Listener 4306: Hosta La Vista By Dipper

[upsetter]

All done, unless there are alternative (and possibly more interesting) meanings to the fourth and third last words of the instruction.

[jim360]

I hopefully have finished although not 100% sure. I found it tough to work out the misprints at least before using the message to work out what was in the gaps. Hopefully not a final visit to Dipper's garden?

[AHearer]

What a heartbreaking story. I do hope it all falls apart and that this is not the last we hear of Dipper's garden. Either way, thanks to Dipper for another great puzzle.

[AHearer]

...and I assume that it is only the specifically named ... that are involved, otherwise the fate of 16 across is moot.

[Zabadak]

It's all a conspiracy to give Green Lane an easy week. Like jim, I needed to work out what the massages were to get a few of the correct letters. I'm still unsure over one entry, but given the instruction, only my pride cares about it.

[BobHWW]

Couple of clues I'll need to look at again in the morning but not too difficult a solve. From the preamble this is the last garden based offering from Dipper and that's probably right. I think this theme has run its course. Enjoyable nevertheless - thanks Dipper.

[doctormatt]

All done: some hardish clues but it fell into place ok. Learnt one or two new words too!

[emcee]

I've always respected and looked forward to Dipper's garden puzzles. This was no exception and hope that (s)he continues compiling even if using different themes.

Nice to have had the gardening theme: shades of old England are always welcomed by me rather than the characterless, grasping modern alternatives.

As Zabadak mentions, John Green will have a deserved breather -- especially after checking the entries from 2 weeks ago.

Many thanks, Dipper, for another excellent gardening puzzle.

[trux]

Some quite tough clues with cleverly disguised misprints (always trickier when they are allowed to be anywhere, rather than all in def's or all in wdp's). Final endgame leaves me a bit underwhelmed and creates rather sad picture. Still, fun solve so many thanks to Dipper who presumably will now have to take up some other hobby. Lepidopterology? Philately? Who knows.....

[Cruncher]

Wonder if there are any kind hearted souls out there who would help me. I'm in Hong Kong this month and would like to continue submitting but it's obviously impractical to do it by post and JEG is not computer friendly as far as I know. Would anyone be happy to post my entries for me if I email you a scan of my solution? Aldanna helped me out last year and it had JEG's approval but I can't get hold of her currently. I have a completed grid for Lavatch's piece of fun ready to go. Happy to wait until you have posted yours before sending mine through of course. Happy to reimburse your time and expenses with something suitable of your choice. If you are game please email me at [email protected]

[trux]

Hi Cruncher ... no problem at all. Please make contact at [email protected] and I will take care of rest in due course. All best.

[starwalker]

I came into this expecting normal standard fare from Dipper, only to find myself struggling with quite a few clues and some deviously concealed misprints. All sort now, though a rather sad end to a pleasant series. Thanks Dipper, for now. (I'm told that bee-keeping can be very rewarding).

[s_pugh]

Fun puzzle but like Trux I find the endgame distinctly underwhelming - I'm pretty sure about what the submission is to be but it doesn't look very attractive and surely could allow people to get away with inadvertent mistakes? Couldn't it have instructed simply to highlight the necessary? Just a minor quibble. Thanks Dipper.

[AHearer]

Good point, s_pugh, and could have been worked in by using the way b......s mark ..... which are to be preserved - a red ring around them, for instance.

[sunny-dave]

All done - seemed to get harder as I went along, possibly because I'd picked off all the obvious misprints and some of the rest were quite cutely hidden.

I've always enjoyed excursions into Dipper's garden and this was no exception - I wonder what's up the sleeve for the next outing?

[Staurologist]

Right up to the very end of the gridfill I thought that this was a rather mundane puzzle, but then I got a tremendous laugh when what needed to be done became (mostly) clear. An instruction to highlight would not have been so thoroughly entertaining.

[contendo]

That's a pretty exotic garden.

[Scorpius]

An unusual endgame, but not unprecedented. I think Althearer's query re 16 across is answered by the preamble.

I don't understand the wordplay to the first two letters of 33 across. I can see three places for the misprinted letter to go, but none of them gets me the first two letters. Any gentle hints? Not that it matters terribly, since the solution is clear.

[sunny-dave]

I'd have a think whilst at stool, scorpius

[tenflags]

very thematic

[UglyUncle]

I too strained at the first part of 33, Scorpius: perhaps a public school education would have helped.

I agree with those who've lamented the 'final appearance' of Dipper's garden, recalling pleasant visits in happier times. As a staunch Ximenean, I was disappointed that a key word in each of 16 and 21 wasn't strictly correct (both could have been fixed quite easily), while some clues were fiendishly (unnecessarily?) complex.

Overall, though, a fine puzzle with an amusing pay-off... assuming I haven't come to the wrong conclusion about the right conclusion. On which note: can anyone account for the mystifying parenthetical part of the preamble?