Listener 3994

[cruciverbali]

Let's hope 08/08/08 is also lucky for Listener solvers - here is 40 by Zero

[mad max]

many thanks for link

[cluelessJoe]

Usual Friday message - many thanks Cruciverbalist. (Hope you are not camping this weekend, I think we're in for a soggy Saturday).
Enjoy

[u10]

This crossword should prove to be an ideal starting point for those who haven't sampled the delights of the Listener! Perhaps we ought to be using it this week to encourage our non Listener friends to have a go at our favourite puzzle.

[starwalker]

Totally agree. This is an excellent puzzle for "beginners" - unlike last week's.

[cluelessJoe]

Spot on u10 & starwalker, a great one for Listener newcomers.

I liked 36 but had to think about it for a while!
I was also mighty relieved to have a simpler finish from Zero than last years's precision-demanding map of Italy (which tripped up a large proportion of entrants, myself included).

[bobbycollins]

What a pleasant way to spend a wet Saturday afternoon!

The perfect antidote to Radix' splendid but too hard for me puzzle.

Elegant clues and fine surface readings. I too grinned at 36. Smashing puzzle, Zero.

[mad max]

very enjoyable, more my level, unlike last weeks.
EV looks interesting!

[midazolam]

thanks for the link

late start on this today, so i am glad I won (unlike when I used to do this back in my youth)

now onto the EV as well mad max (looks much harder)

[eddery]

Many thanks for the link Cruciverbalist.
Late to start this one, but a swift conclusion - thanks to Zero for a pleasantly entertaining puzzle - precisely constructed, some nice clues without being over-challenging.

[Patch49]

Well congratulations you lot, but I'm not finding this one particularly easy. I have the bottom line but to me this suggests that something should be inserted into the grid entries, rather than taken out. Please can I have a nudge re grid entries?

[Rapparee]

Many cells are a tight squeeze

[midazolam]

patch 49 - seems to me if you have the bottom line then you must have worked out how to fill the grid

in that case - as the preamble says - just highlight all the cells that as rapparee puts it: are a tight squeeze

[golgonooza]

I'm with you there patch49. I always rely on being able to use some of the letters in the grid to move me on with the clues. When I can't fill in the clues and just have to solve them without other letters it gets hard. I'd worked out that you probably had to put more than one letter in each square, but I'm not really moving very fast.

[midazolam]

what started me off was that I looked at the answers of 5 down with 10 across. I put the latter in, which then helped me put 11 down in....

hope that helps golgonooza

[golgonooza]

Thanks Midazolam. Once I'd posted my message I went back to it and got a few more answers which led me to guess what 40 might be and then the whole thing fell into place! Thanks again.