Listener 4678 Bleak Expectations By Mira

[upsetter]

Great fun - bags of thematic material and an amusing endgame.

Thanks, Mira.

[Hagen]

Indeed, and balm to what's left of my brain after last week's monster. It took me a while to work out what was needed for the highlighting, and the revelation was very satisfying. There was some clever surface direction away from the theme in the clues, and while most of them weren't difficult, there were a few sneaky ones that weren't at all obvious - the very last down clue being an example. A debut, I think, and if so a promising one.

[emcee]

I only completed last week's puzzle yesterday. The underlying nuances of its construction were amazing!

However, I am glad to return to sanity this week with a normal Listener. I, too, thought the clues were good with a couple of brutes reminiscent of last week in there too!

Nice endgame as well. Thanks, Mira.

[olichant]

Delightful! I wish I had thought of this theme. That made me very happy. Nice idea nicely implemented. And it didn’t take four days to solve…

[Philoctetes]

Well that cleansed the palate after the rich feast of last week. Good fun - loved the false trails

[Cruncher]

Well as someone who only limped over the line with 4677 on Sunday this was a welcome relief - although not at all straightforward with some cannily hidden misprints

[NickorWan]

Yes, a fun and timely puzzle, with a nice mix of gentle and tough clues. Thanks, Mira.

[Scorpius]

My comment comes very late in the day, but I felt I should add to a rather small collection of comments that might be a bit dispiriting to a new setter (if Mira is new).

The clues were extremely good, with some lovely wordplay that often led to an unexpected answer. The contrast between the sub-theme and the main theme was delightful, as was the witty title.

[HawkCrossword]

I'll add another late comment, but it's not adding a lot others haven't said. This was very witty throughout, and had an endgame which made me laugh out loud. It was also an ideal puzzle for me when off on a walking holiday sans Chambers and Internet - it required neither. Many thanks, Mira!

[sunny-dave]

Excellent - very clever indeed - tricky clues and a nice dénouement.

Thanks Mira - a nice puzzle to greet my return from a short holiday.