ev 860

[devadolly]

Good afternoon EVers. I know I am early but have been in need of light relief from the boring piece I am trying to finish so just thought I would check and see how difficult this week's is considered to be. Haven't got mine yet as the papers hadn't arrived when Himself went to get them this am. and no-body has had time since, so, what is it like?
Caught a complaint about the layout in Q & P so have added my two-pennoth, seems 'they' have really boobed this week!

Regards

[Physicsgirl]

Hello all! The garden party's been a washout here in Yorkshire. The rain was much needed for our garden and the ground (for the horses and my husband's crops).
Have managed bottom right corner but that's about it for now.... mini PG is weaning so I seem to spend a lot of time blitzing vegetables and obsessing about how much, how often ..... sure it will settle down soon (I hope!). Will no doubt need lurkers at some point, but have cottoned on to the theme so we'll see.

[Physicsgirl]

Have ground to a halt. Having my own private corner party. Humph. Will wear conical hat (lettered, of course). (pathetic brrrrrr from extending party squeaker)

[DocHH]

Hello Physicsgirl, home from a stressful days work about half an hour ago. If there are any specific clues this lurker can offer cryptic guidance on, just indicate which ones. One in each of the other 3 quadrants might lead you out of your private corner and require you to find a party hat again.The SW corner was where I had trouble, because of the Gothic Castle clue.
Weather here has been glorious for nearly a week, except for monday, normally there has been occasional rain overnight, but clearing by mid-morning.
Don't worry too much about my stressful day, have poured a preprandial refreshment, and actually have unti 12th May to recover until my next day of work.

[copelander]

PG,I'll be delighted to help if I can, but as the paper's gone to light fires you'll need to give me more than just the clue number. Yes, we've needed a fire on every evening for the last week here,as the temp. hasn't gone much above 12. ( oh,yes and wet too ). Glad you've made it safely back to base DocHH, and I'm sure you've earned that preprandial!

[DocHH]

Thanks for your concern Copelander. Have managed to reschedule the frequency of meetings of this particular group from 6 times a year to twice a year. BTW that doesn't mean a reduction in my renumeration!

The central heating here hasn't even attempted to fire up. I guess we are having external temperatures even at this time of day higher than 13 or 14�C, and with south facing rear windows, and conservatory, the house stays quite warm until quite late.

By the way Physicsgirl in 12ac the cryptic element of the the clue could also be: A headless unit of viscosity equivalent to 0.1 Pascal seconds!

[Physicsgirl]

Thanks DocHH, already had 12ac. These are the others that I have managed:
Across: 1, 25, 30, 32, 35, 39
Down: 6?, 10, 14, 23, 26, 27, 29, 33, 34
the query on 6 is whether it's one of the themed clues (in which case it's the 7 letter name with one letter lost) or a 6 letter name
Maybe some hints on 1d, 6a, 28d would help me? Perhaps this one is just beyond my new-mother brain!

[devadolly]

Hello everyone - am in the corner again with you Physicsgirl and am not even trying now, just isn't any fun this week. It will have to be a broccilli flan and that Sapphire gin for the moment Physics girl, unless you fancy a drop of sloe gin - have just decanted one from last year.
Stop showing off Doc!

[DocHH]

Hello Physicsgirl, I think I'd have be disappointed if you hadn't got 12ac. 6ac is Thematic, the final entry is a season, but work the clue for the wordplay and ignore the grid entry indication! 28d is also thematic , work the wordplay again and also ignore the grid entry indication. 6d has a sister also a tennis player.
1d the title of respect is of Oriental origin,
How about 15a, I'm a fish!
16 a is an anag but witout an obvious letter.
7d What is the french word for 1, and then what is a pious man, and how many months in summer.
I would certainly "resent" being unable to help you home on this EV!! Will still lurk though.
Ciao, when will we see minipg asking for help!

[Physicsgirl]

Mini PG was playing on her mat - I left her for 2 mins, came back, and she was devouring EV, or attempting to. She is fascinated by newspapers. EV survived, but with a good gumming - a bit soggy round the edges. Please don't chastise me - I only give her newspapers to play with when I'm out of matches .....

Thanks for the hints, will try after bath/bed routine tonight, perhaps I might allow myself a G&T to go with!

[DocHH]

Excuse me Devadolly. I, wasn't showing off, I was trying to optimise the time I have available to solve EV and Speccie, and the other Telegraph Crosswords!
You should be ashamed Devadolly, Physicsgirl, even with demands from minipg is still trying and you as an EV solver from issue 1 has given up! What can one say!

[novalis]

Hi Physicsgirl!
Just to add to Doc HH's very useful hints
9d -- refers to length of garment raher than a particular type.
17d - abbreviated weight + what sculpture etc are.

Hi Devadolly!
I'm sure you'll get there with a little help from your friends.

DocHH!
Glad the day wasn't too stressful.

To all of you -- Newcastle United are definitely going down.
Please be kind and take pity on me on Sunday after they've faced Liverpool at Anfield.

