Listener 4108 - Past and Present by Emkay

[starwalker]

Lovely whilst it lasted. Definitely one for beginners and newcomers.
Sadly, it leaves me without an excuse for Mrs Starwalker's grand garden redesign tomorrow.

[midazolam]

One for newcomers indeed, first one in awhile that is finished before the kids are in bed. Interesting conception using the central grid as coordinations. I havent been around long enough to know if this has been used before.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, very enjoyable indeed, but did you honestly manage this in an hour!

[contendo]

A welcome relief after the traumas of the last two weeks.

[Zabadak]

Very comfortable, with most of it done on the Central Line on the way home and (very nearly!) no aids. And no staring at a filled grid wondering what to do next! Held up by carelessness in entering central letters - the train kept jogging my elbow!

[cluelessJoe]

Quickest fill of the year by far. Quite interesting construction, but I didn't really like it, sorry!

[dr b]

Agreed, a bit too simple, and tedious towards the end when marking off the 8x8 square to figure out which 7 letters were left over.

I guess now I can print out last week's, which I never got a chance to look at. From the thread it sounds like a doozy.

[AHearer]

Similar reaction from me, I'm afraid. I had a full grid by the time I got off the train home (of course, a couple to confirm in Chambers). Actually, I had rather too full a grid, as it was reasonably easy to fill in the rest of the quotation when 30 to 50% of the central square was full, and then use that to sort out some remaining clues. Ah, but then I'd lost track of which letters were come by 'honestly' and which were the missing seven. So I'm going to get my highlighter out to mark the ones that are referenced by clues!

[BlackHugh]

I have done it as well - almost unheard of on a Friday. But I am a tad disappointed with the phrase I have. I doesn't seem to gel with the rest.

[AndrewG-S]

First Friday night finish for me - just as well as a very busy weekend ahead

[silversolver]

Yes, pretty straightforward - all done in a couple of hours. Quite entertaining but a little dull after the epics we have seen in recent weeks.

[poorsolver]

Listener 3563 is not on the Times Site, but is in the last book of puzzles and is one of the best puzzles of the last 20 years. "__ Back" by Qadi is a breathtaking challenge which will take you a very long time, but is worth it.

[the_heisman]

not such a long time ago i would have been quite pleased to be bowled an easy one like this so maybe it is a good thing to encourage some beginners. I digressed for a short time towards a well-known old film but after that it was plain sailing.

[Philoctetes]

Very quick, mostly cold solving. I did not know the quote, and finding that was the most enjoyable bit of the exercise. I do feel that the puzzle as a whole does not really gel, though I see the relevance of the quote to everything.

[Clamzy]

Of the easier Listeners we have had this year there seems to be something in common. When the quotation/theme can be obtained early in the solving process the whole thing collapses to a rapid finish. I can see where the setter used a lot of skill in compiling the grid, but for the solver this was a doddle.

[flocker]

This could have been done within the hour - I wasted time by not investigating links between the theme words early enough - and it's ceratinly not a quote that springs to mind - but enjoyable and a welcome respite from recent ordeals!

[trux]

Even after a 16-hour journey back from Singapore, via the "delights" of Münich airport at 5 in the morning, thru to Geneva, this was still a cakewalk ... Interesting quotation (very un-19th century), ideal for a puzzle but perhaps the pre-ramble guides us all too completely ... no PDMs of any consequence ... so now I can start attacking last weeks monster ... or maybe I will go for a nap ....

[aldana]

My family and friends think I am really good at crosswords, Being now a Listener solver (more frequently a Listener non-solver in fact) I can't agree. However, after romping through this week's offering with only Chambers and a crossword dictionary I was tempted to wonder if I was improving dramatically. Didn't really think so though, was pretty sure it was just exceptionally easy. Too easy, really, but I liked the letters with co-ordinates bit. Whatever a doozy is, this wasn't one!

[trux]

Serves as an excellent puzzle to use to explain to would be Listenerites how they tend to work

[catstail]

Am about to start this one. Good to see on checking this site that I might get somewhere for once!

[bobbycollins]

Yes, a little TOO easy, but I am ashamed to say that I have yet to unravel the two word phrase!

The doozy is in Chambers, catstail.

Regards to all