Listener 4139: An Unsettled Spell by Nutmeg

[AHearer]

I spent a long time staring at a grid with the source filled in and a knowledge of the letters that had slipped before I started cracking the clues. Having basically solved it in the reverse order I feel slightly dissatisfied, but that's my fault rather than Nutmeg's.

[bobbycollins]

Clamzy, I most certainly was NOT getting at you. You are a pillar of this community - as opposed to my being the pillock.

[Zabadak]

Contendo: -Since all the others are there in one form or another, I spent quite a lot of time looking for the favourite you mention. He's very nearly there on a diagonal at the bottom, which may just be appropriate, but also may just be a coincidence.

[JackDeCrow]

One of the hardest for a while for me (having not got the source or the quotation until a long way in). Returned from a weekend away without any reference books with only 3 clues solved! And even after realising what was going on, the solving didn't really speed up, resulting in a bit of a long slog. Impressive (and now in retrospect very amusing) though, not wishing to sound too much like Contendo's missing character!

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, Contendo, sadly missing!

[Clamzy]

No, no Bobby I was not aiming at you. The 'tiresome' remark was meant to be directed towards the hear,hear business.
I thought I was supporting cJ but I seem to be making it worse so, no more from me on this topic.

[AndrewG-S]

Hear here

[Scree]

I enjoyed this and seem to have finished it thanks to a couple of days leave extending my bank holiday. Luckily I'd done enough early clues to find the quotation just when I was grinding to a halt.

Finally, with everything else done and dusted, got stuck on 29A and D - but then checked and realised I'd misplaced the extra letter in another answer, and all was sweetness and light. (29D was still something I'd never heard of, but it was there in Chambers).

Much as I hate to support a Leeds fan, I also deplore the attack on CJ.

[Clamzy]

Returning to crosswords, if like me you despair of ever winning a Listener prize, you may like to have a go at; http://www.crossword.org.uk/longbow.html. The odds are much better as there are many fewer entries.
Most of you have finished An Unsettled Spell and may like to spend the rest of the week solving this entertaining puzzle.

[tristram37]

I get a Not Found error on Clamzy's link. Are you sure the URL is correct?

[Scree]

Does anyone else have a slight problem with the clue for 39A?

The wordplay before slippage seems to give the method without a final definition, after slippage a definition without complete instructions on how to get there.

[serpentinew]

Scree - I have the "final word" as the definition

[Scree]

Same here, but only after slippage.

My point is that - unless I'm missing something - the wordplay as shown (rather than after adaptation) tells you what to do to another word to get to the result - but in this form. there's no definition. Afterwards there's a definition, but a less satisfactory description of what to do to the initial word.

[Apemantus]

Greetings from the slow lane. As with others, the quote came very quickly, but the clueing remained impressive and I still have 2 left to solve and 2 entries to confirm. I must say I agree with Scree about 39a: the clue does not seem to function like the others.

[bobbycollins]

39across I have the first word as the definition, with a synonym of the second word (after treatment) becoming the grid entry. Hope that's not too specific, ladies & gents.

[bobbycollins]

Albert Johanneson? - although I really shouldn't dignify the foregoing with a response.

[Clamzy]

It seems the link I gave above isn't working, which is very strange as I tried it yesterday and it was OK. It is a cut and paste job so no errors. Any ideas why?
The puzzle can probably be accessed through the crossword centre site if you miss off the part after the "uk".

[contendo]

My goodness this is a long slog. I keep abandoning it and the next time I pick it up get a couple of answers straight away. I think 40ac is an invalid form of the word. Some of the definitions are very ingenious. I don't understand the wordplay for 29ac.

[Philoctetes]

Contendo, I agree about the slog as I am in the same boat. 29a reads fairly to me once a letter has slipped - just take it one word at a time! And I agree about 40a, though as the BRB neither confirms nor denies those of a less "old fashioned" leaning might argue the toss.

[cluelessJoe]

Thank you bobbycollins. Yes Albert Johanneson was hero-worshipped at Leeds and his autograph was the prize possession of most fans, myself included. Enough said.