[DocHH]

Hello Novalis
The meeting was OK. Bacon butties were not as good as expected, plenty of bacon and cooked to a turn, but the carriers were crusty rolls, so very crumbly,( I prefer soft rolls or wholemeal bread), so they left a real mess of crumbs on the meeting room table! Some brown sauce might also have enhanced the experience. However the danish pastries served at coffee time were superb, a choice of fruits on them, I opted for the peach ones! I was reliably informed the apple ones were equally tasty!
I went to school in the Grammar School in White Hart Lane, a long time ago, so by default support the obvious, and am pleased about the change of Manager earlier in the season, although to be honest am not really interested in soccer or any other sport.
Sorry to hear of your teams impending relegation, it certainly will not relegate the importance of your personnal presence here! Is Councelling available?

[devadolly]

Well, here I am trying to ignore the existance of this week's EV and you all keep exhorting me to try harder - am still sulking but if fate hasn't taken a hand ie. Himself using the flappy bit of paper that now passes for the EV, to light last night's fire, I may have a look again, when I have finished sorting the meat freezers, done the bills, baked some bread and braved the rain tomake up some more packs of cowslips.
Yes you are Doc, the fact that you have so much time to devote to the EV el al whilst the rest of us have 15 jobs to fulfil before being able to even look at the EV(see above)............. cos we're jealous!
Physicsgirl, does miniPG like the FT, the pink will certainly help with the colour co-ordination, matches? Good roughage aren't they?
Oh dear, poor Novalis...................................you will have to join my client list for immediate counselling! Though I have to say Doc (in defense of my not having a baby to distract me) there are a number of my clients who are worse to cope with than a set of quads and with about as much common sense!

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly and DocHH!

Thank you both for your kind words. I shall no doubt be here on Sunday wallowing in self-pity......but I think I'll treat myself to a bottle of St. Emilion or Chateau Neuf Du Pape to drown my sorrows!! Doc HH! Can we have Harry Redknapp please?
Pity about the last remnant of EV Devadolly. Was about to comment...had you left it out you could have sent it off. ( Hints there for Physicsgirl as well!! )
Just been disturbed by a phone call from the friend who wrote to The Sunday Telegraph re the clash of EV and the General Knowledge crossword a couple of weeks ago.
To summarise...plea to put the grid for EV at the bottom of the page to avoid the clash did not fall on deaf ears.
Photocopied grids are acceptable but a photocopy of a completed grid is not.

[DocHH]

Have just finished mowing the lawns, and am sampling a nicely chilled Leffe. Rain showers were forecast for here today, it was obvious it had had rained overnight, when I got up this morning, but by 11.00am, (and no that wasn't 10 minutes later!) it was glorious sunshine, warming up to around 20�C. Still quite warm, certainly warm enough to decamp to the patio with a book.

Sorry Novalis, Harry stays where he is, he has done a good job considering the poor start to the season.

I am sure Devadolly that Himself will know it's a cardinal sin for an unfinished EV to be used in starting a fire, and you will find it in pristine condition, unlike Physicsgirls gummed version. My fingers are crossed that both of you can get going again, so still lurking. Did the Speccie this morning, although it's OK, I prefer EV. The thread on EV is also far better. Still lurking!

[Physicsgirl]

still ruminating on the hints but not had chance today! Maybe tonight? Will shout for help if needed - thank you all. I will have an imaginary bottle of wine tonight - I think a nice full bodied red - your two sound just the ticket, Novalis!

[devadolly]

Stop nagging me or I won't bring any home-made bread/home-grown egg (Black Rock) & watercress sandwiches to the next dunces corner.
Have retrieved the tatty bit of paper from the paper bin (Himself has no idea about xwords EV or otherwise, far too happy leafing thro' musical scores) and attacked it with gusto, now managed all but 11 of the normal clues, but the thematic bit and the 5x5 are beyond me.
Doc - what in heaven's name is a pascal second and headless viscosity?? How in God's name is someone with a science allergy going to work that one out?

[DocHH]

Devadolly, I thought as an ex-loughboroughite you had sufficient "poise" to figure that one!
Novalis hinted about things that were AWOL were "off" or "out" and links with an unclued entry, thus all is explained.
I hope this might also help, e.g. Imagine a clue that resulted in an 8 letter answer that should have been entered as "STARTLED" but which when linked with an unclued light resulted in the actual entry being LED, the unclued link being BEGIN.

[novalis]

With the various hints above nobody should now be lost.

[devadolly]

Poise? Did they have a course in ballet at the Establishment? Run in conjunction with Aero or Prod Eng I presume? No, no, I merely enjoyed the company of the mad scientists and techies, I didn't attempt to do their degree for them! Physics, maths and chemistry a very closed shop to me, though I can check and change the oil on my car, change and wire plugs and kick-start various pieces of household equipment.
Haven't had another look since I popped 2 more common & garden ones in at 6am, I do understand where and how the linkage occurs but just can't get there, probably not helped by the fact that I don't seem to have done any of the oddities - I HATE THIS CROSSWORD!