Listener 4038: Playtime by Samuel

[midazolam]

I am pretty sure there are no ambiguities with Samuel's effort this time!

An enjoyable finish, even though many of the extra letters in the clues stood out very blatantly. This type of cluing is hard to construct (even more so with 2 letters), but I feel too easy to spot.

On balance, the clever denouement wins over the clues.

Thanks Samuel

[AHearer]

I agree, this was an enjoyable but not too difficult puzzle. As for ambiguity, I do have a slight problem with the highlighting. If the submission only involves letters entered normally in the original form of the grid, that would appear to be asking us not to include two letters from the "...two five-letter words..." -- as they were not, to my mind, entered normally -- but highlight their squares. Is this the correct interpretation?

[AHearer]

Oh, and one could also argue about how many times what takes place takes place.

[midazolam]

"original form" means the letters are the correct way up as in the first completed grid

twice is definitely how many times it happens

i still do not see an ambiguity

[AHearer]

By 'first completed', do you mean before or after following the instruction given by the surplus letters in the across clues?

To my mind, what takes place takes place twice three times (count the clunks in a physical implementation of the grid).

[midazolam]

you have the left series of movements and the right series of movements = twice

if we were to submit the grid at the end of the instruction, letters would have to be drawn in an unconventional manner looking very messy - to make the grid look nice at the end with the highlighting, the letters are just entered "normally" like they were before the instruction = "first completed"

[turnerjmw]

Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join in?

For what it's worth, I found this pleasant, with a very original construction and no ambiguity about the solution. Certainly the quickest Listener word puzzle I've ever completed, with a pretty straightforward grid fill, and no doubt about the remaining steps. Some of the wordplay was a bit obscure, but it's all lurking somewhere in Chambers.

Well played, Samuel!

[starwalker]

I quite enjoyed this as well. Another of those that brings a smile at the end.
Given my past experience of Samuel, I shall check my entry very carefully. Somehow, he always seems to get me to introduce an error that is totally of my own making.

[Speravi]

Brilliant idea, Samuel.

My interpretations:
"entered normally" means "the right way up", and
"in the original form of the grid" is an instruction to ignore the fact that to carry out the instruction physically would be to alter the position of the bars.

[poorsolver]

Glad you all think it easy. I'm struggling this time.. Have the first word and then I'm blank apart from about eight or nine pairs of letters that are unconnected.

Have spent about 10 hours on this now and am getting really frustrated.

[x_word_fan]

I know the protocol re. Listener threads but - having filled the grid and got the instructions I am unable to find the two 5 letter words. English? Straightline? Clue answers?Connected to the definite article? Any hint would be a help.

[perseverer]

Can only say that if you have filled the grid and carried out the instructions fully, the two words are there perfectly clearly, and should appeal to any regular Listener solver.

[jacinth]

Surprised myself by finishing this with one eye on the 20-20...other than the recent numerical, the first one I've finished in quite a few weeks. No ambiguities as far as I can tell...

...however, the scientist in me is slightly troubled - the system seems to need a bit of friction to keep the solution steady - I hope others understand what I mean!

[Mysterons]

I'm not sure that the wheels are even in contact with each other, else they would all be continuously moving throughout the sequence, and the slots beneath the first row would be in the wrong orientation. A fun puzzle which I somehow wish I'd done whilst taking a bath !

[jacinth]

Agreed - I should stop worrying, thanks.

[cluelessJoe]

Yes Mysterons, friction would certainly have made this a much more complicated solve. I wonder if I'd have been marked wrong for highlighting "ME" as the speaker, as I've been known to utter those phrases over many a Listener!

[x_word_fan]

Thanks perseverer.

With a clear head this morning all is found.

As a former teacher I should know the importance of carefully reading the instructions.

[shelouse]

Hello. I've been off the air for a while but am now set up again. Agree that this was a very straightforward puzzle. Only query I have is regarding what is entered in the empty slots ...... if this is always what I think it must be then "what happens" occurs more than twice and I sort of feel that there should be some sort of corroboration of the unchecked (so to speak) cells.

[Mysterons]

There are 8 empty 'slots' after the initial grid fill, and just 2 of these are filled as per the instructions, so the final grid must contain 6 empty cells/'slots'.

(Midazolam's posting (No. 5) clarifies what happens twice)

[shelouse]

Thanks, Mysterons. I had mopre or less worked that out after rereading the early postings.

[robinruth]

Just completed this after a very late start. Again, I am left wondering how a compiler can construct such a complex puzzle - reversing all our actions.

With regard to that discussion of the 'twice' - before reading this thread, I had wondered whether it was a reference to what takes place in a literary sense (related to the 'author') and also to what Midazolam hints at in thread entry no. 5 - thus 'twice'.

Great fun and less difficult for solvers who usually struggle!