Listener Cross word 4058

[starwalker]

This week's offering is Whirly-Birly by Sabre.

After a run of fairly straightforward puzzles, we have what at first glance looks like a typical Sabre offering - not an "unch" in sight.

So, head down and away we go. Let's hope that there are not too many early cries for help. I have always found Sabre to be very logical and fair, and often surprisingly generous.

[Mysterons]

Sabre's Listener pedigree goes right back to 1970 - this is his 59th offering and he's only been absent from one year over the past 40 - amazing !!

[Cruncher]

On the basis of Sabre's recent offerings I suspect that this will be demanding. An enjoyable weekend ahead. I too hope that there won't be any gratuitous disclosures.

[turnerjmw]

A marvellously constructed puzzle, where the wordplay is less a problem than the need to keep a clear head. The finish took a little unravelling, but great fun. Many thanks, Sabre

[robinruth]

It is our first Sabre, but we are trudging our way through it and finding it very fair.

[AHearer]

I was a bit slow getting round to this, having been distracted by Distractions in Oxford Today. Very fair clues, a pleasing and unambiguous finish. What a contrast with recent Spectators.

[Cruncher]

Nicely put together and a clear finish. Would have expected something more fiendish with the coding after the Little Dorrit experience but glad that it was more straightforward.

[emcee]

A rarity -- a straightforward Sabre!!! A tad disappointed; I was hoping to have been kept busy for ages.

[sunny-dave]

Cracker - no stunning PDM, but beautifully crafted with absolutely fair clues - a relief after weeks of ambiguity, daft preambles & wordsearching

[robinruth]

Made it after a full day of struggle with lots of prompting. I am astounded at the ingenuity of the setter but think this one was really tough and wonder how you folk do it so speedily.

[Clamzy]

I couldn't agree more sunny-dave.
I'm so chuffed to finish a SABRE by Saturday and enjoyed it immensely.

[cluelessJoe]

Well, I line up with the majority. Exactly what I was about to say Clamzy, sunny-dave & others - the real treat of a Saturday Sabre, yet a crossword which was testing, fair, unambiguous and overall hugely enjoyable. Puts the Listener right back where it belongs!

[cluelessJoe]

And there's an AZED misprints competition puzzle available to fill your Sundays. Enjoy!

http://image.guardian...09/10/30/1953nov1.pdf

[daagg]

I thought I was doing really well, because I managed to solve virtually all of the clues and was managing to enter them according to the preamble. I even found a convincing theme which matched the title, and lots of checked letters fell into place. However, I got stuck on the very last thematic entry, as I cannot find a word to fit. I'm now getting a bit frustrated because I can't seem to do anything other than dive down the same dead end again and again :-(

[Mysterons]

It sounds like you are practically there daag - I suggest you put it down for an hour or two, and when you pick it up again you will have inspiration.

[daagg]

That's really spooky. About 2 minutes after sending my post, I just realised that I had made a stupid mistake right at the end. So I've done it!! It was good fun, although it feels a bit strange that you have to take the plunge at the beginning without any real certainty that you are going the right way - it seems to need an inspired guess rather than logic.

[Mysterons]

Well done ! You're right to an extent, although as half of the answers are entered normally it is fairly straightforward to obtain a good foothold on the puzzle before the code needs to be tackled.

[daagg]

Also, my answer for 27ac does not appear in my (admittedly old) Chambers, nor is it in the online Chambers Word Wizard - although I can see how it could be derived from one that is in both. Assuming that I have the right solution, do they often use words which don't appear in the specified reference. I understand about proper nouns, but this doesn't seem to be one of those.

[perseverer]

daagg- if I can butt in, Word Wizard is based on the Chambers 21stC. dictionary, I think, not the "Chambers Dictionary." In fact Word Wizard does recognise the singular of the answer, as an allowable Scrabble word, but doesn't give a definition in the Search Chambers section.

[robinruth]

Daagg, I am butting in, too, to say that it is in the 2003 edition and in the 1996 edtion on CD Rom, so it has been there for quite a while.Check your word!