Listener 4037

[jabone]

As I've been told yet again by the Answerbank that I have not been on line recently (wrong) I will start this thread! This week's offering is S by Hedge-sparrow.

[AHearer]

Thanks, jabone. It's quite a pretty incoporation of a theme we knew had to turn up at some time this year, but even though I know what the clashes must be I'm still struggling to understand one of the four-letter entries.

[midazolam]

Yes AHearer, plenty of thematic material in this one. Enjoyed this one immensely and perhaps should have got the theme much earlier but I had 2 down wrong for awhile.

Title still eludes me. Well done Hedge-sparrow.

I wonder how many compilers have created a crossword on this theme as it has so many avenues for material - I thought about it!

[Monkmonk]

Try adding one letter on either side of your 4 letter answer before its extra letter and I guess you will understand the clue.

[uncletony]

The title is a cryptic definition of a famous work.

[turnerjmw]

An entertaining puzzle, with a fair sprinkling of thematic material, as midazolam says. Some of the wordplay took a bit of teasing out, but correct resolution of the clashes made everything fall into place surprisingly neatly.

Cheers, Hedge-sparrow

[starwalker]

I agree entirely. Lots of thematic content with one or two tricky clues where the wordplay took a little working out.
I particularly liked the title - one of those that brings a wry smile.

[bobbycollins]

Filled the grid and resolved the clashes but now stuck.

My last six extra letters (if I am correct) would have me struggling in a game of Scrabble, and Mrs bobbycollins would accuse me of not trying since I was way behind.

I'll put it down and have a fresh look tomorrow.

I have enjoyed this so far - just a couple of wordplays to sort
at 14a and 12d

Regards to all

[midazolam]

by the sound of it bobbycollins you have the correct letters - just do exactly what it says in the preamble

regarding the others - i am sure you will get "hyper" when you get them.

[perseverer]

Finished after working at it over 48 hours, on and off. I do envy those who can finish in a couple of hours. I think I have resolved all the word play, and things to highlight, and have got the asterisked down clues entered OK, but don't really see how they are thematic.

[jabone]

Just do as midazolam says, follow the instructions and all should become clear, and I hope provide a smile.

[jabone]

Sorry perseverer, didn't read your post carefully enough - I think they illustrate going randomly into the melting pot (and provided what I thought was a very neat finish to the puzzle).

[cluelessJoe]

Sadly I felt a bit let down by this one. The treatment of the asterisked clues made minimal thematic sense to me, and my general view of words so treated is that they often tend to be a 'cop out' serving mainly to make the setter's job just that little bit easier.
I also did not like the many occurrences within wordplay of two letter words/abbreviations one letter of which served just to meet the need for an extra letter. I know that purists (and the editors) really dislike use in clues of single letter abbreviations etc solely there to provide extra letters, but to me this approach is equally sloppy practice.
The conflict resolution was quite nice, but oh what a shame that the endgame involved removing such a key name from the final grid! It was a fairly pretty finish but how much nicer if the name could also have been somehow preserved.
Okay on balance but I think that overall Hedge-Sparrow maybe tried to incorporate too much which created something of a hotch-potch and left me marginally underwhelmed.

[x_word_fan]

I have the phrase for the across clues so I presume that the end of it gives me the 10 correct letters to put in the clashes and the grid is virtually filled BUT I don't seem to have anywhere near 10 clashes. In fact only 3 so far which seem to involve the same 2 vowels. Roll on the next mathematical one!

[x_word_fan]

Bit nearer now - found one wrong answer - am up to 6 so time to re-check the lot I think!

[Scorpius]

I didn't start this puzzle until this afternoon. I didn't find it very hard and finished it in two and a half hours, but I agree with everything that cluessJoe has said, particularly the treatment of the asterisked clues, which made little sense to me either. In an effort to be fair, I tried to detect a rationale for the final form the asterisked clues take. I thought I was on to something when I saw that 2 of the 4 involved 2 steps, but the other 2 need more. It would have made more thematic sense if the final form of the entries were proper words. 2 of them aren't even items that would be subject to thematic change.
The only temporary hold-up was that I couldn't believe that I had to do what in the end I did do with the last 6 extra letters, so I spent some time looking for an alternative location. Seeing what to highlight at the end was something of an anti-climax.

[teuchter2]

I've got the end game, but i too am struggling to get the ten clashes, mainly I think because of my failure, so far, to solve three of the clues, 7D 35A & 43A. Am I just being thick this week?

[x_word_fan]

Yes I am also still struggling with the last 4 clashes-again I am missing 7d plus 16d

[turnerjmw]

x_word_fan, your remaining clashes should be equally split between the two clues you are missing, at the ends. In the shorter one, part of the wordplay was also used in one of the later across clues.

teuchter2two of the three clues have more than one clash, which does make them tough, but Bradford, if you have it, should help with both

[IntoTheBlue]

This was very enjoyable to complete.

I was held up at the very end as I thought the 18 letters I was looking for were the work alluded to in the title of the puzzle but I had to smile when I saw what was staring me in the face !!

The 4 clashes in the 2 short words were my last to get as well but if you've got the work from the across clues you should have an idea what they could be...

IntoTheBlue

[x_word_fan]

Hallelujah!

Finished.

Amazing what a break to change a punctured tyre can do.