Enigmatic Variations No. 1549 Elementary IV: A dramatic instruction by KCIT

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The fourth in a series – misprints in definitions and eight answers with a common theme.

So the misprints spelled out:
REPEATS IMPLY HEIGHT – FLOOD THE GRID

The common them of two types was a repeated triplet of letters in the answer and a triple repetition of letters in the answer

Interpreted as the duplicate letters sit on top of the other letters, with flooding the grid meaning turn the rest blue leaving

TAN 13ac

CAL 21ac

ISS 30ac

BOR 18dn

Mixing up to get SAN CRISTOBAL

And the triple repeated leters stack one higher as per

I 33ac

S 34ac

L 8dn

E 1dn

So the two items are San Christobal – an island in the Galapagos and Isle a generic type. Both being affected by global warming and the consequential sea level rise

Thanks Kcit – a fun solve

Key: * anagram; Rev. reverse; DD double definition; underline definition;

ACROSS
1 More than one with pulse whispers about it (7)
R 1 More than one with purse whispers about it (7)
burrs (whispers) about sa (it) = BURSARS
6 Brothel, some say, is bad for a kid (4)
E 6 Brothel, some say, is bed for a kid (4)
DD CRIB
10 English message about a lover of Saladin? (6)
P 10 English message about a lover of Paladin? (6)
e (english) + line (message) around a = ELAINE
11 Miss out unfortunately – article not included in bargain event (6)
E 11 Mess out unfortunately – article not included in bargain event (6)
(out)* + sale (bargain event) = a (article) = TOUSLE
13 Popular sonata tunes in arrangement for the moment (10)
in (popular) + (sonata tunes)* = INSTANTANEOUS
14 Ring head of embassy, delivering truce (5)
A 14 Ring head of embassy, delivering trace (5)
ting (ring) + e (head of embassy) = TINGE
15 Some agreeable trees providing row of fruit (4)
T 15 Some agreeable trees providing rot of fruit (4)
Hidden agreaBLE Trees = BLET
17 Mandy’s dolly beginning to keep bairn diverted, close to hand (8)
S 17 Sandy’s dolly beginning to keep bairn diverted, close to hand (8)
k (beginning to keep) + (bairn) + by (close to hand) = KIRNBABY
19 Genuine Frenchman in Provence? (5)
I 19 Genuine Frenchman in Province? (5)
real (genuinie) + m (Frenchman) = REALM
20 Naked as source in which Latin delinquent appears (6)
M 20 Named as source in which Latin delinquent appears (6)
quo(in which latin) + ted (delinquent) = QUOTED
21 Pair of accountants keeping lecturer in lounge for telephone message (6, two words)
ca (accountant) + ca (accountant) around l (lecturer) in loll (lounge) = LOCAL CALL
22 Old skin tattoo’s first to undulate (5)
P 22 Old spin tattoo’s first to undulate (5)
t (tattoo’s first) + roll (undulate) = TROLL
24 Currently most underact badly (8)
L 24 Currently lost underact badly (8)
(underact)* = UNTRACED
27 Student disengaged from a sacred call from quad? (4)
Y 27 Student disengaged from a sacred call from quay? (4)
a + holy(sacred) – l (student) = AHOY
28 Attempt to interrupt some tiroes (5)
H 28 Attempt to interrupt some throes (5)
any(some) around go (attempt) = AGONY
30 Very noisy Wild West trading station is three times attacked around South Missouri (10)
fort (wld west trading station) + (isisiss)* + mo (missouri) = FORTISSISSIMO
31 Very engaged in a row about bully (6)
E 31 Very engaged in a row about belly (6)
v (very) in a + line (row) = ALVINE
32 One giving rose to California employer (6)
I 32 One giving rise to California employer (6)
ca(california) + user (employer) + CAUSER
33 Breeks were said to come from here once, some hosieries recalled (4)
G 33 Greeks were said to come from here once, some hosieries recalled (4)
rev hdden hosiERIEs = EIRE
34 Groups of men, some swimming experts, primarily, in trunks (7, two words)
