Listener 4207 - Loco by Ferret

[TheBear69]

I found this to be a nice challenge with a very satisfying final step. I found the clues to be tough but fair (except I felt 19:33d was subpar). Well done, Ferret.

[Ruthrobin]

Naughty, naughty Trux!

[TheBear69]

There was a discussion about capitalisation on Derek Harrison BBoard a while back. I think there was concensus that capitalisation should be preserved; e.g. if a proper noun changer to a common one, it should be the first in a sentence. In any case, I do not think it is accepted practice to change the case of another letter other than the misprint.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, some editors insist that a capital letter cannot be used unless it appears at the start of the sentence or as a capital letter in the clue, but there have been a few examples of caps appearing otherwise, including one in a recent crossword by one of the Listener editors, so obviously there is a clear signal that the Listener is not imposing that rule. Seems fair enough to me - they set the rules.

[AndrewG-S]

Finished this off finally last night, clever and tricky. I was particularly impressed with the double use of the misprints, which must be a real challenge to set. Thanks Ferret.

[fortyseven]

Having tackled this in short bursts over a couple of days I wondered if I had crossed the finishing line but was a bit unhappy with what I had produced - then I realised what had to be done at the end! A satisfying conclusion but the final grid does look a bit messy.

[olichant]

For what it is worth, I thought this was marvellous. Wonderful subtlety in construction, and some devious clues (agreed re 19:33 - but more than made up for by "Defile..." and 06:02, amongst many others). And, as a Lincolnshire lad, Ferret made me very happy with 08:25.

I still feel that I am very new to this game and my views are fairly worthless - but, Ferret, thank you for giving me a wonderful eight hours of my life!

[logophile]

I'm sure your views are just as worthy as those of 'older' solvers olichant - please keep them coming !

[BlackHugh]

Carte blanche, misprints, clashes and a complicated preamble and when you have got though all that, inscrutable instructions - don't you just love the Listener! Having said that, I have just finished - a very satisfying puzzle.

[crosswhit99]

Thanks Ferret, this is undoubtedly the Best of the Year, marking the centenary of the puzzle's title - BRilliant !!

[Mysterons]

I was thinking along the same lines BlackHugh, though it's not quite a carte blanche, and a preamble containing 'initially' always signals danger !

[BlackHugh]

Sorry - You are right Mysterons - that wasn't a proper carte blanche. Did overseas solvers get a good grip on the denouement I wonder. (dr. b -comment invited)

[crosswhit99]

Sorry from me also, of course I meant 'centenary of the puzzle's number'.

(I presume the title also contains a misprint ?)

[fallster]

As an overseas solver, the meaning of the denouement was clear, once the instructions were. The hard part was figuring out a couple of final misprints to reveal a crucial word of the first instructions.

[dr b]

In contrast, I had no idea what the final result meant. I assumed it was thematic and moved on.

[Postigod]

Really enjoyed this one - took me ages to understand the wordplay for "Defile..." which, combined with a wrong assumption on the correction for 18:39, left me struggling to interpret the instruction. But suddenly the penny dropped and the full genius of Ferret's construction became apparent. Also finished 4200 this morning, having had to miss it out at the time, so a good day!

[BlackHugh]

If it is any consolation Postigod I made the same error with the misprint and also on the following clue "Valuable..."

[tenflags]

Late to start for me as well .. I made incorrect decisions elsewhere on the journey but happy to finally have an unambiguous resolution ... some devious clever stuff here I thought .. cheers Ferret

[borealis]

Not quite the "next Friday" club - needed to work back from the end, via the message and several ambiguous misprints, to understand some of the wordplay! Wonderful puzzle - straight into this year's top 1/2 dozen. Now what can I leave out to make room for it? Liked the way you were sure you were right when you got it. The first two letters seemed significant.

[Cruncher]

Great puzzle and didn't see the final PDM coming until it was in front of my eyes. Ruthrobin - surely time for another Magpie plug with all those wonderful Ferret puzzles on offer...

[cross_lover]

Once again, beaten at the final fence - I just can't penetrate the meaning of the last instruction, however long I work at it. Another one to wait three weeks for the PDM. Ah me!