Listener No 4120, Cross Country by MynnoT

[Ruthrobin]

Am I destined to start another thread or are all the friends hiding somewhere else? What a great and well-set challenge this has been. The light has just dawned regarding the theme and how to obey the instruction. Yet another superb opening for the year's puzzles.

[Mysterons]

Plenty of good advice here as usual rabet, and as always with the Listener, consider the title carefully - your first instinct regarding its meaning is probably correct.

[Clamzy]

Off topic:- Now that all the 2010 results are known I am very proud to announce that I am all correct. In the number puzzles that is.
Seriously I would be interested to know of your favourite for that year, mine being the Rubik's Cube one.

[AndrewG-S]

Without a doubt my favourite was Shackleton's sine qua non - brilliantly clued with a vast amount of hidden material. I seem to recall there were about 3 PDMs (hidden messages, morse code, beethoven symphonies). This was topped by the fact I happened to be in Berlin when the Beethoven PDM came. Ode an die Freude!

[silversolver]

I agree with AndrewG-S that Shackleton's Beethoven tour de force was my favourite of 2010; also particularly enjoyed Elgin's Wallace & Gromit/Batman & Robin puzzle (A Change of Clothing) and, like Clamzy, Spud's Rubik's cube (European Revolutions). However, it is the sheer variety of Listener puzzles and the amazing skill and inventiveness of the setters that are the abiding memory of the year.

[pushmi-pullyu]

Finally finished it, but without my usual feeling of elation. Not by any means my favourite.

[jamesah]

An enjoyable solve but as lateral thinking seems to be required I am stuck on the last stage. We are supposed to deduce the theme presumably with the help of the title? A long time staring at the grid has so far produced nothing. Any further hints would be most welcome!

[tenflags]

Hi RuthRobin. thank you for that.. yes the arrangement of the 'missing' letter was were it might be if someone held a gun to my head to have a guess. Have now also found fuller explanation ref definition for the same and the word play fell into place.

whilst very comforting that has not advanced me as I already had the letters (from crossing answers) and the instruction. Completing 31 and 29 still alludes - maybe too young or just plain stupid ( more likely the latter ) for the 'obvious' fictional character - despite having 3 crossing letters and the missing letter.

also too many Don Revie's over lunch to spot anything in the grid for the theme on the train journey - will pick up again tomorrow with hopefully brighter eyes / mind as I less confident about my initial inkling on the theme.

best

[serpentinew]

I, too, have finally go there and satisfied myself with the word play of 31across - so much for my original thoughts that there was an Irish connection! Should have started with the simple and worked to the complex - might have saved me a few days cogitation. Strangely, neither of my original two options for 31ac were eliminated by the thematic requirements.

[bellabee]

i don't think much lateral thinking is required from the title - it probably is the first thing you thought of - it was for me and some others here. you may be 'trying too hard' as i [and others] who scour the grid looking to make phrases by hopping from one letter to the next in all possible permeations. try another approach and get the 21 letter phrase having got the pattern first.

[bellabee]

or permutations come to that.

[jamesah]

I'm not sure that I thought of anything much when I saw the title! I must say that I can't see any pattern in the grid but then I have no idea what I am looking for nor how many letters are involved.

[bellabee]

dare i say frequency analysis?

[Zabadak]

I'll confess to a slight feeling of disappointment (sorry Mynot and fans!), though since I had no idea what to expect I suppose I can't complain. I did quite like an early solution which produced Mechanical Engineering (21, 2 words) but hard to justify given the instruction, even if it was "The ME". The first two words of the instruction couldn't be fulfilled in any convincing way.
Funnily enough I too hazarded Trans-Siberian Railway - certainly cross-country and maybe that hyphen counts as the 21st letter (couldn't find it in the grid, though).
I could argue that the real answer is (22, two words) but I won't.
Still don't see why 31ac caused so much grief. Just a matter of working out which way round it goes.

[Arcticpenguin]

S-Matrix, hadn't thought of COUNT-RY even though I visited Bram Castle a year or so ago. Definately no railways there -too hilly. Did you consider a Byzantine connexion ?

Best puzzle of 2010 has to be the Morse code one - although I still can't believe that the Jackson Pollack one only came second in 2009.

[tenflags]

Elegant solution but I feel 29a was not 'obvious' rather obscure and therefore borderline unfair

[trux]

far too relaxed to worry about this particular denouement .... Malta keeps coming back but leads me nowhere .... and with nowhere to go, and nothing to do, that's just fine with me

[rabet]

tenflags ~ if you think that something is "borderline unfair" because it is "rather obscure" perhaps you should avoid the Listener crossword!

[tenflags]

Whilst it is true that I am a relative new-boy to Listeners Rabet, I have in the past found time to successfully complete about a dozen or so and I have the utmost respect for the setters, as well the clever folk on here who solve them so quickly.

I have always found them to be very tough, but however obscure the theme, or the words, the clues were generally fair; Obscure words or answers are fine if the clue construct follows what I thought were the generally accepted principles that the definition element should not be 'too vague' or imprecise however challenging the word play.

IMHO this particular clue was borderline unfair because I think it failed that particular test. I am however still learning and maybe your right.

On the whole I find people here to be generous, kind and very encouraging so thank you for the tip but I hope to struggle on and try a few more at least.

[teuchter2]

Late starting again, but I did get 4119 finished on Monday! I need an easy solve to get caught up. I've got all clues solved bar 3 - the two most-mentioned ones in the thread, plus 13d. Is that in the BRB? I haven't really started thinking about the theme yet, but I'll persevere as usual!