sse (some swimming experts, primarily) in chests (trunks) = CHESS SETS
DOWN
1 Brightly coloured bird swallowed up, all but tail, in the drink (6)
beer (drink) around eaten(swallowed up) – n = BEE-EATER
2 Slower coach taking time (4)
H 2 Shower coach taking time (4)
train (coach) – t (time) = RAIN
3 Error regarding the gullet is now usual (8)
T 3 Error regarding the gullet is not usual (8)
sin (error) + gular (regarding the gullet) = SINGULAR
4 ‘Murther case’ left after a lot of errata I corrected (7)
F 4 ‘Further case’ left after a lot of errata I corrected (7)
(errat+ i)* + l (left) = RETRIAL
5 Commotion, having received a bit of a fright (5)
L 5 Commotion, having received a bit of a flight (5)
stir (commoton) around a = STAIR
6 Prisoner in prison (5)
O 6 Prisoner in poison (5)
con(prison) + in = CONIN
7 Added protection for cat having ornate rails, too (8)
O 7 Added protection for cot having ornate rails, too (8)
(rails too)* = ISOLATOR
8 Sad yarn about reduced corporation railway in Sussex (10, two words)
blue(sad) + line (yarn) around belly (corporation) – y = BLUEBELL LINE
9 Prizes the boxing ring? (4)
D 9 Prizes the boxing rind? (4)
hidden priZES The = ZEST
12 Slow swine taking time over difficult situation (10)
T 12 Stow swine taking time over difficult situation (10)
pig (swine) + eon (time) + hole (difficult situation) = PIGEON-HOLE
16 Motor-racing keeping Victoria excited? It won’t set the blood coursing (8, two words)
F1 (Motor racing) around (victoria)* = FACTOR VIII
18 Grubby moors blown about? It’s the wind (8)
(grubbymoors)* = BORBORYGMUS
20 Poet’s to stir about special item distantly related to peace (7)
H 20 Poet’s to stir about special item distantly related to peach (7)
quetch(to stir – poet) around s (special) = QUETSCH
23 Hans possibly shoots (6)
E 23 Hens possibly shoots (6)
DD LAYERS
25 Male avoiding variety of maize containing nitrogen atoms in rind? (5)
G 25 Male avoiding variety of maize containing nitrogen atoms in ring? (5)
(maize – m)* around n (nitrogen) = AZINE
26 Flow mate’s to exploit in small quantity of liquid (5)
R 26 Flow rate’s to exploit in small quantity of liquid (5)
use (exploit) in cc (small quantity of liquid) = CUSEC
27 Males away? A female starts to actually relax (4)
I 27 Miles away? A female starts to actually relax (4)
a + f(female) + ar (starts to actually relax) = AFAR
29 Scottish gown, not clingy, topless (4)
D 29 Scottish down, not clingy, topless (4)
loose (not clingy) – l (topless) = OOSE

3 comments on “Enigmatic Variations No. 1549 Elementary IV: A dramatic instruction by KCIT”

  1. I enjoyed working through this, grappling with the two types of clue and eventually filling the grid.

    The endgame was equally satisfying. The ‘useful information’ was succinct but clear enough (the enumeration helped!), and the ‘instruction’, taken together with the words in the preamble, made complete sense. Anagrams are not my strong suit, and I found this 12-letter one a tad difficult, but I got there when I decided to try SAN as the first word. (By the way, the island is SAN CRISTOBAL, without the H.)

    The design and construction of this puzzle, together with the excellent set of clues, made this one of the best puzzles I have tackled this year.

    The clue to ZEST was a highlight. The corrected letters Z and D were equally valid for solving this clue, either ‘zing’ or ‘rind’ being a definition of ZEST, and fortunately it was easy enough to eliminate FLOOZ in favour of FLOOD (THE GRID). “Prisoner in prison” (CONIN) was another highlight.

    Thanks to Kcit and twencelas.

  2. A dramatic instruction indeed – not often so much of the grid goes in the endgame. Neatly done with some interesting repetitions, so thanks to Kcit and to twencelas.

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