Listener 4043 - Green Cross Code by Dipper

[Philoctetes]

This week il fout cultiver nos jardins. Not started yet, but looks fun. Get out the Bumper Book of Trees

[AHearer]

Took this one more carefully than last week's: not being a 41a, and doing lots of work with the 6d. Quite pleasing, even with the added difficulty of the stripped bark.

[turnerjmw]

Not entirely straightforward, this, but well constructed and clued. I certainly learnt something (though I'm not sure I needed to). Pleasant enough, but not a personal favourite

[robinruth]

Well I am crawling along like an insect, having immense trouble with the stripped bark (got all Dipper's sources of help but they are not exactly helping my insectitype progress very much!)

[IntoTheBlue]

On the whole I enjoyed this one, good fair clues without an ambiguous ending.
(Still haven't quite seen the wordplay for 1a and 19a/14d took me longer than they should have done but got there in the end.)

Many thanks Dipper.

IntoTheBlue

[starwalker]

Slightly more difficult than Dipper's previous horticultural offerings, but not likely to be one of my picks of the year.
Thanks Dipper,(but sorry).

[midazolam]

Probable Dipper's best out of the last 3 that I have done. Even though one can twig the theme early on, it was still a nice challenge to work them all out.

Extra words i feel are a slight cop out to make it harder for the solver when they have no direct relevance to the theme (only indirectly in this case)

on the whole enjoyable, thanks Dipper

[robinruth]

Almost there after a tremendous struggle. If anyone says this was an easy romp that they solved on the train on the way home, I'll spit.
I do agree with Midazolam about the extra words. They quickly fell into place but were almost more of a hindrance than a help.

[Scorpius]

A tough one. Excellent clues, some of the best I can recall from Dipper, but I totally agree with Midazolam about the extra words. I don't mind extra words when they contribute something that's essential to the solving of the puzzle (though it's the easiest method for the setter). I disapprove of extra words whose sole purpose is to make things harder for the solver, as here. We didn't need the "sources of help" to solve the puzzle.

[bobbycollins]

Very difficult here, also.

Certainly not a train solve, robinruth!

I actually found the extraneous words of real use in finishing.

Now I have to own up to consulting (I don't submit) my chum IntoTheBlue for a hint before I was able to hole out. I can't repeat that hint since it would give the game away, but I really kicked myself since it is an oft used device.

Best wishes to all

[Clamzy]

This was a better challenge than some of late and took me back to my Sunday afternoon schedule. I was in complete agreement with the remarks of Scorpius until I read Bobby Collins post. I am now seeking some connection between the 'sources of help' and their relevance to the rest of the puzzle - which I hope I have correctly solved without reference to them at all.
A hint as to relevance please Bobby.

[turnerjmw]

At the risk of speaking for bobbycollins, I assumed he meant that identifying the "sources of help" made it much easier to sort out the wordplay for the remaining clues by removing the extraneous words. It certainly did for me. But they had no other relevance.

[Cruncher]

On the basis of previous Dippers I was expecting this to be a breeze - which it was not. Some tough and imaginative cluing and the layout made for difficulties in sorting out some of the final answers. I enjoyed 18dn - such a batty looking clue!

[Patch49]

I'm having problems fitting some answers into the grid. but hopefully if I struggle on there will be a PDM.

[Clamzy]

I would agree with that turnerjmw, but a little nagging doubt remains. Bobbycollins speaks of "real use" and "an oft used device" which he can'r disclose.

[bobbycollins]

Sorry if I have inadvertantly misled...

By "real use" I simply meant that I could discount the extra words in solving the remaining clues. No other relevance as far as I can see.

Clamzy, to establish the "oft used device" my pal advised me to "Think inside the box".

Hope that I haven't obfuscated things any further!

[shelouse]

I'm having a real struggle here, for the first time in ages. Have only done about a third and I have (so far) three answers which have one letter more than they should, not two as implied by the bark reference. Also I have three which do not appear to be words at all: 11a, 7d and 14d. Not sign of any PDM - even the initial letters of the extra words do not seem to lend themselves to any interpretation. Can anyone give me a nudge?

[Clamzy]

OK thanks BobbyC, I can now post off my entry free of the little doubt that I had missed something.

[Clamzy]

Shelhouse - Your one extra letter implies 2 in one cell, or with crossing answer sometimes more.
The bark reference letters are not in your answers but in the preamble. Hope this helps.

[x_word_fan]

I presume/think that that 39a has two but I cannot find a reference anywhere to the first one.??

[Cruncher]

x_word_fan - it's in Chambers. It's been stripped though