Listener 4695 Betrayal By Nudd

[upsetter]

An exquisite composition.

Thanks, Nudd.

[NickorWan]

Yes, lovely puzzle, thanks very much, Nudd. I do like when the theme helps clear up a few uncertainties.

[HawkCrossword]

We've been spoiled so far this year. This was really absorbing, with many excellent clues and some tough messages to extract.

Many thanks, Nudd!

[olichant]

Top endgame. Thanks, Nudd.

[Hagen]

Kudos to Nudd for a set of misprint clues where the misprints are cleverly disguised and, better still, the correct letters are unambiguous (that's not always the case). I get the impression that, for Nudd, top-notch clue quality is every bit as important as the bells and whistles. Even better, no grid-staring or exhaustive internet searching is necessary and best of all, the endgame is so neat there aren't any lingering doubts about what's required. All of which combines to make my ideal Listener.

It wasn't the hardest of puzzles by any means, but it amply fulfils the Listener guidelines requiring elegance and subtlety of theme and clueing, not difficulty per se. What more can one want?

[pushmi-pullyu]

Altogether delightful.

[sunny-dave]

Lovely - very neat and precise, with some excellent clues and well hidden misprints.

Thanks Nudd - one of my favourite setters.

[Dim16]

Judging from the praise here this should be fun although the clues look tough.

[Cruncher]

Deeply satisfying

[Dim16]

Have completed grid but unable to identify many of the letters needed to complete the endgame.

Very unsatisfying but at least I haven't wasted much time on it, unlike last week.

[upsetter]

@Dim16 - if you read the preamble it says of the down extra letters "these letters *in column order* make a statement that must be written below the grid".
This will point you in the right direction.

[Dim16]

Upsetting

Thanks, but I understand the preamble. I'm still annoyed about not finishing off last week's puzzle, hence my rather negative post. Since the post I have identified the sentence, which means I know how to finish this off. Just need to pin down one final clue and make sure I have the instruction 100% correct.

Nice puzzle with some neat clues. Liked 17 and 32 especially.

Thanks Nudd

have an idea for the

[Dim16]

No idea where that stray "have an idea for the" text came from.

[Dim16]

"Upsetter" not "Upsetting" obvs

[Cruncher]

Dim16
If you do get frustrated with a puzzle - and some of them are jolly infuriating - you can always Google the Crosswordsolver threads where there is much more interaction and explicit discussion about puzzles and particular clues than you'll find on these threads.
For better or worse there is a tradition on the Answerbank threads that discussions are more muted. That said if you so get stuck and you asked for one of us to privately DM you I'm sure we'd be happy to give you a nudge.
I've been doing the Listener for 30 years and I still get caught out by some of the puzzles!

[Dim16]

Hi Cruncher

Thank you for your encouragement.

I come on this forum because I don't want any assistance, and I find the points made here stimulating, and they act as an incentive for me to improve. I also let off some steam sometimes which is probably not appreciated so will try to be more positive in the future, and only post if I have completed the puzzle.

FWIW I agree with all the sentiments expressed about the quality of this puzzle.

[Philoctetes]

Dim16
Don't worry. There used to be an award each week here for the grumpiest comment about the puzzle. Named after a contributor whose moniker I forget

[sunny-dave]

The Z Cup (named by Zabadak) - I think I received the award on more than one occasion ... including awarding it to myself for a spectacular attack of the grumps (red face) :

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1478403-2.html

[Dim16]

Listener 4388 sounds tough but interestingly according to the website 317 successfully solved it which is not that low, only 104 solved Buried Treasure by Poat later that year.

[upsetter]

@Dim16 - I would recommend the site Listen with Others to any newcomer to the Listener as it gives full solutions to puzzles after the competition date is over.
They are sometimes posted by crossword setters.

https://listenwithothers.com/

[Dim16]

Thanks Upsetter