Listener No. 4337: Relationship By Aedites

[AHearer]

In retrospect, I should have seen that coming. Good fun, with generally straightforward clues. Many thanks, Aedites.

[Ruthrobin]

Indeed, gentle, straightforward clues and I have sussed the endgame but am not sure why you should have seen that coming. Many thanks, Aedites.

[AHearer]

It's probably more obvious to our American colleagues, but it has had a good deal of exposure in the media.

[AHearer]

Or maybe, given my dissatisfaction with the highlighting I had in mind, I need to take another look. But that can wait until tomorrow.

[Flocker14]

Well I didn't find the clues all that easy, but I seem to have arrived at the conclusion without quite understanding it - but theirs not to reason why.

[Pasquin]

Kicking myself, I should have seen it coming too. Ruthrobin & Flocker14, there's a little bit more to this before you really understand what's going on. Thanks, Aedites, very witty.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, thanks, I see why 'I should have seen it coming'!

[aldanna]

I don't know why "I should have seen it coming" either but yet another Friday-nighter. I also didn't find the clues too easy, and feel there is a slight mis-match between the message and the highlighting, but as this totals the 37 squares I feel it must be right.

[perseverer]

Grumpy pedant here - didn't see it coming, don't think I should have been expected to see it coming. Did think the puzzle was a clever idea, and not all that easy.

[Contrarian]

Thanks Aedites. Slightly harder than previous weeks, but still feeling a little bit underchallenged.

[Cruncher]

Several wordplays are still eluding me and although the highlighting is fairly obvious I am slightly puzzled by 3 or 4 letters. If you're on Facebook there have been a lot of posts about an upcoming event. Nevertheless I didn't spot that until the end

[s_pugh]

Some pretty tough clues I thought and some very obscure answers (26dn for one). But the ending seems ambiguous, I think I can see the 37 cells to be highlighted but am somewhat puzzled by the relevance of them all. Maybe all will become clear after sleeping on it. Thanks Aedites.

[roslyn251254]

s pugh - google moldavia capital

[icynorth]

I found it straightforward enough, and had no difficulty identifying the 37 cells - I may not have completed one corner without them.

I don't know what event others are referring to - the relationship makes sense as described.

Enjoyable, as always - thank you Aedites!

[icynorth]

...and I've just twigged why it's significant. Very clever :-)

[aldanna]

I was out with friends at a quiz last night and a casual remark made all these hitherto cryptic comments about significance quite clear. Good fun, Aedites.

[contendo]

This hit just the right level of difficulty for me. Not sure that 11D is a real word. A possible alternative at 31A held me up for a while, giving real words in the crossing down answers.

[UglyUncle]

I had a déjà vu moment while solving a significant across clue, which helped reduce the time spent in grid-staring.

However, that moment was prompted by one of last year's puzzles, not by current events. I'm so shamefully/blissfully unaware of the trivia of everyday life that it was only after logging in here that I was prompted to search for the added relevance of the theme. Clever stuff indeed, which would otherwise have passed me by.

But I'm not Angry about that.

[rickye]

I am struggling at the final hurdle between two and one

[jim360]

I did not find this easy, as for whatever reason I was not on Aedites' wavelength when it came to cluing. Got there in the end. Even the highlighting took a while to spot, partly because I saw one element quickly but not completely and misinterpreted its role. Never mind -- thanks Aedites.

[freiheid]

Sorry to darken the mood, but while the puzzle was fine, I didn't like the clueing style. Everything works adequately, but there are no flashes of wit, and in many cases the wording seems clumsy or gives an unconvincing surface reading (e.g. 19a, 34a, 45a, 8d, 17d and others seem to lack inspiration).