Listener Crossword 4121 To ... by Navajo

[starwalker]

To save RR the bother, I will start the thread this week.
I haven't finished yet, but with a full and fairly easy grid fill, that just leaves the usual preamble and whatever potential disaster is lurking.

[Rhone]

Only doubt is over 26A - agree only one possibility seems to have a definition within the clue. Wordplay might make sense by referring to the BRB's 1st entry within superscript 4, and thinking about that? - but if so, the allusion feels a bit vague (unlike most of the cluing).

[contendo]

Zabadak - I don't think you'll have a PDM in the middle of the night. Better to follow Tilbee's advice and do a quick Google search. Rhone - 26ac is actually quite a clever clue, needing a little lateral thinking.

[Rhone]

Cancel that - a proper wordplay for 26A has dawned on me. Subtle but it works for me.

[Rhone]

Thanks contendo, just seen your post now! Confirms my latest thinking.

[hypotheses]

Like others here, finished this in about an hour with no Googling. Probably a record for me. 4 thematic answers and "directive" quickly spotted - unlike 4020 which, again like others here, still consists of a completed grid minus any kind of PDM regarding the ultimate theme. From one extreme to the other!

[teuchter2]

I didn't try to join the Friday club as I was out at a function, but can't say what sort of function as it could be construed as providing a hint! Fairly quick grid fill yesterday afternoon and the four clues are pretty obvious to this teuchter, although I do have to say that I am, in fact, half English and half Welsh! I'm just about to google now to try and get to the 32 cells, but I can see potential promising areas.

[contendo]

Teuchter2 - Googling won't help you with the 32 cells. It's useful for the 4 answers, but you already have those.

[tilbee]

Teuchter2 - suggest you read again the thread so far. The function you attended has a very loose connection to the theme. The cells to be highlighted really are staring you in the face,

[tenflags]

Well after a weekend of rugby I am Johnny come lately to this. As I'm usually so slow I'm actually glad it was a quick one this week - well I have the grid, and the 32 cells, and a few candidates for what I think are the four words but not sure about them yet.
The only thing I really need to ponder though is 29 across as, like an earlier comment, I also have not satisfied myself on the correct wordplay thus choice of answer for this.

[TheBear69]

Rhone, for 26A the wordplay may only support one entry but it is definitely the case that two possibilities have a definition within the clue.

What is BRB?

I believe I understand the word play, but I have an uncomfortable feeling that interpeting 'go up' in two different ways means that the same lateral thinking supports either possibility! I feel that one interpretation is a lot more likely but it still bothers me...

[TheBear69]

Oops, I was referring to 29a NOT 26a. So I agree with Rhone that there is only one possiblity and that the wordplay is very clever.

[aldanna]

Hooray!! I have just pdm'd on 4120!!

[IainGrace]

To borrow an analogy from our compatriot, Mr Murray in Australia, having finally finished last week's tough five set match, this week's looks like straight sets. Not quite finished but for some of us the theme hits you from the off.

[Zabadak]

Googling doesn't help when you use the wrong set of words. With seriously bruised shins from kicking myself hard, I see (now) that there's sets of plural words and sets of single words. I just chose the wrong set but learnt a lot about storage.
I hope we're not going to get too many this year where the resolution has a kind of pot luck, easy if you spot it, frustrating if you don't character.
Among other complications on this one, I wondered whether the title of the puzzle itself was exactly as written, or required some additional words ("To complete the puzzle..." "To the victor..." "To infinity and beyond" "To Whom it may concern".
As I inferred earlier, we can get so used to demanding, intellectually complex solving, that a more simple solution can be truly evasive.

[contendo]

From your comments, Zabadak, I suspect you've gone down the wrong track. The title is right exactly as it stands. If you have indeed gone astray it won't matter since the 4 answers are not necessary for submitting a correct solution.

[tenflags]

funny business this.. how one can occasionally see straight away an answer which a few others have found subtle e.g. 26a and then have a long ummmh moment about another more obvious one e.g. 29a. doh !

[Ruthrobin]

thebear69, the BRB is an Answerbank acronym for the Big Red Book (the big, fat Chambers dictionary) - the place where all answers are supposed to be found in order to be valid.

[Zabadak]

Hi Contendo: I had indeed followed red herrings (though I'm not convinced they were carefully laid ones, just possibilities given the ambiguities in the preamble). I had been ignoring the most obvious member of the set precisely because I didn't see how it could link in with anything. I prefer it when all questions are resolved, which is where I am now.

[SallyR]

Hi there, I have completed the grid for the first time ever after several previous attempts at the Listener but am stuck on the 32 cells that must be highlighted despite hours of staring at the grid and trying to work it out. If any kind soul could drop me a hint on [email protected] to help put me out of my misery i would be eternally grateful.

[SallyR]

PS I have worked out the 4 clues and therefore I think I know the general theme