Listener 4112: Girl by Xanthippe

[Zabadak]

Really, really laugh-out-loud funny crossword, worth all the struggle through the barless grid and the decent, twisty set of clues. Goodness knows what form you're supposed to submit it in, but no doubt I'll work something out. Perhaps not the hardest (though it seems to be a late entrant tonight) but easily the most cheerful in ages. Raucous cheers to Xanthippe!

[trux]

contendo (et al) : you should persevere. All of the preamble is relevant, the numbers and the bit about "hints" which should visibly help you find the rather odd orientation required to commence your surgery ... which you will find satisfying (and maybe even amusing, like Z)

[dead-eye]

perseverer-apologies,drew a "copy"of the grid to work on.not very accurately.then presumed that the instruction would rectify the error!will photocopy it next time.

[cluelessJoe]

Still trying to decide what to submit, though as I am the Simon Long of a not quite parallel universe, I can virtually guarantee I will plump for the wrong option!
Meanwhile, leaping on the bandwagon, I'll be off to clear some leaves. 48 Dr B? - I wish - that would work out at approximately one per tree. One tightly packed Travis Perkins cubic metre bag already filled, and a couple more to go no doubt. Plus I think all of bobbycollins' blown-away stuff has just landed.

[dr b]

I would think that a suitably repaired grid (e.g. taped) would suffice for those who submit the puzzle.

CJ, I was referring to the temperature, as I'm pretty sure you realize. With the sudden arrival of cool weather, the poor trees don't quite know what to do - the leaves were green a week ago and now they can't decide whether to just fall off right away or turn yellow first. This means I will likely be raking up until the first snow.

[contendo]

Yes, the hints made a difference. Not sure that the surgery actually adds anything, and I wonder how the Pontiff at no. 63 will respond to any intact grids.

[Zabadak]

Contendo: the surgery is necessary to find the 4 word phrase, though I guess you can work it out without actually harming the paper's integrity. I must admit I was half expecting a kind of paper doll solution.

[daagg]

I think contendo has done "virtual surgery" and is trying to avoid littering his carpet with paper fragments.

[contendo]

Too right, Daagg. Yes, I had done the surgery in my mind and was hoping to avoid messing with the Sellotape.

[aldanna]

Zabadak, I was not serious, merely enviously and indirectly bemoaning my own inadequacies. The "10 minutes" was prosaic licence (that would be license, drb)

[Zabadak]

Cheers aldanna, no fragile skin here - I've tangled with the regulars on the (anti-)religion section of Answerbank and survived!

[thebuzz999]

I'm sure I have everything filled in correctly, but I must say the wordplay to the 8th down clue (...regularly blown from...) eludes me.

[Zabadak]

thebuzz999 - I worked backwards on this one, starting with the answer (which you have) and thinking my way round the Fens bit of the clue. There is a place which, despite having a bit extra. bears a striking resemblance to the answer,

[flocker]

I have a full grid, two sets of "instructions", a girl's name , and heavily marked bars. Prolonged attempts to apply instructions have so far drawn a blank. No 4 word phrase to be found - although elements in the grid could possibly be interpeted as hints. The phrase must be either very obscure or very well hidden.

[Antmark]

Buzz. Take a word meaning "regularly" (3 letters) and remove it from the end of the town and you will get your answer.

[Ruthrobin]

Flocker, email me at [email protected] if you need a nudge. The hints you have found are valid - attempt to do what the instructions said and you will find a phrase we, here, frequently use - not obscure at all. The bars really are significant.

[cross_lover]

I hate being made to feel thick, which is what happens every time when I read these entries. I have a complete grid and the instructions and the pretty obvious girl's name but absolutely no clue as to what to do with the second part of the instructions or how to discover the phrase (which presumably includes the girl's name). Almost time for the paracetamol. Grrrrr.

[AndrewG-S]

cross_lover, the first part of the instruction should be reasonably straightforward to work out. I would also recommend scanning through the grid bearing in mind what you put in your own post. A bit of lateral thinking from there should get you to the solution

[Clamzy]

In previous threads I have confessed to my aversion to wordsearches, and this puzzle had that in spades. It's no surprise therefore that it has taken me several days and a nudge.
Amusing? Yes I can see that if you got it in a flash the phrase would grab you that way, but following days of incomprehension it's a different reaction. That said I congratulate Xanthippe and thank him/her for this challenging Listener.

[Scorpius]

As I guessed the phrase as soon as I lstudied the completed grid I wasn't as bowled over as some by the finale, but it was a neat idea.

[JackDeCrow]

Has anyone else recently had their subscription to Chambers online come to an end only to be informed that they are not currently taking new subscriptions or renewal ones?! Very odd way to run a business. Under any other circumstances, I would never use them again!