diff --git a/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.cpp b/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.cpp
index ab9dcc50a..3f5540725 100644
--- a/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.cpp
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ namespace interact {
                         {
                           return patt == Symbol::ANY
                               or patt == Symbol::EMPTY
+                              or patt == UIC_ELIDED // "existentially quantified"
                               or (isAnchored() and curr == res_.anchor and depth == UIC_WINDOW);
                         };    // transitive argument: assuming res_.anchor was computed for
                              //  the same coordinate pattern used here for patch resolution
@@ -153,7 +154,8 @@ namespace interact {
                                                coverage.setAt (depth,curr); // record match rsp. interpolate wildcard into output
                                                iter.expandChildren();       // next iteration will match one level down into the tree
                                              }
-                                           return patt == curr;             // only direct match counts as (partial) solution
+                                           return patt == curr              // direct match counts as (partial) solution
+                                               or patt == UIC_ELIDED;       // existentially quantified elements also accepted
                                         })
                             .filter ([&](auto& iter)
                                         {
diff --git a/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.hpp b/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.hpp
index 3faa4632a..ab32baac1 100644
--- a/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.hpp
+++ b/src/gui/interact/ui-coord-resolver.hpp
@@ -550,7 +550,9 @@ namespace interact {
       /** establish a trivial anchorage and coverage, if possible.
        * @note when the UICoord contains wildcards or is incomplete,
        *       a full resolution with backtracking is necessary to
-       *       determine anchorage and coverage
+       *       determine anchorage and coverage. The same is true
+       *       when the pattern uses an elided element, since such
+       *       an existentially quantified item must be interpolated.
        */
       void
       attempt_trivialResolution()
@@ -558,6 +560,7 @@ namespace interact {
           res_.anchor = query_.determineAnchor  (this->uic_);
           if (not uic_.isExplicit()) return;
           res_.depth  = query_.determineCoverage(this->uic_);
+          if (util::contains (this->uic_, UIC_ELIDED)) return;  // existentially quantified
           res_.isResolved = true;
         }