Happy Anniversary to You, Devadolly and Himself,
What a romantic way of spending it! Am not impartial to the odd glass of champers, a Kir Royale slips down well too!! Weather has been glorious here too, sun streaming in, making sitting in the conservatory very pleasant.
19d and 29 should agree, at their intersection, how does Ginger moggy express his appreciation! And 29a could be cryptically clued as "Musically strong gaseous mixture" and the same defintion as EV.
Like Copelander I am convinced the latter is the definition, mainly because of punctuation.
ps Happy to comply with name change to N&C Wine Club!!

[novalis]

Hi DocHH!

I realised as soon as I'd turned off my "infernal machine" that you must have meant 5d. Tis now done and ready for posting. Hope the wine is as palatable as that I'm supping in between typing.

Devadolly! --- Happy anniversary!! May you have many more. Enjoy the Charles Heidseik.

dr b --- Bit like the weather in the "frozen" north of England. Hope you enjoy the basketball. Our teenagers can't drive on public roads until they're 17. At what age can they start over there? I'm assuming 16.

[copelander]

Happy anniversary, Devadolly. I totally agree with the potential name change, I'm into a little glass of Chablis this evening! Yes, of course DocHH, you're in there again in 13a. By the way your reference to the Gobi desert makes me wonder if you do Inquisitor on a Saturday. If you do you'll understand this question.

[DocHH]

Sorry Copelander,
I don't do Inquisitor. It was just a reflection of how badly I had populated the grid on the first pass. I thought I'd be struggling to finish this EV!!
BTW, what is Inquisitor? On second thoughts, don't tell me, or "herself" (Devadolly's antonym) might resort to untoward measures to getting me away from mental exercises to gardening related exercises!
Not much of a sports person, but used to enjoy watching the Rugby at Loughboroough from the Towers, where from at least 11 floors up you could see the moves develop, and the off ball play move into place. Not sure you get the full benefit lower down.
Ciao ciao.

[copelander]

DocHH, Inquisitor is a crossword in the Independent Magazine on a Saturday, similar to EV, sometimes harder, sometimes less demanding. This week it is the highlighting in it which is perplexing me, but, not to worry, several days to think about it. Gardening has been great recently with all this good weather,so,when MsHH beckons go to it!

[Physicsgirl]

hello all! Taking the wooden spoon as always, I haven't even started this week's puzzle, am still finishing off last week's offering. Happy anniversary, Devadolly, hope you had a good time. Mini PG slept in her cot for the first time .... hurrah! Has anyone else had trouble accessing word wizard on the chambers site or am I the only one who has tp resort to moderate cheating at times?

[slaney]

Happy anniversary from me as well devadolly - I'm sure the Heidseik went down well!

EV not too taxing this week , which was just as well as I was shattered after watching the rugby.. .had to make the most of the celebrating, as the next date Ireland are due to win the Grand Slam is 2070!

Physicsgirl, Chambers Word Wizard has been out of action for a few days now; hopefully just a blip.

..and copelander, I'm at the same stage with the Inquisitor which lately has taken me more time to finish than EV.

[devadolly]

Good Morning - many thanks to all for the good wishes, far too far along the line to do more than be nice to one-another ALL day! Couldn't waste the fine weather, if one wants the fantastic spuds & veg, must do the work (well, Himself does most under my expert tuition and supervision!)
All became clear (with the exception of 5d which is still annoyingly unfinished) when the fizz bubbles had cleared the detrius out of the brain - including the two mystery squares. Feel (as a wordsmith) that the title should have leapt out and strangled me at the start!
What on earth were you doing in the Towers DocHH? That was Jock & Chip domain in my day, or were you chasing Birds in East Tower????? You weren't a Purple Nasty fan too were you?