Listener 4654 Unicycle By Remus

[sunny-dave]

Simple, even compared to a few we've had recently - but an excellent entry-level challenge for anyone who fancies a shot at The Listener.

The theme has been visited many times, but is nicely implemented here.

Thanks Remus

[NickorWan]

Yes, an excellent Listener on the easy side, but I didn’t find it simple as I got a bit stuck in the NW quadrant. Some very nice surface readings, and I do like to see changes to a grid leaving real words. Thanks, Remus.

[Philoctetes]

Garn - possibly the earliest I have ever finished - and beaten to this post by 1 minute. Agree with Sunny-Dave. Entry level, but none the worse for that

[Philoctetes]

And there is a slight issue, in only 16 cells being blanked. 19 would be more correct

[Hagen]

Nice to have a gentle one after some stinkers, though I still got held up on the final stage for a time. The theme is well implemented, as S-D says. I've failed to find the extra three cells that Philoctetes feels should be blanked, so perhaps I'm not as conversant with the theme as I thought I was!

Thanks, Remus.

[emcee]

The theme isn't my cup of Rosy Lee but it was pretty clear what had to be done at the end.

Some of the clues read strangely because of the constraint put on the choice of words. I'm not altogether sure about the accuracy of 'big deal' in the definition part of 18.

Not one of my favourites but a good beginner's puzzle.

[upsetter]

A very good crossword despite our loathing of the theme.

It had a good range of clue difficulty and plenty of thematic material.

Thanks, Remus.

[Scorpius]

It's interesting to see some noticeable antipathy to the theme. I'm not a fan either ( I walked out of the cinema half way through). However, the appeal of the puzzle is in the excellent set of clues. There are quite a few deceptive surfaces and indirect definitions, and some surprises when the answers are arrived at. Certainly easier than average, but there have been some far easier puzzles this year. I found the top half harder to fill than the bottom.

[HawkCrossword]

A fine entry-level Listener puzzle, I agree. Thanks, Remus!

One thing that niggles with the theme is (and it's difficult not to give it away) if you read the highlighted cells, and then you examine the area of blanked cells closest to the top of the screen. It doesn't quite tally.

[Hagen]

Just for balance, I am a fan of the theme, especially in its original format! Must revisit it, as it's been a while...

[Cruncher]

I thought it was a fine puzzle until I came on here and saw Philoctetes' post about the three extra cells and now I'm deeply worried. Unless, of course, they are invisible...

[NickorWan]

I shouldn’t worry, Cruncher. I suspect Philoctetes is referring to a three-letter word going the opposite direction to the others, which probably would have been best avoided by changing one unchecked cell.

[Philoctetes]

That's the one! A slight flaw, I think