Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I have the "The first line of the more familiar first verse" but am a tad puzzled by the inclusion and placement of "with" in ....

26d - Moulding personality with rising energy (4)

I know it's not one of the extra words but, from a strictly parsing point of view, shouldn't it be and, given that it isn't, would it not be better placed between 'rising' and 'energy' and not before it - basically, isn't the "moulding" got from "personality rising with energy"?

I know it's quite possible I've reached the stage where I've stared at it for so long I'm starting to go round in circles so maybe I'm missing something obvious!

It struck me as unusual, but it's needed for the surface to work, and Chambers defines"with" as "affected by" among other things, so "personality, with rising," gives the reversal.

If it were an across clue, "X with reversing" would not seem odd at all I think.

Thanks Buddy, and I do see what you mean - but doesn't moving "with" to "Moulding personality rising 'with' energy" produce an equally literate and pleasing surface?

I don't like that surface as much, and I guess the setter did not either.

Thanks to Kcit for an enjoyable EV (and for introducing me to a rabbit hole within a rabbit hole).

I was lucky with this. The preamble rang a very dim and distant bell which became a lot louder once I realised what was going on in a couple of the unclued rows.

Hello folks

I think I am asking rather a lot this week......

I have found the poem , the author and the second verse's participants but I am bewildered by the other unclued entries which are "alternative visualisations" of the unstated end to the second verse.
I am pretty sure I know what the unstated end is too.

So...can I have some sort of steer or nudge or hint as to what to do with the unclued entries ?

For the 2nd line across I have

LYN?O?BO?KX

Have I gone dreadfully wrong somewhere ?


Thanks to you all......

fred

you have the moggie, look up the birdie

Fred, you really just need the participants . For your 2nd line, you have one of them (the whole of it!) and the other one is to ... fit inside, to illustrate that A has ?????? B. I hope that's not too generous a hint!

Thank you , guys.

All sorted out now.

Cannot think why I couldn't see it.....dopey or what ?
(Don't answer that.)

fred