Published in the Sunday Telegraph as Enigmatic Variations no 1478, Excusez-moi.
In EXCUSEZ-MOI the correct letters of misprints in definitions, in clue order, provide a French version (ignoring one accent) of a common English idiom and some additional assistance, which together will explain how some undefined, but otherwise plain clue solutions should be entered. Enumerations refer to grid entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
The corrections to misprints spell “à chacun vient sa chance” which (per COLLINS ROBERT) is one possible French equivalent of the English idiom, “every dog has its day”, along with “days in French”. The undefined entries provided seven dogs, which surround the seven different days in French.
One solver's comment:
A mid-range puzzle rendering a nice pdm when the thematic entry requirements emerged about mid solve later confirmed by all the corrected misprints. This gimmick can lend itself to assisting finding "missing" corrections when enough to realise what's required have been uncovered but with the equivalent idiom being in French; only to those much more fluent than myself - a nice change, enhanced with the weekdays also being in French. My thanks to Eclogue.
Neil
