Listener No 4278: Generalisation By Samuel

[fortyseven]

This was a very clever idea by Samuel. Despite getting the theme quite quickly and also deducing the quotation, it took me quite a while to solve all the clues and to construct the grid. But there was no coming-to-a-halt time; things just moved along slowly but surely.

[s_pugh]

Wow - that was one hell of a workout. Got the quotation very early on with only a handful of letters, don't know how but without it I would never have cottoned onto the theme. After a few hours (yes that bad!) I was agreeing with EV_Solver that it would have been easier to show the A/D split, but having finally got there I think it was better it didn't as it added to my confusion to the last. A brilliant challenge from Samuel, my only minor beef would be that this puzzle might be very tricky without a certain amount of knowledge of the speaker's language. Now where is my black marker, I trust we won't be marked wrong if we use another colour?

[Arcticpenguin]

The first ever Listener that I attempted a few years back involved a map of Italy with Rome indicated with an R and Venice with a V etc. I couldn't finish that one but I think I've cracked this one. Happy memories. Good fun but tough.

[Arcticpenguin]

Philip62- happy to send you a copy if you let me have your email address.

[Scorpius]

Thought I'd never finish. I guessed the quote and theme once I had a couple of the thematic answers, and about 5 of the early misprints, but headway was still slow, especially in the lower half of the grid, where I had several unsolved clues. I reverse-solved 4 of the thematic clues after seeing likely grid entries and then finding out what they were in the speaker's language; I knew one but the others were totally unfamiliar.
The tricky grid construction made this the hardest Listener in a long while, and it's certainly the hardest Samuel Listener that I've ever encountered. He certainly exploited some less than obvious definitions buried in Chambers.

I must day the final grid looks remarkably good. Well done Samuel.

[olichant]

Really wonderful, and tough, implementation of a great theme. Thanks, Samuel.

[perseverer]

An early contender for puzzle of the year?

[Cagey]

Again left standing, scratching head. Have started grid fill, so idea from there. But as for the quote and the foreign words, no idea. Will put aside for a while I think.

[youngoffender]

After a reasonably gentle start to the year, this is a real horror. I have cold-solved all but seven of the clues, including seven of the thematic words, but with such a large grid, no symmetric guidance and the presence of empty cells, I can't see a way of putting them together without endless trial and error. The preamble suggests that all the thematic stuff will be together, so I guess I need to focus on that...

[starwalker]

Like many, I found the quotation and four of the thematics quite early. Like AHearer, my first attempt at fitting them all together was seriously hampered by a wrong answer. Happily, all is now resolved. Thanks Samuel for a tough workout.

[contendo]

Whew! Got there in the end. Glad it wasn't the speaker's original language.

[flocker]

A cracker - right down to the final pdms. You certainly got your money's worth there. Perseverence furthers! Hats off, Samuel.

[Staurologist]

Formidable! It wasn't until I had solved all the clues (the last across clue last) that I saw what the exact orientation was, and then the whole pattern emerged. Bars and numbers would have spoiled it. Had the preamble not said "blacked out" I would have used a different colour to shade the unused cells.

[PhilP62]

Thanks arcticpenguin. Pearsontrudy @ hotmail.com.

[jim360]

As it happens, I did use a different colour from Black. I hope that's not going to be a problem.

[dr b]

Yes, it's little things like that that make me happy to never submit the puzzle. This one was quite remarkable (even Mrs. dr b, who looks upon this pastime of mine with, at best, bemusement, was impressed by the final grid). Very glad to have started with a blank spreadsheet which made fitting it all together a bit easier than I suspect paper and pencil would be.

[fallster]

This was a nice challenge. Thanks Samuel!

[sunny-dave]

Boy that was hard - fair but very difficult.

Got the quote quite quickly and then it was a long process to get enough answers to have a crack at the grid - I had about 33 (including 2 which turned out to be wrong) before I got a decent start at the gridfill.

The grid evolved as the final few clues were solved - very, very nice final layout.


Probably the hardest for quite a while - but all beautifully put together - and (once it is finished) you can have confidence that you are correct.

Thanks Samuel

[upsetter]

This was a great Listener, tricky all the way through.
In 4275, we managed to miss OWL and find REE.
Whilst our solution is clearly inferior, is it definitely wrong?

[lyrabelacqua]

Emcee: OK, I was trying to be helpful. I suppose I must have misunderstood your reference to "boundaries" being clear, and worried that you had missed a step. Anyway, I have no problem with the representational shading.

[trux]

Was travelling over the weekend so could only manage to look at this in short bursts, until my return today when I could sit down and do it properly. This was definitely a puzzle to savour, with strings of PDMs and great creativity. Loved it. Many many thanks, Samuel.