EV 774 Help Novalis, Ulysses or Cruciverbali

[Christiana]

I seem to have some error in the top left hand corner but can't work out what has gone wrong. Have 1a) Novum, 10) chic, and 12) hydroxide, but that gives me FRS?N? as the decoded letters for 2d) for which the clue is foaming once fish get in at end of spring(6). Fusing? or fining? If either of these can see the 'f' and the 'ing' but not the other two letters.
And it would put out the code in the rest of the puzzle.

[slaney]

Hi Christiana...I have FRY ING.

[Christiana]

Thanks, that seems a good answer but it puts out my answer to 12 across or my understanding that the 'y' of 12 across is an 's' in the down clues which worked for 32a)/24d/ but doesn't work out here. Have I gone wrong with 24d) for which I have 'lists'?

[slaney]

In the alphabet code I have Y=Y
24d LEFTY
32a TALLY HO
also from 9d TYPTO

[Christiana]

Thanks, that's a real help. I didn't have 9d) so couldn't check with it. I had the 'tallyho' but went wrong on 'lists' (I thought the newspaper was the ST!)

I only have 3 or 4 left and hopefully will now be able to tackle those.

[ulysses100]

Thank you for asking for help Christiana, but until your posting I hadn't really given it much thought...it was so difficult to contemplate. However I have just spent a concerted couple of hours and have managed to complete it. How on earth does Dimitry compile such a crossword ?
And to end with the instruction that's arranged with the letters of the alphabet ! This was b***** hard work !........but satisfying on completion. I hope that you manage to get to the end too...if you need any hints just ask.

[Christiana]

As you say b**** hard work, but satisfying. I haven't quite finished yet so will not be posting it. I have to allow three days minimum here in Portugal to be sure of it arriving. However I intend to battle on. I've assumed it will end as you indicated but not sure yet as to what the word or words are, though I've toyed with 'subroutine' and 'absolution' neither of which seems to quite fit the code.
Thanks for the offer of help. I may well need it as the last ones are perplexing me somewhat. Is 17 across either P Celtic or Q Celtic, or am I on the wrong track there?

[ulysses100]

It is Q-Celtic---- a QC is a silk, an elt is a sow.

I don't know where your "subroutine" and/or "absolution" fit in though.
The phrase starts with that unclued clue of 5dn !

[Christiana]

Thanks for the explanation. I don't know how I managed to miss QC - I think I was trying for too clever a cryptic element. I'll forget absolution etc, obviously on the wrong track there. Will look again tonight, so may come back to you. Thanks again.

[slaney]

If I may barge in,again (sorry Christiana..didn't read your heading fully), could I ask for a hint (at some stage ..not necessarily now) on solving the alphabet code, Ulysses ?
I haven't come across this before...it doesn't seem to be a simple shift, and I wondered whether there was a keyword involved ? pendant ?

Just off to clear my mind now with a nice airport run.

[ulysses100]

Slaney , it is not a straightforward substitution with letters in the same order in the second series.
An example is 2dn where the answer to be encoded is "frying" and results in OHYMAW. As you fit in the across answers (and a few have been given above) you can see which letters substitute for which (and this is consistent). Eventually you will end up with a phrase which tells you how to enter the answer to 5 down.

[Christiana]

Slaney - no problem. All help has been gratefully received. The heading was simply to alert some of the people whom I know do EV. I am still also working towards thephrase which will yield the final word. I really do admire these EV Compilers - it's like a work of art!

[Christiana]

Now ground to a halt. Have all the answers except 22d) though not completely sure of 33a) Am I right in thinking that on the grid 22d ends in 'a'? I have, of course, one or two code gaps. As for the phrase, I have the first three words, then a ?ack, but after that it all goes to pot. Have used up all the vowels so stuck on last part of phrase. Is it telling me to 'sack' the remaining letters from 5d's answer?

[slaney]

Christiana..22d (Avoiding lumps of lead on melting ) is
ENODAL anag. of 'on lead'

Thank you, Ulysses, ..I had the grid out,except for 5d, and 17/26 letters, but was not sure how to proceed next.. .. will now have another look...I was pleased you thought it was difficult !

[Christiana]

thanks Slaney - tried to make an anagram of 'on lead' but failed. Think I've been staring at it too long. I have 6 unfilled squares and partially worked out code but still stuck on the final hurdle.

[ulysses100]

You'll find that there are ten letters left over that are not used in the substitution. One letter that took ages to work out was that A=F ; once this fell into place I could see a phrase developing, and yes, you are close with ?ACK. Of the remaining 10 letters it made sense with B = "five down must back". Therefore place the remaining letters in backward alphabetical order, which helped to get the V=Q in 23dn HOVEL.. Though I must admit that I still don't know what the solution to the clue of 5dn is !

[Christiana]

Thanks Ulysses for all your help. I had got round to 'back' but had just stared at it too long last night to make sense of it. Now have it and completed the grid, though I have one small query. I worked out 33a) as 'tratt' and all the components work in the cryptic sense. I presume it's short for trattoria, but it's not in Chambers 10th edition or my old Chambers.
As for the original 5d) clue I suggest 'Antithesis' as a possible answer.

[ulysses100]

Hi Christiana, tratt as a shortened form of trattoria is in my copies of Chambers ... and dating back to 1998---under the head word trattoria.
I am pleased that you managed to complete it. I wonder if Physicsgirl has had the fortitude to continue with it as well.