Listener 4386

[crosswhit99]

Quite an appropriate puzzle given the weather we have been having this week ! Relieved that it didn't take too long to crack as we have the pleasure of another Schadenfreude puzzle to occupy us tomorrow. Many thanks Elap !

[AHearer]

I'm not a great fan of the numericals, but there was a pretty easy entry point to this one, and armed with a list of the possible hailstone pairs it was all pleasingly logical from then on -- for which many thanks to Elap. Oh, and thanks to a higher power that we didn't have that sort of weather here!

Where's the Schadenfreude, crosswhit99? Surely it's not time for another CAM magazine?

[djawhufc]

Hi AHearer

He has set tomorrow's Inquisitor.

[crosswhit99]

... and CAM 77 will indeed be available shortly :-)

[fyellin]

Grid fill was straight forward.

I'm still staring at the puzzle trying to figure out what to do for Part 2.

[lyrabelacqua]

Oh that's nice. Spectacular setting. Stage 2 took me longer than it should have, but respect to Elap and many thanks.

[Postigod]

I'm at the same point as fyellin - grid completed last night, thought maybe I had a flash of inspiration on the thematic direction for the decoding, but can't find any sort of intelligible message, which is frustrating!

[upsetter]

It seems to us that (at the end of stage 1) one of the letters has two possible values and thus that one cell could justifiably be filled by one of two letters.
Hoping that stage 2 will resolve this.

[jockie]

Upsetter - I thought the same, but one of the possibilities for the resultant entry is one of the letter-numbers, which is prohibited. No idea what part means though.

[jockie]

That should be "part 2".

[upsetter]

Thanks Jockie (doh).

[crosswhit99]

If you are referring to possible values for U and the entry at 7d upsetter then check your value for H ;-)

[upsetter]

Thanks crosswhit99.

[captaincoma]

I can't seem to get started with this. If N=2 then P=7 but there is no possible value for p. What's the problem?

[fyellin]

captaincoma: on this bulletin board, we don't give specific answers or request answers in any form.

Have you tried both p's successor and predecessor(s)?

[perseverer]

Captaincoma -Not sure if I understand when you say there is no possible value, and as fyellin says we tend not to give direct answers within this thread, but if Z is 7, then z could be 14 (divided by 2 to get the 7) or 22 (3x7 plus 1) so there would be 2 possible values.

[AHearer]

Thanks for the information about the Inquisitor, djawufc. To my shame (as a cousin of mine was one of its foreign correspondents) I've never bought the Indy. In a spirit of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone" perhaps I'll stroll round to the newsagent next Saturday. Alas, I was not quick enough off the mark to go and pick up today's.

You probably all know this, but a petition has been started to try to preserve the Indy crosswords: see https://www.change.org/p/the-independent-newspaper-and-its-owner-alexander-lebedev-the-independent-crossword .

[BMACMAC]

Another gem from Elap - many thanks. Have just finished the initial grid fill and worked out what part 2 involves. After a break for sustenance I'll get back to it and hope to finish before bed-time!

[Ruthrobin]

I hate the numericals too, but enjoyed the endgame. I wonder how long it took Elap to set that and make it work! Yes, please join us and sign the Indy petition - even if the crosswords become an on-line thing, that would be better than, for example, losing the Inquisitor - with the Magpie, Crossword magazine and EV, it provides one of the few advanced barred cryptic crosswords in addition to the Listener.

[captaincoma]

What I mean is that p can't be 14 as that is the answer to 4d and it can't be 22 as p cubed is then more than 4 digits.
What is the point of this forum if you can't get help?
Maybe someone would be kind enough to email me. Many thanks.
[email protected]

[perseverer]

The P cubed clue involves capital P