h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Execrable/Damned/Man is correct.

Guidebook/Baedeker/Deke is correct (His researcher name is 'historic' - he uses a researcher number now)

Ah, I didn't know Deke was still around.

And thanks for the confirmation of "Man".

gum tree / C * LE = CHICLE --> HIC

Anybody any clue is HIC part of a researcher name?

ICy nortH?

six = PERFECTNUMBER = PERF + ECTNUMBER --> RECUMBENT

So that's Recumbentman dealt with.

I don't feature in this quiz.

Other regulars here are SashaQ, Baron Grim and TC. I can't fit any of those into the clues or partial answers.

Since there are five remaining clues and only three missing complete, at least one more researcher's name must be made by combining two clues. Baron Grim seems like a likely candidate.

exile / E * E = émigré --> Grim

So that's Baron Grim accounted for. Icy said that some of the names may be abbreviated.

That leaves three clues and incomplete answers:

mend
pulse
gum tree

I * RK
I * US
C * LE

Ideas:

gum tree = CHICLE --> HIC

We're looking for two researchers in those three clues. Two of the clues might combine to make one researcher, or one of the clues might give us the missing "Baron" of "Baron Grim".

Although Chichle is a tree from which we get gum (chewing gum), it may not be the answer, as HIC doesn't seem to lead anywhere.

If we put the missing "Baron" into I * RK, we get Ironbark. I've never heard of it, but it sounds like a sort of tree.

That would leave I * US and C * LE.

I've no idea, so I'll guess, but putting TC into the first and Sasha into the second (I have to leave out the Q because there is no corresponuing U).

This gives us:

ICTUS
CHASSALE

No idea what either of those mean or if they are real words.

So there, three guesses to complete the quiz.

or CASH SALE, still leading to SASHA, but with no connection to the clues.

Emigre, Ictus (medical term for a pulse beat) and Ironbark (gum tree) are correct.

Sasha doesn't feature, but I've since spotted a word I could have hidden him in. Maybe next time...

Cool.

That just leaves:

mend / C * LE

mend / C * LE = COBBLE --> bob (Stafford)

That is an admirable example of persistence. (And cleverness!)

Whew! That took a while.

Thanks Icy for your wonderful puzzles.

Gnomon! That was tough. I had fun just watching from the sidelines. (I wasn't expecting to be featured... twice, no less).

Well done Gnomon - particularly for your tenacity.

(PS - Sasha is a she.)