Listener 3980

[cruciverbali]

Closed Doors by The Tall'n is this week's Listener

[Rapparee]

Afternoon, Cruciverbalist. Thank you for the link.

[midazolam]

thanks for the link

lets hope this "opens up" challenges like the last effort from Tall'n in November

[cluelessJoe]

as is the Friday afternoon habit, time to thank you once again C.
Have a good weekend chaps!

[Cruncher]

Nice puzzle and thankfully free of ambiguity (as far as I could see anyway). Guessed at all sorts of possible themes before spotting the obvious. Enjoy!

[Scorpius]

This was the quickest grid fill in ages; apart from the very tricky 8 down I found it easier than some daily cryptics. Took a little while to spot something that led to the theme, so there was a bit of a challenge at the end.

[IntoTheBlue]

I enjoyed this one. It was a pleasant change to be able to complete the grid just with Chambers and Bradford's without having to 'dive' for online help. Clues were fair but it also took me a while to see how 8 dn went together. Above all it was nice that the preamble was unambiguous to allow certainty of the final answer.

[Mysterons]

8 Down certainly was tricky, though curiously, if you enter '??????:priest' into Onelook Reverse, the answer is top of the list !

[cluelessJoe]

Agreed, a fast and gentle way to pass the time this week. Mysterons, thanks for the introduction and link to Oneelook Reverse - looks as if this could be a useful resource to add to the armoury.

[andrewvc12]

I'm not finding it as easy as others are. I'm stuck with 37d which also appears to need to have 3 clashes if I've added up correctly. Got the quotation but not the PDM yet.
Andrew

[gribble]

andrewvc12
pucker=shir

[andrewvc12]

Thanks, Gribble. I'm on my own now.
Andrew

[dr john]

Yes, very satisfying, though if the grid is supposed to represent doors the notices are posted in a very peculiar fashion . Thanks to Mysterons for Onelook Rev, I'll try to keep it as a last resort!

[andrewvc12]

dr john, the "notices" are entered according to the theme.
Andrew

[Patch49]

Well you're all very clever. I completed the grid and found 3 straighforward words but the rest has got me flummoxed. I go on holiday tomorrow and I know I will still be mulling it over on the beach!

[midazolam]

Yes the notices are entered according to the theme but the grid per se does not represent doors. Nice xword however

i dont think this is will be in the top ten this year (it wasnt a scratch on Tall'n's last effortand that dint get very far either with only 3 points) but as above no ambiguity problems this week.

Although without a bit of googling the identify of "what was put on before the doors closed" would be tough to get (suppose that is why they added 10 letters)

[andrewvc12]

Even with googling I couldn't confirm the highlighted notice, so the extra information about the length was essential. All in all a fun crossword.
Andrew

[jamesah]

I've solved all the clues and got the quotation but unlike some correspondents I have no idea what to do next! What are these doors which have been closed for over a year? Any hints would be greatly welcomed.

[midazolam]

use the quotation's extra word in a literal sense. Also try hard to find a word that appears from andrew's last answer he got. That should start you off!

good luck

oh and there are no anagrams - which is what confused me for awhile

[jamesah]

Many thanks, Midazolam. Now I'm trying to work out why I didn't see it before!