The preamble reads
To illustrate the elimination contest, solvers
should erase the four names of the losers to be found in the completed grid and
highlight the winner, leaving real words or abbreviations when ignoring the
resultant spaces, with one exception.
That exception can be resolved by replacing one letter, which will then
provide the initials of the creator of the contest. In 24 clues a letter should be removed prior
to solving – these letters in clue order confirm the eliminations. The remaining 22 clues give an extra letter
in the wordplay which, in clue order, provide the ‘organisers’ of the contest.
Solution Grid
Final Grid
This puzzle celebrates the popular children’s
novel, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, during which four children (Augustus
GLOOP, Violet BEAUREGARDE, Veruca SALT and Mike TEAVEE) succumb to various
mishaps during a visit to WILLY WONKA’s factory. The ‘winner’ (of the chocolate factory as it
transpires) is Charlie BUCKET.
The eliminated letters from clues read in order: AUGUSTUS, VIOLET,
VERUCA and MIKE. (24)
The additions to wordplay provide OOMPA LOOMPAS and WILLY WONKA (22)
After eliminating the four ‘losers’, all entries
are real words or abbreviations, with the exception of ARBOB. By changing the last B to R, for ARBOR, the
initials of Roald Dahl appear.
