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18d - King entering beats energetic people (5)

I can work out the extra letter by looking at those immediately above and below it but, assuming I've parsed it correctly (quite an assumption, I know!), it's the 3rd pers. present ind. of GO to which Chambers gives "to stake, BET" and "to EAT or drink" both of which can be derived from "beat(s)" - is this right?

Brendan, I’m puzzled, as you seem to have answered your own question. Both are possible parsings, but only one of the extra letters fits the quote., Go has more than 50 possible meanings, so it’s not altogether surprising

Thanks Quisling, I only queried it because it's rare to see more than one option per clue for the extra letter.

For example, 8a - Hounds dropping Barton’s birds (6)

There is only one letter you can eliminate to arrive at the answer and it's the same for every other clue with the exception of 18d where, to get "goes", you can have (b)eats or be(a)ts.

I can't see "GO" being pluralized in the "eats" sense:

To eat or drink (a specific thing), usu in the phrase I could go a… (informal)

Would you ever say "I could goes two hamburgers"?

(but for that matter does anyone really say "I could go a hamburger"?)

No, but then Chambers has a million things that I and countless others would never say, but it gives GO as "eat" and "bet" so it's a logical extension that 'goes' would be eats and bets.

I was definitely more in brendan's camp than malone's, but it slowly succumbed - although I was stuck on SE corner until I got the perimeter (with some help from google for that). Amused by the quotation which was new to me.

pls can someone help explain parsing for 18a, 1d and 14d.

Brendan, I do agree it’s quite unusual, but not unprecedented. I’ve seen Listeners where several different letters could be omitted, and one had to sort out the correct one by using additional information from the preamble. I think it’s asking quite a lot to expect a compiler to make sure that only one meaning of BETS, EATS or BATS can correspond with any of the myriad meanings of GOES, but maybe I have lower standards than you! At least the puzzle is unambiguous

AndyP, 18 A has a common abbreviation (for American) inside a three-letter 'boring' (that word is adjusted...) and then add the usual 'electronic;.

Buddy, I could go a burger, go a curry, go a fish supper ... is very common up here (in Scotland).