Listener Crossword 4031 - Much Ado About Nothing by Shackleton

[Walterloo]

Hope nobody minds me starting this week's thread. Lengthy preambles aside I've made ok progress with this so far but still a lot to do. Some good clueing and the whole thing looks extremely interesting. Get your paintboxes ready. Good luck everybody.

[alice50]

Okay, I have all the answers bar one (the one about the artist's family), a guess for the unclued answer (assuming it's a real word) and almost all of the misprints, and I'm totally stuck. No way is this one easier than Duck's!

How should I interpret the across misprints? Or should I go after the charade, which is difficult because I don't understand the misprint in the clue ending "not a son".

[Speravi]

Thank you, turnerjmw: it was the correctness of the noun that was diverting me.

[nigel2]

Alice 50, lateral thinking about the across misprints will give you the names of the paintings and therefore the artist - that should help you to solve the remaining answer and deduce the unclued one. Am still working on the charade myself but so far to no avail!

[Walterloo]

Thanks Clamzy for earlier confirming my thoughts on the forgery's name. But before I disappear for a week without the puzzle close to hand, I do have an idea for the name of the forgery in it's entirity, but I still can't work out where the two similar across answers go thereby giving me that 'interpretation of the grid'. Hopefully. Does a message appear in the grid if I place these answers correctly? If anyone can enlighten me I'd be most appreciative.

[AHearer]

Walterloo, it's not exactly a message in the grid, but the resolution emerges from the charade in conjunction with a very careful reading of the preamble, whilst keeping in mind the relevance of one of those across answers.

[Walterloo]

Thanks, Ahearer. I shall look at that in the next half hour before I have to go off on my business shenanigans, hopefully with a clear, crossword solved brain!

[emcee]

Finished!

I found the theme easier to sort out than the clue-solving which, in places, was fiendish. Anyone who is struggling with the charade should read the preamble very carefully, study the completed grid and observe the title.

The title is very apt and, to me, humorous - it sums up my own feelings of this gentleman's work!

Another entry in which JEG should earn a medal.

[nigel2]

Have finally cracked the charade and understand the "other interpretation" of the grid - v fiendish but satisfying to complete. The charade is undoubtedly key and for me was definitely the hardest aspect of the puzzle (even after several readings of the preamble!).

[kwyjibo]

I agree with nigel2. I was staring at that sentence in the preamble trying to make sense of it, then another rereading of the whole preamble caused the farthing to fall. I note that Walterloo said he had twigged the 'charade' but not the 'other interpretation of the grid' but I don't understand how he could have done so in that order.

[Walterloo]

Whilst waiting for delayed travel arrangements to sort themselves out I thought I'd check this thread. I have to admire all of you who have managed to crack this. Even with a couple of hints by kind folk I still can't get this other interpretation. I've got the charade and have coloured the grid correctly on another copy of the grid, but of course have one square left to paint and I have two choices. I'm pretty sure of the name of the forgery, so even with this I can't make that last step. Thank goodness it doesn't have to be in until next week!

[turnerjmw]

Walterloo, you might do well to concentrate on the less common of the two choices (the one that's not in Chambers)

[Walterloo]

kwyjibo - what you said confirms to me that I'm missing the obvious. My idea of the charade is what three words of the down misprints lead to. This got me to a one word answer which is telling me what to paint. All I'm stuck on is where to place those two across answers and therefore give me one more square to colour.
I know I'm going to kick myself very soon (hopefully).

[emcee]

Walterloo : work backwards by looking at the name of the forged painting.

[Walterloo]

I think I've been given a chance here by forces unknown. I can't get away for business until tomorrow which gives me more time!
emcee - OK, is this right?
The first word of the forgery's name is linked to the first parts of the other paintings' names.
The second word of the name is another word for a 7 letter word beginning with 'F'.
That the abbreviated form of the interpretation provides the 5 missing letters of the title?

[Clamzy]

Walterloo I don't know which 7 letter word you refer to but the abreviation comes from treating the forgery as you did the two genuine paintings. You don't need 5 letters to complete the forgery.

[Clamzy]

Sorry abbreviation.

[Clamzy]

Even more sorry I misread your post W. Yes 7 letter word gives definition of second part.

[emcee]

Walterloo,

Yes, I believe we agree on the title of the forged painting. Now treat it in the same way as the two 'real' paintings have been treated. This will give you the unclued entry PLUS something else...

[robinruth]

I've been keeping quiet as it has taken all this time to (almost) complete the grid (with that ambiguity of two across clues and no understanding of the 'not a son' or the 'Italian drug'). But some notions of how the charade works.
Please could I ask for help about the ODQ - mine is very old. Is that going to cause me difficulty finding the 'words of a reviewer quoted by the artist'? In other words, am I hunting for very modern works?

[alice50]

Can't believe I didn't spot what was going on with the Across misprints - talk about not seeing the wood for the trees. Now finished, and it is undoubtedly very clever. But I stand by what I said - it's not easier than Duck's!

For those struggling with the charade, the first word of it is the key.