Ev 1550

[professorplum13]

Very tricky today! Over 3/4 done but stumped now...

Each clue includes two extra letters (not always consecutive), to be removed before solving, leaving real words. Some answers are too short for the space allowed so we won't know how many letters in the answer.

1a Eccentricity by comic animals (number of letters not known but possibly 3 or 4?) Possibly ends in E
2a Informal shirt tail in audience (less than 4 letters) ...Extra letters may be inside shirt..so possibly sit or hit?
2d Thrills with winning serve under pressure (6) ???ACE Pressure defn?

[hankir]

2a could be Tee. Tail become Ti .

[hankir]

If 2a is a 3 letter answer, the most likely quadrant is SW for set E?

[ProfessorMaisie]

Yes, the answer is TEE, hankir (but it's in the NW and that's a very tricky corner). When you put it in you should leave the 3rd cell blank initially - the preamble fails to tell us that cells can contain more than one letter (and with a puzzle like this, with so many gimmicks, no clue numbers and lots of ambiguity - that's a serious oversight in my book).
I had a feeling this whole series of puzzles was just some green-washing to cover the real reason (money!) behind their online-only initiative, and the highlighting suggests i was right.

[hankir]

Thanks ProfessorM.
I am going to go as far as I can and then abandon this.
You are right about NW corner. I could not fit the answer to Pasta... nine clue in SW corner.

I have Set A mostly done with the element in unclued obvious.
Do not have answers to Store enrgy... and Shot hoofed....

[ProfessorMaisie]

1a is MICE (that one goes in _MIC_E) the dropped pair coming from [co]MIC.

[ProfessorMaisie]

'store' = COOP + Energy + RAGE = 'temper' (you'll remember what to drop from a previous puzzle).
'shoE' = MULE (double def) and the letter you need is the misprinted 't'.

[hankir]

Also 2d becomes Hills for first 3 letters, giving a word for Pressure.

[ProfessorMaisie]

Yes.

[professorplum13]

Thanks for all the help Prof and hankir....
I had cooper for the barrelman, but had pencilled in bull for the hoofed beast! Are the 2 o's omitted here?
Are there 4 blanks in the NW after the 1st fill, then a pair go in each blank?
AT HE at top of column 5?

[saladdodger]

Almost there ...but no idea what to highlight?
Assume E W F and A stand for the 4 elements?

[saladdodger]

i have the word from the middle 4 letters....am i looking for 4 of those?

[saladdodger]

i have 3 of "those" but can't see the one from the NW / NE ??

[saladdodger]

found it!

[hankir]

Profplum, Yes At and He in Col 5.
Also extras from School pupils and Lawmakers from empire used in the other 2 empty cells.

I am only half way as doing this puzzle as time permits.

[Loki2034]

Help with last one. Set w. Tense comment after death voyage. 3 letters.I have two of the letters (t,p).
Is the unclued in set w ‘waters’?
Thanks

[ProfessorMaisie]

It's 4 letters - T(ense) + RIP

[ProfessorMaisie]

For the last entry a letter drops down from each of the answers directly above it - the 'R' from tRip is the 5th letter (and this will match what you already have).

[Loki2034]

Thanks so much Prof. So obvious now.

[Brownbelle]

I have staggered to the end of this BUT cannot for all my staring see the 16 cells we are to highlight. 4x4? A shove not nudge please!!

[Brownbelle]

Found them!!