Listener 4089 Vive la Difference by Kevin

[starwalker]

A very pleasant and enjoyable debut by Kevin. Some nice clues and a familiar theme which made me realise how quickly time passes. Possibly suitable for newcomers, but personally, I think that 32D is a bit of a beast. (I'm still not 100% convinced I have the correct answer) Interesting to see what others make of it.

[easylistener]

yes I do look hard at clues within comments here. And ruthrobin is always helpful but this time I can't get it. Come on ruth robin - introspective?

[jacinth]

I don't think any more can be said. You'll really kick yourself when you get it!

[Zabadak]

Lewap: ST= Sunday Times. Every week there's a Teaser on the Brain Power page (below and right of Mephisto). It's not a grid puzzle, but it seems to me to be right up the street of those who like logic/maths puzzles. I tend not to do them - not enough words!

[Ruthrobin]

I have no real problem with 32dn, though it is the type of clue I always take ages to understand - those of us less able with wordplay would just assume that it is fine. turnerjmw, I have given up any hope of improving on the numericals, I shall have to send my black-bordered winge to complement those already going. I do have a problem with this one in that we are not asked to highlight anything. It somehow goes against that ingrained habit.

[tweaker]

Ruthrobin

numericals - I my self struggled on the last one, however my girlfriend God bless her, saw it was causing me agro and bought me Collins codes and ciphers 'how to make them and how to break them'. A fantastic book. It has certainly boosted my skills. So I say bring on more mathmatical puzzles. This link might help, The book I own is in the list for only a penny!

http://www.amazon.co....=0&sprefix=codes+and+

[Ruthrobin]

Thanks, that sounds like good sense!

[tweaker]

and this:

http://www.amazon.co..../ASIN/1857026691/${0}

[Rogue-Elfe]

Is it only me who's stuck on 35a rather than 32d? Bradfords doesn't seem to assist me on this one, and the options given on my crossword dictionary (Chambers) don't relate to the clue at all. This is the only one I have left; and knowing four of the six letters isn't helping. If I can't figure it, I'll take a best guess at a word beginning with the same letter as 2d began with, and third letter equal to the 7th of 18d. Is this right?

[dr b]

R-E: That does not agree with my answer. Zabadak's first comment might be worth revisiting.

[Rogue-Elfe]

Thanks. I have it now - the problem was in my spelling of 24d.
Cool. Possibly chat to you all next time. TTFN.

[Mr Crossy]

The 17 cells are crying out to be highlighted, but we're not told to highlight them. Those of us who submit our entries, would we be marked down for highlighting them, do you think?

[Mysterons]

As long as you highlight the correct 17 cells you wouldn't be marked wrong Mr. Crossy.

[u10]

There's an indirect reference to eight of the letters in 36a. My main worry about this puzzle is that a correct set of clashing letters could be selected without a full understanding of the theme.

[AndyMMac]

I have only been solving a short while but that's certainly one of the easier ones. I didn't think 32D was too bad (especially when the other clues gave me some confirmatory letters).

As regards the frequency of the numericals; I have now done 8 (3 in the paper and 5 from the chambers book of listeners) and even though I am definitely better at them than I am at the "wordies", I find the "wordies" much more satisfying. I think more numericals would be nice but I wouldn't want that to be at the expense of the "wordies" - I shan't use that description for them anymore.

For me, I think it might be to do with the fact that in a word-based listener, every time I have to look up the dictionary, I'm more than likely going to learn a new and interesting word (or at least a new sense for an already known word). If I then couple that with the thematic element, it means week in week out I end up learning a whole host of weird and wonderful things.

Compare that to the numericals where it may only take 1 or 2 tricks/techniques to be repeatedly applied before the puzzle is solved and even then it might just end up being a grid of numbers with no further denouement (although this doesn't apply in every case). Having said that, the grid construction for these puzzles is mightily impressive (as can be said for the majority of the word based puzzles as well).

[silversolver]

I found this one relatively straightforward although there were a couple of tricky clues. Nice construction although the milestone date is before my time!

[the_heisman]

Jacinth

Is 9 down really so obscure? I have put in a well-known everyday word which i was completely satisfied with.

[jacinth]

No - it's quite normal. It is one easylistener had trouble with; it wasn't one of my last answers.

I'm wondering whether the lack of highlighting is a wee joke.

[bobbycollins]

An enjoyable puzzle, tackled in work on Friday evening in a couple of hours (apart from 32d) which I have only just seen, and which produced yet another huge dooooh. Perhaps “passing” might have been replaced by another word?

Since I don’t submit, I have quite happily highlighted the 17 cells, and very pretty they are too…and the result made me smile, but not sure what the shape of north east group is telling me, any gentle hints?

[Ruthrobin]

Bobby Collins - think algebra!

[bobbycollins]

Thanks, Ruthrobin...and another doh to add to the list!