“Clues are normal and in conventional order; bars (which would not be symmetrical) must not be shown. Numbers given are answer lengths. Three cells each containing more than one letter must have each group replaced by a symbol. In the completed grid 20 cells containing two names and one letter showing a position in a sequence must be highlighted and three letters italicised; the centre cell is left empty. Solvers must empty six further cells which allow BAND TO reset, leaving real words. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Mister Sting
Enigmatic Variations No.1442 – IT Feature by Stick Insect
“Ten answers have been affected by an IT FEATURE and must be amended before entry in one of two ways. For the remaining clues, half contain a superfluous word which must be relocated into one of the clues in the other half before solving. Numbers in brackets refer to entry lengths. Letters in the four shaded cells can be arranged to provide an acronym of the IT FEATURE, which must be written in full below the grid. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; two answers are abbreviations.”
Enigmatic Variations No.1438 – Understocked by Artix
“The left-hand and bottom perimeter cells represent empty supermarket shelves which must be ‘restocked’ (making new words) with the initial letters of the first 12 words of a song. One of its subsequent lyrics explains the specific item that was UNDERSTOCKED. Solvers must write the title below the grid and highlight the two artists (two blocks of cells in straight lines) responsible. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Enigmatic Variations No.1167 – Warning by Samuel
A somewhat unusual set-up: across clues are given in pairs, and the method of entry for four across rows is thematic (whatever that might turn out to mean), with no definition given. Another row is unclued, and must be filled with ‘the reason for the WARNING’. The down clues, meanwhile, are not idle – extra letters from their solutions give ‘the subject of the WARNING’.
Enigmatic Variations No.1163 – Lucas by MynoT
I have a soft spot for puzzles such as this that have clues presented in alphabetical order of their answers. Goodness knows why, when I might end up staring at a blank grid! Perhaps its just that the ‘sort and slot’ technique appeals to the same desire for order as jigsaws.
At any rate, ‘Lucas’ could be a number of things. Isn’t George still flogging the dead horse of Star Wars? Maybe it’s related to that.
Enigmatic Variations No.1159 – Offerings by Samson
I’m fond of these perimeter-quotation puzzles, although they can make things a little tricky if you can’t get a toe-hold in the centre of the puzzle. However, it’s not clear how much if any of the quotation will survive the dramatic cull proposed in the preamble (we are to delete almost three quarters of the grid once it’s been filled in).
Enigmatic Variations No.1155 – Reductions by Oxymoron
Oxymoron gives some hints about the possible construction of the puzzle here, by calling it REDUCTIONS, and telling us in the preamble of “a shortage of space” and “clashes”, and warning us that the number of cells given in grid entries may not be the number of letters in answers to clues.
All well and good. That still leaves a lot of questions.
Enigmatic Variations No.1095 – And finally… by Artix
A monster preamble this week. Also, so far as I am aware, a new setter for the EVs. Having so recently dodged a rather tough Ivor puzzle, I’m a little nervous about this unknown quantity. Who will have the last laugh?