Listener 4233: Elementary By Wan

[emcee]

Good grief, I can't believe I'm starting this thread off!

I thought this was an excellent puzzle by Wan. Very clever how the clues read on the surface and still produce real words after the adjustments.

The hardest part was to ensure there weren't any discrepancies in the use of the elements -- there are a couple of traps I found where I thought "I can't use that, I've already used it". It does all work out in the end.

Many thanks, Wan. A tough but entertaining puzzle.

[Neveracrossword]

The whole week's worth of episodes is on BBC 2 tomorrow morning, starting about 7.30.

[Neveracrossword]

Sorry, posted an answer in the wrong place!

[dr b]

Agree with all of the above (except the BBC2 bit which I cannot vouch for). I had a full grid and had to use it to go back and reconcile some of the moving of the elements. It was also nifty the way the name was worked into the finished grid.

[aldanna]

I would have started a thread earlier but had no idea how to do it. I suppose the fact that my first degree was in Chemistry helped me to finish this easily, as at least I know a chemical symbol when I see one. Even so, unlike emcee, I haven't got the symbol swapping fully sussed yet (still working on it) but am pretty sure the grid is all correct.

[AndrewG-S]

Grid complete and very clever to use the symbol swapping device. Have not spotted the relevant two rows yet.

[perseverer]

Grid filled, rows identified, but still have to work out a couple of the symbol swaps.
If you are not familiar with it, it's worth having a listen to Tom Lehrer's Elements song.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, like Aldanna, I have the two rows that conceal the name and a full grid but haven't entirely accounted for all the shifting of symbols. I have found this very challenging despite having a voice on my left identifying all the elements. What a clever idea, Wan!

[TheBear69]

Thanks, Wan, for a superb puzzle. Getting consistent chains of elements was a great challenge.

[TheBear69]

Shouldn't 18a be marked as two words?

[NickorWan]

Yes it should, I am so sorry about that. Compiler sees it as one word but that is no excuse I should have noticed. I hope that it didn't spoil the puzzle for you.

Wan

[Scorpius]

Not as tough as I thought it was going to be once I had a few answers to start with.
I hope I've got the right two rows. They certainly conceal a relevant name (the only one I could think of as being relevant), but in a rather haphazard way as far as I can see.

[Mesnilpat]

I am struggling with some of the chemical symbols - it's a long time since my university days. I have nearly full grid relying a fair bit on intuition. I can't see the relevant two rows yet - are there lots of traps that I could have fallen into with my somewhat haphazard approach?

[jim360]

At least I have a good idea of what the final highlighting will be before I get to starting this. Had a brief glance yesterday, hope it turns out to be not as bad it it looks!

[jabone]

That was fun, thanks Wan. I am grateful that there is no ambiguity wrt the highlighting this week.

[IainGrace]

Agreed - good fun and different. As noted before, always easier when grid entries are real words, as one soon gathers solving momentum.

Kicking ourselves over 4230, having sweated blood over it and just failed to understand implementation of the final instruction, as revealed in today's paper.

[Scorpius]

If one's confident of the answers to clues (and their wordplay) it's probably not necessary to double-check the elementary exchanges, but there are several ambiguities, making a final check really quite tricky. I spent the best part of an hour sorting out a handful of anomalies ( eg 36 and 20).

[tilbee]

Agreed Scorpius, all completed in time for the rugby and any final checking of the elemental exchanges can wait (maybe for ever). Good fun puzzle so thanks to Wan.

[jim360]

Hmm. The final highlighting is eluding me and wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be, anyway.

[Mesnilpat]

I now have a full grid with most of the elements found (I think) but the highlighting eludes me. Enjoyable though and I shall keep looking off and on in the hope of a pdm. Thanks Wan.