Listener 4041: Motley Collection by Merlin

[midazolam]

Before my time, Merlin's last effort was "Olde Treasure Hunt" in 2006 and won the Listener's gold cup that year

I bet we are in for a toughie!

Anyone who wants a copy email: [email protected]

[AHearer]

It's not that bad, but I think I was lucky in that the first few I solved allowed a guess at the theme which turned out to be right. I have a vague memory of having seen the theme before, but I thought that of this week's Spectator so maybe it's just the heat frying my brain.

[starwalker]

One of my favourite setters, though I did not find this to be too easy.
I was also fortunate in that my first few answers led towards the theme - but I cannot recall it being used before.
All in all a satisfying solution.

[midazolam]

i suppose i should have got the theme earlier than i did, but once the name twigged, i could reverse solve 1 across. Before that it seemed a real struggle.

One of the down modifications does not seem to fit with the theme, but i know is right.

Nice challenge, but a shame there was nothing to do / highlight at the end.

[turnerjmw]

A delightful puzzle, and a really enjoyable challenge. Nothing to highlight, it's true, so no big finish, but at least no uncertainty on that score either.

Very well done to those who tumbled the theme early. I had to cold solve half the clues before I could get a handle on it (and that's not my strong point), which certainly made it tough, but the elegance with which it was constructed was admirable.

Bravo, Merlin!

[bobbycollins]

midazolam, study one of the appendices a little more closely.

Not quite finished , but enjoying this very much.

[Scorpius]

Quite tough, but it soon became apparent what had to be removed from some of the acrosses, when it became rather easier.
A nice puzzle, but nowhere near as exciting as some of his other puzzles in the past.

[midazolam]

oh yes - not heard of that diminutive before

[kwyjibo]

Have to say that I didn't like this one at all. Arbitrary modifications to the down answers, uninteresting theme. Maybe I'm grouchy because it's too hot.

[Ruthrobin]

I am hopeless at cold solving but by an amazingly lucky long shot have spotted the theme and thus the name - (didn't find 23ac. in Bradford but it fitted the clue and confirmed what has to be omitted) - but oh dear, what a lot of work still to do!

[Ruthrobin]

Completed - but what hard work. Agreed, it became a lot easier once the theme appeared (which was after only about ten clues for me), and, agreed, it was elegant.

I had one solution with a hyphen in the Chambers' version and two words in the wordplay - but not indicated. Is that usual? (I know it is in AZEDs)

[cluelessJoe]

A real challenge this time, mainly because there was minimal help from the (slowly) filling grid despite my having identified the theme very early after about 4 across clues. Not the best, but probably the hardest of the year. Had I not known from 'the name' the removed letters at such an early stage, it would have been even harder. However, I think the clueing was - although challenging - very fair, and (kwyjibo) I can't agree that the down answer modifications were arbitrary, they seemed to me to fit the theme just fine ... mind you, in the Marches, maybe we didn't have it quite as hot as you!

[cluelessJoe]

... oh and Midazolam, you should try to find a copy of Olde Treasure Hunt - it was my clear favourite of 2006 (I'd have voted for it in the AGC if I had been within a street of all-correct). I just recall being astounded at the way it so cleverly mirrored the source.
Cheers everyone
cJ

[rabet]

I didn't think this one was particularly difficult. I guessed the theme after finding three of the 'modified' across answers, which made the rest much easier. I agree with a previous comment about the arbitrary element in the modification of the down answers insofar as they do not form a complete 'set' and others could equally well have been used. And I also have one that seems rather 'dodgy'.

[Deviant]

I thought this was relatively straightforward. There was never a point where I wasn't sure that I was going to complete it. The abbreviation at 4D was a bit obscure, and that was the last one I got, but no major problems.

I prefer the ones where you take the letters out of the grid as I always seem to miss the ones in the word play (cf last week).

[shelouse]

I got the theme very quickly like many others, after solving a few across clues, and have all but finished but am stuck on 21ac and 22dn. I know what the removed letters should be and think I have the second word of 21ac. I shall persist.

I agree with other posts - a nice puzzle but disappointed at the lack of anything to do or highlight etc at the end.

[Ruthrobin]

Hello, Shelouse, I have been wondering why the thread was so quiet with only those speedy solvers appearing at the start.
Like you, I had trouble with those two. I am pretty sure that the word you are fairly sure of IS the right one. That's the way I got that one. Look THAT word up in Chambers and you will find the required answer at the end of the definitions - very obscure, I thought.
That, then, will help you to get the other one (that I have indirectly commented on earlier). I now know the answer to my own question - hyphens are not indicated in Listener crosswords.

[Speravi]

Very nicely judged, I thought. A couple of modified across clues and their answers gave a hint as to the theme and a third confirmed it. That gave the name and a few modified down clues and their answers yielded the rest of the thematic material. The cluing was scrupulously fair, but tough - and it needed to be or the challenge would have been diminished by the help afforded by the (fairly) easily obtained thematic "helps". I didn't think that this was one of the most difficult offerings of the year, pace cluelessJoe, but I found it one of the more enjoyable challenges due to the twin virtues of the elegance of execution of the theme and the difficulty of the cluing. It was also pleasing to meet some new words, at 1 ac, 10 ac, and 21 ac. Thanks, Merlin!

[Clamzy]

The trouble with setting Gold Cup winners, and even better (IMO) earlier ones, is that your fans will be disappointed with a perfectly good subsequent puzzle.
As to difficulty, this one left me with nothing to do on Sunday, as have several recent Listeners.
Mysterons - didn't he do one about Royal Flush or something?

[midazolam]

Listener 3654 - 26/02/2002 - Royal Flush