Listener 4130 Rattle by Augeus

[Ruthrobin]

I see that trux and Starwalker have posted already, elsewhere. As I did, they quickly found the quotation and are now working hard.

[IainGrace]

Thanks to dr b and AndrewG-S.

[trux]

IG : you might also try Chris F.A. Johnson's site http://cfaj.freeshell.org/wordfinder/ where you can specify Anagram Plus or Anagram Minus a letter ....

[borealis]

Clamzy - they are indeed in the UK. I am afraid my comment was merely a gentle quip at those of us across the pond....
JackDeCrow and perseverer, looking back over my rough copy I find 14 alphabetically resolved ambiguities rather than your 13..... I wonder if there are two similar possibilities for one or more of the 12 unclued?

[IainGrace]

Thanks, trux.

Finished this and thought some criticism a bit unfair, although there may be some residual ambiguity. Last bit a slog but we didn't find it desperately so.

Got the annual stats. Our target historically has been to submit entries to at least half of the year's puzzles - owing to holidays, not always having time, not doing Playfairs or numericals and not being able to solve some of them! Having joined this site a year or so ago, our tally this year is closer to 40 entries - due in no small part no doubt to nudges from others here, so thanks for that. We have no higher aspiration to join the elite of the "all correct"!

[abns]

I agree with those who thought this was a pretty good offering. I enjoyed most of the clueing and didn't have a particular problem with the alphabetical requirement.

My biggest gripe was that, unless I've missed something, the remainder of the quotation is 23 words long, and the last six of those seem pretty irrelevant for the purposes of the treatment. I'm not sure I can see how they could have been fitted in, but it feels slightly unsatisfactory that they weren't.

[Philoctetes]

Borealis,
I can count 17 unchecked letters in the unclued entries. Of these, two are initials, so are covered without the alphabetical rule; likewise two are the only remaining letters in answers after cross-checking, so are similarly not covered. regardless of the actual entries, I think there have to be 13.

[dr b]

I think there are 18 unchecked? I think I also got 14 cells entered by the alphabetical rule but I got tired of rechecking so I could be wrong.

[dr b]

13 - yep, I was double counting first letter of 17.

[Mysterons]

Feel certain that an L in (9,5) will be marked wrong - that variation on is actually in Chambers, but as it merely denates the country of origin of the thematic item, it would be a poor choice for one of the twelve.

[bellabee]

tilbee - have just returned from a week in yorkshire where i was without a computer. my question was posted via someone's mobile 'phone [amazing what those awful things can do] - anyway it was a desparate moment but clamzy got me started again and i slogged on to finish it a couple of hours later. - didn't enjoy this and thought the range of clueing from [for the most part] ridiculously easy to very obscure was a major weakness [especially where so many blank areas are involved] also no bradfords so i got a huge list from same mobile 'phone which had to be scrawled out by hand and 99% of it wasn't even needed. inquisitor 1170 by rasputin was the highpoint for me this week - every single clue a gem [although the endgame was a doddle].

[Clamzy]

Bellabee - Agree with you about the Rasputin puzzle which I am engaged upon at the moment and enjoying it. Did you know that Rasputin is not a million miles away from us?

[bellabee]

i don't know who you mean clamzy - can you say?

[Ruthrobin]

Bellabee, if you can send me an email at [email protected] I can give you info.

[bellabee]

ruthrobin - i will see if the real bellabee will oblige [as i'm very curious] - i haven't been instructed in the art of emailing unfortunately.

[bellabee]

rr -message sent.

[bellabee]

thanks for the information ruthrobin - and thankyou rasputin for what is [in my opinion] a terrific puzzle.- it must have taken an age to achieve that degree of complexity with all of the clues.

[borealis]

Aargh - I included the initial letter of 17 in my count. Thanks Philoctetes and dr b. Apologies for the false alarm - 13 it is.

[easterfool]

Happily finished - and ready to be posted. I'm with those who found the final st age of sorting out the unchecked to be a bit unsatisfactory. I'm glad that I don't have to do the checking. I wonder who checks that the checker got it right (especially for me with my propensity for typos. What will I do until teh enxt one comes out? Learn to type seems a good aim after that last sentence!
Actually off to look after aged p while other aged p is in hospital - so glad of an easy one this week. Wonder what April 1/2 will bring.