Listener 4015

[cruciverbali]

Our first challenge for 2009 is Baker's Dozen by Adam

Happy New Solving Everyone !!

[Walterloo]

I know what you mean, Scorpius. I feel a little similar and even though I know these 'easier' ones appear for a good reason, to encourage new solvers of course, I can't help but wonder why some of them have extremely mild twists and final steps. I can't wish that EVERY puzzle is going to rock my boat, I suppose. And sometimes, like this one, the easier / tamer varieties arrive on a busy weekend (kids kids everywhere!) and a busy work week to follow, so I should be grateful. And if I tried to create a Listener it would be nowhere near as good as this one or any other.

[MartianAlien]

The 3 word phrase and associated name came easily, but the substitution code, not so easy. 2 repeated letters do not have a unique substitution, so how does the code work? I cannot get real words for 9d and 24d.

[bobbycollins]

MartianAlien,

For the two repeated letters you just have to use whichever substitution fits the bill.

9d is one of those words only ever seen in crosswords and Victorian novels. 24d - self-evidently - requires a change of only one letter.

[Walterloo]

MartianAlien, having written the phrase above the name, as you've done, you now have (obviously) 13 pairs of letters. Work from the principle that the top letter becomes the bottom one, if you haven't already assumed that. Each time you do a substitution you can cross them off as you go. You will have one of the repeated combinations leftover.

[MartianAlien]

bobbycollins/Waterloo thank you.
How stupid of me - 9d has 3 letter changes, not 2 as I was trying in my spreadsheet, which was an unnecessary technological overkill.
It's obvious really to any sensible earthling.
I must be more careful in 2009.

[Walterloo]

I'm blaming the cold, MartianAlien, for any lack of brainpower at the moment. That's my excuse, anyway, because I'm at work trying to answer staff questions and taking a few more seconds than normal to answer them properly.
Anyway, I'd still love to know how the wordplay works for 4 down. If anyone can oblige I'll be most grateful.

[copelander]

Waterloo, re 4d take mina out of a word meaning "calling". I'm still struggling to find the 3 word phrase that to everyone else has been so obvious!

[Clamzy]

copelander - possibly you are struggling because you are looking for a phrase in English.
Try Latin.

[copelander]

Thanks, Clamzy, that should narrow it down a bit.

[Rapparee]

Copelander, go here. Using Word Matcher you can anagram a string of letters plus any unknowns. Just follow the instructions. The example gives all 9 letter anagrams of triangle plus one unknown. The thee word phrase will come up instantly without spaces.

Quinapalus Word Matcher

[Walterloo]

Thanks Copelander for explaining 4dn.

[milford15]

Hello all. I am been attempting Listener crosswords for well over a year with very little success. This is the first one I have got finished so I am very happy. I had got very stuck with some puzzles in the past and had decided never to try again, but kept coming back for more as could not resist them. I am delighted I did!

[castro221]

I too sailed through this, for once, except for 3dn, which I can't make sense of at all - if anyone can give a hint to put me out of my misery, I'd be very grateful.

[cruciverbali]

Thanks for all your comments on this one, and especialiy to milford - it's encouraging to hear you have stuck at it and I'm sure you will progress this year. For castro, this link should assist.

[perseverer]

Castro, this may be a bit too cryptic, but your post had two examples of what the grid entry should have in it, grammatically speaking
.

[castro221]

Many thanks to cruciverbali and perseverer - actually I knew what the answer had to be, but couldn't think why. (I was hung up looking for definitions of poet/esses, and not examples). So I am now kicking myself, but not as hard as I feared I might be! On to 4016 which is not likely to be as easy (and please don't anyone tell me you have already finished it...)