Listener 3989

[cruciverbali]

This week's puzzle is Key:Cutting by Lavatch

[cluelessJoe]

Usual Friday afternoon thanks C, have a good weekend.
cJ

[mad max]

many thanks for link

[midazolam]

thanks cruciverbalist

first glance there seems a lot going on here from a setter last seen before my time as a listener solver

[Rapparee]

Once again, many thanks for the link, Cruciverbalist.

Lavatch is one of the setters over on the Spectator. He's an 'irregular' though, only contributing maybe 4 or 5 puzzles a year.
I don't recall him setting for the Listener before. His puzzles are usually enjoyable so I'm looking forward to seeing how I get on with this.
Fairly hefty preamble for starters, however!

[midazolam]

3865 Fallout in feb 2006

[Rapparee]

Thanks for researching, Midazolam.
That was quite a while ago but well worth the wait.
As I'd hoped, this latest was a very fine puzzle and most enjoyable.

[midazolam]

yes a nice challenge incorporating letters latent and a dual entry system, but i am not sure there should have been 7 proper nouns not found in chambers

[midazolam]

make that 8

[bobbycollins]

Although I found this pretty difficult, I never came to one of those grinding halts that require a moment of inspiration to surmount.

Thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle, and was sidetracked a couple of times whilst googling to confirm a couple of those proper nouns! One was a first name not confirmed in Chambers - something that I moaned about a few weeks ago.

[cluelessJoe]

Extremely well engineered puzzle, marred only by a couple of iffy clues and the afore-mentioned plethora of proper nouns. Nevertheless on the whole most enjoyable.

[Clamzy]

Talking of iffy clues, does anyone understand the wordplay to 36 across?

[Scorpius]

36 across. If you add the extra letter to your answer you'll have a word synonymous with one of the words in the clue. The one I couldn't make much sense of was 37 across.
I felt there were a couple of dubious definitions that I couldn't find supported in Chambers and some 'unofficial' extraneous words.
It's a very engaging puzzle, though so far I haven't seen what 13-letter name replaces one of the rows (which I have identified). I'm also puzzled that one of the rows would reveal a relevant author with some appropriate changes, but there's nothing in the preamble to suggest that will happen. It strikes me that a lot more needs to change before the theme's last line will appear. I'll give it further close study tomorrow.

[Clamzy]

Sorry for the typo. Of course I meant 37 across.

[midazolam]

i just assumed it was a dual definition to 37 across

[Cruncher]

37ac - marine's lead is an anagram of the answer plus another word in the clue.

Clever puzzle though I found the preamble confusing and unhelpful. But a neat idea - you'll enjoy it when you spot it.

I also thought there were rather too many proper nouns - and thought 23ac a little iffy in terms of historical sensitivities

[midazolam]

oh yes - thank you cruncher, but a strangely worded clue nevertheless

[Scorpius]

If 37 is a composite anagram where is the anagram indication? The question mark? I don't find that terribly satisfactory.

[Cruncher]

I think "rank" serves a dual function. But I agree that there are several clues that are less than syntactically ideal. Clumsiest, in my opinion, was 3,19 down - "in which is unknown..."

[cluelessJoe]

I took the anagram indicator to be the question mark in 37 too - definitely not so good. Agree that 3,19 was probably the clumsiest clue - thought I was never going to rech the end of it. Also a few minor quibbles like the " 's" in 14,21 which is simply not justified in the wordplay.
I guess the editors allowed a good degree of laxity this time round in view of the excellent technical construction.

[Flocko]

14,21: He's = He has...