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Hi, Rusty!
I do hope you didn't burn your toast?
Thank you for your explanations.....
So "faced" means "coated with"?
I would never have gotten that!
Well done!
The phrase "Veni, vidi, vici" - "I came, I saw, I conquered" attributed to Julius Caesar - did cross my mind..... but I had never come across a "V" as an abbreviation for any of those words.
It did not occur to me, as it did to you, to check under V" in Chambers!
I am feeling a bit of an inefficient idiot!
PS. What did you have with/ on your toast?

Hello, Elle!
I put Lurpak salted butter on my toast.
If you look in Chambers you will see that a meaning of "face" is "the front or surface of anything.
So coat just about means that.
As in a coat of paint, possibly.
"See" is under "V" in Anne Bradford's Dictionary, too.
There is another abbreviation in 20d, "PPE" for "course".
I came across this before.
It is a University Course of "Philosophy, Politics and Economics".
Non-uni folk like me would struggle with it.
Make good use of your Dictionaries, they will help you.

Hi, Rusty!
I was expecting you to say, baked beans, or scrambled eggs, or sardines........ Lurpak seems a bit of a letdown!
I take it you are using the new toaster that the girls bought for you?
How are you liking it?
Yes, I slipped up with the "V"!
Mea culpa!
I did know PPE though!
The moral of this story is: I shall remember to refer to the dictionaries more!
And will try not to such a dimwit!

Hello, Elle!
Butter is fine on toast, you should try it one day!
I like Lurpak salted butter.
Yes, my new toaster is excellent.
It was a great gift from the girls. Miss La Bamba's idea!
(Much better than socks!)
You are anything but a dimwit!
You are fairly new to puzzles is all.
Hope it is a good one tomorrow!

Hello, Elle!
This is today's puzzle being solved.
This lad may offer you some tips or nuggets as he goes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMAwdEASjPs

Hi, Rusty!
I am half way through listening to the YouTube clip you sent me!
It is quite funny in that he sounds very like me, reasoning out my thought processes!
(although mine, of course , were silent!)
I am surprised how closely I followed his thoughts...apart from the ones I couldn't do.
But in a different order!
I guess we all see things at different times!
Right...I just thought I would "report in"........
I shall now go back and finish listening to the video!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, that's your homework for this evening.
He is good explaining things as he goes, I thought.
That extra "female" in 3d threw him, too.
I don't feel quite as bad now for taking ages to nail the parse!
And pay close attention to what the lad says near the end.
Something like "all you need is practice" and that is what I have been trying to get across to you!

Hi, Rusty!
Actually, I found that video very encouraging.
Thank you!
My thought processes seem to be working all right........at least, I am obviously employing them along the right lines...if very much slower, and with obvious faults along the way!
I was thrown by the guy's just dismissing "see" with "well, that's "V" " though!
(But on the other hand "catabolic" (his penultimate answer) was one of my very early solves, so I had a bit of face-saving there!)
Seriously, the clip was really helpful, and at least shows me that I am tackling the solving logically and with the right approach.
As you say, I just need to persevere, use the dictionaries - and gain experience!
Uhmmmm..................

Hello, Elle!
Yes, and now YOU know "see" can be "v", too!
I think it was a good clip.
The lad explained things very well, in fairly plain language.
He seemed to have a good general knowledge.
I have been at the puzzles for almost 30 years and still learn things every day.
He is doing another one tomorrow, he said, so there may be more for us to pick up then.
We shall see!

Hi, Rusty!
I have just received a text from my daughter!
They are all safely home again, after their journey back from Somerset.
They enjoyed their visit to the Wookey Hole Caves.......
I am to hear all about it tomorrow!