Listener Crossword 4128 Ringtone by Trev

[Zabadak]

Evening all. Once again I find myself staring at a completed grid and a completed instruction, the former quite straightforward, the latter requiring a leap of imagination that so far eludes me. All the words in the instruction individually make sense, collectively they don't - yet. Currently I'm hazarding "anything at all" or possibly "annoying" as reasonable entries in the box at the bottom. Regards and best wishes to everyone.

[contendo]

You were the first on the thread Zabadak but it seems that you've only just seen the light! I'm not sure how else the instruction could be interpreted.

[dr b]

S-matrix, if the replacements can put together a game with 5 safeties scored, at least that would be entertaining. Too much basketball to watch between now and then to get too worried about it yet, though.

[Zabadak]

Hi Contendo - suffice it to say that I found at least one other way. I think, from some of the entries here, that I was not alone!

[teuchter2]

Gertrude Stein seems fine to me now that I have checked everything and done my calculations. I too am struggling to see what else could be done, but I'll bow to the possibility of there being something that the more devious thinker could find!

[starwalker]

starwalker reporting late from a less sunnier than I would like Caribbean. Late start on this due to variable wifi connection abd no printer, but now have a completed grid and the instruction, although some of the wordplays still elude me. Final stage looks as if it should be straightforward.

bobbyc - commiserations, but (creepy) Crawley do look the most upwardly mobile team of the moment.

[Speravi]

Many thanks for the messages of support - much appreciated.

[Clamzy]

This thread seems to be played out so I've been looking through a few older threads.
We seem to have lost daagg, easterfool, u10, intotheblue, walterloo and may others, so quite a turnover of contributors.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, Clamzy, and did you notice how the more difficult puzzles tend to engender longer threads (so, of course, do the contentious ones where we all start snarling at the one who gives too much away and oversteps our self-imposed bounds).

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, s-matrix - it makes sense. I had to be warned the very first time I contributed to a Listener thread, that this was not like all the others and that here, you musn't say I have F?S? A?D ?H?PS for 99d. 'Popular meal in a bag', can anyone help?
Of course, the problem is that whoever starts the thread needs to be aware of any such special requirement. The starter is very occasionally me these days when the stars can't be bothered, but anyone can begin any thread.

[JackDeCrow]

Or perhaps we could start a Facebook page or somesuch? Might be more appropriate than using Answerbank anyway given that what Ruthrobin describes is actually how Answerbank is normally used?

[Arcticpenguin]

Perhaps the title should have been "GROAN" as this is what everyone seems to be doing !

[Ruthrobin]

Come now, Arctic penguin (and you have to be a fairly quaint penguin to be up there), i think yours is the first groan I have read for a while :)

[Mysterons]

Agree that 9 clue answers are treated S-matrix. Using Oyler's recent notation,the answer has properties BEPQ only and its digit sum equates to 1 across.

[tilbee]

Yes Mysterons this aligns with my solution - though I note that JM and Friends has now disappeared from front page of Google.

[IainGrace]

Finished. Pleasing enough but a neater ending which wasn't just a cross check on accurate grid completion and understanding would have been better.

[borealis]

Mysterons - I don't think you are right about property "B"!

[trux]

Just read through all this thread - amazed it's still going a week later for what was, let's face it, a relatively straightforward (and uncontentious) puzzle) ... would side with Speravi in the Great Debate (don't think he did any harm - and am sure he didn't drop too many people's pennies). One last thought : Is Gertrude Stein Cockney rhyming slang for the right answer ?

[Mysterons]

I'm glad someone is awake borealis - with 2 even digits that really is a no-brainer !!
Thank you - should be EPQ !