Listener 4318: Wordplay By Schadenfreude

[jockie]

Surely not two weeks in a row! Not the hardest Schadenfreude there's ever been, but a nice puzzle and a splendid PDM. Thanks, big S.

[AHearer]

Agreed, Jockie, not the sort of mind-twisting Scadenfreude that has popped in in CAM magazine recently, but a good puzzle which all comes together nicely at the end. Thanks, Schadenfreude -- when I saw your name I thought that was my whole weekend gone!

[jim360]

I, on the other hand, can barely get started.

[Ruthrobin]

How lovely to be led through the endgame so nicely. Thank you, Schadenfreude for a great evening's entertainment (not as fearsome as the name Schadenfreude sometimes can be!)

[starwalker]

Having started this month's Magpie (plug) I realised that I had Schadenfreude coming at me stereophonically, as it were. All in all, a satisfying solve and I am also grateful that the weekend has not vanished. Many thanks.

[doctormatt]

Nice workout: clever construction and endgame.

[Pasquin]

Took me a little while to realise that things weren't quite as simple as they seemed at first, but it all worked out unambiguously with a very late PDM. Thanks, Schadenfreude.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, Magpie plug - having had time left over, we attacked the Magpie Schadenfreude and just had another amusing p.d.m. - even if it took a little longer and is a mite more challenging! There is a lovely Samuel in there too - plug, plug, plug.

[jim360]

Not to mention a Chalicea that, while not difficult, is still just as lovely.

[crosswhit99]

Excellent puzzles don't have to be too difficult, but if you've not looked at it already Schadenfreude's "Weapon Material" (1356) in the Independent a couple of weeks ago was a real beauty and provides a slightly stiffer challenge.

[aldanna]

As I (a "sedate solver" as someone once put it) finished before seven last night, it can't possibly be considered hard. However, it was entertaining and very cleverly put together. I enjoyed this one.

[upsetter]

Another very good one.
Regulars will have identified the entry of across answers early on, but there was still massive scope for mistakes with the extra letters.

[s_pugh]

Another gem. Worked steadily through the clues and identified the instruction only to grind to a halt at the final hurdle. Took almost as long again to rumble the definition! Great fun, thanks Schadenfreude.

[Contrarian]

Relieved that this was so gentle. I don't really have time this weekend for anything more challenging.

Thanks Schadenfreude.

[emcee]

Back to being megabusy so only just had time to post. I thought it was a mild 'freuder too but still enjoyable to solve.

Thanks to the setter.

[IainGrace]

Less suffering than expected. Gives us more time to devote to the Inquisitor.

[UglyUncle]

An elegant pair of PDMs in the endgame, but I'm left wondering whether Schadenfreude had originally intended to add another layer of subtlety: each of the five items clued without definition is, after all, a distinct instance of its type. I can see that it would have been difficult to work that into the puzzle, but it may be lost on solvers unless (like me) they follow up each example to learn more about it.

[borealis]

Good fun.
Kept me working with all sorts of wrong ideas near the finish.
As with most Listeners, once you have it, you are sure.

I think AHearer refers to "Emerging Writer" from CAM-72? One of my favourites over the last few months.

Thanks for both, Schadenfreude!

[BlackHugh]

That was a good one.
Todays Sunday Times Cryptic has an apposite answer at 25 across.

[Cagey]

I am not sure I found that as easy as everyone else, even though I spotted the mode of entry early. Maybe it was a bit of crossword fatigue, after battling through last few of last months Magpies and first few of this months all in the course of a few days. As stated above, I also thought the PDM of the Chalicea was lovely.
Thank you everyone who's crossword I have done in the last week. (And particularly a stunning Magpie numerical last month.)

[sunny-dave]

All done neatly enough - the clueing was easier than I expected when I saw the compiler's name, but the omitted letters were nicely confusing for a while.

Thanks Schadenfreude.