Listener 4316: Delightful Punishment By Mynot

[emcee]

I've searched using several keywords but can't find another thread so ...

This was a rewarding puzzle: once the penny drops you think, "yes, of course; why didn't I spot that earlier?"

Many thanks MynoT for an entertaining puzzle with some nice clues (I liked the Morse one!)

[Ruthrobin]

We've been wondering when someone was going to post but didn't like to leap in as we have a full grid but the penny hasn't dropped - no we didn't 'spot that earlier' though the clues have been entertaining and not very difficult. Now we have to sleep on it and do some grid staring. Thanks, MynoT.

[sunny-dave]

I've got two to do after a week on hols. Should I tackle this or 4315 first?

Ta

Dave xx

[starwalker]

I'm with RR on this one. It was interesting that the more of the grid was filled, the slower my progress became. Now to use my as yet unpatented "grid-staring-at glasses". Thanks MynoT (I think).

[AHearer]

Yes, that was fun. At first I thought it was going to be a breeze, then slowed down with a full upper half of the grid and a sparsely populated lower half, went even slower of with the south-east corner. Finally had a stroke of inspiration. Many thanks to MynoT: I liked the balance between straightforward and devious clues.

[Ruthrobin]

Other folk have said it - posting something here leads to that stroke of inspiration. It is always good to see something new appear in a Listener. Many thanks, MynoT - grid staring paid off.

[Alan7777]

It's not often that I manage to get into the Friday club so this must be an easier than average Listener. I was fortunate in identifying the approach to the clashes fairly early and that helped with solving some of the clues.

Dave, I would do 4315 first.

[trux]

A very original endgame that took a bit of headscratching after a gridfill that went in fits and starts as others seem to have experienced too. Many thanks to MynoT.

[AHearer]

Whilst filling in my fair copy, it struck me that in three cases the 15-letter word does not really produce a tidy resolution. I hope I have done what MynoT intended.

[upsetter]

A very good Listener yet again.
Lulled by a few gimmes in the beginning, facing despair when rescued by a great PDM.
To AHearer, it sounds like you do not yet have the method, we had made plausible but ultimately incorrect resolutions.
Look again or you may end up kicking yourself.

[Scorpius]

A lot of easy clues made filling the grid a pretty straightforward task, though a few harder ones slowed me up towards the end. I was pretty sure of the solution but stuck on the method at first, but it came to me quite quickly without any grid staring.
I think I can guess which three cases Althearer has in mind, but the word seems applicable to them as well.

[tilbee]

A steady gridfill this afternoon, completed before I finally noticed the method for resolution of the clashes (writing these out certainly helped) followed by a final brief headscratch to determine the 15 letter word. Thanks to Mynot for an enjoyable solve.

[miqq]

The grid fill is done, after a lot of struggling. Funny how some clues are dead easy while others take hours (or so it seems) to tease out. Still not sure about one or two. But the endgame is very elusive. Tilbee's advice to list them produces a very interesting pair of sets (used/discarded) and it's pretty clear which are which. But the 15-letter word is unyielding (although the title is presumably the "hinted at" source). A helpful hint to [email protected] would help this learner climb further up the steep curve.

[AHearer]

Perhaps I'm too concerned about justification.

[IainGrace]

Sunny-Dave, we agree that you should tackle 4315. In similar position and found 4315 reasonably easy, whereas we are struggling with the denouement in 4316.

[aldanna]

Full grid, clashes seem sorted, no idea about the last bit.

[Staurologist]

What a fine (delightful/punishment) puzzle.

[By the way, thanks to emcee for the recommendation last week.]

[sunny-dave]

Thanks Alan7777 and IainGrace - 4315 despatched reasonably quickly (nice puzzle) - now about a third of grid filled in 4316.

Onwards we go ...

[sunny-dave]

Yay - penny dropped with huge clank - which helped with the last few recalcitrant clues.

All tidied up & happy with the word describing the method.

Thanks MynoT

[jim360]

For whatever reason I've not been in tune with MynoT this time. Made it over the line eventually. Deceptively tough right to the end.

[Cagey]

Grid filled bar one clue. Understand what is happening, but no clue as to describing word. Found this a struggle. Thanks mynot