Listener 4137: Frightened Catherine by Ifor

[midazolam]

An enjoyable Listener début from Ifor (although a setter that I have solved in the Magpie, EV and IQ).

I was wondering why this needed to be a carte blanche as I was solving it, but the little twists justified it. Clever theme that was well constructed. Thanks Ifor

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[aldanna]

NO! Don't tell me about the Crossword Centre etc. I can't finish this one, though maybe inching onwards.

[bellabee]

just finished it. some very clever albeit torturous wordplay. bit of a liberty to have a complete alternative double entry on a carte blanche! (32) but i do think the boffins are being somewhat overly favoured these days.

[dead-eye]

finally resolved the endgame by recalling a guy from a dystopian novel by an american writer. this may have been fortuitous but it worked for me.

[Scorpius]

Started late on this. I wasn’t as thrilled by the theme as many on this site, but it’s a perfectly good puzzle, with a fair number of easy clues to get one started on the well-constructed grid. The only PDM for me was the emergence of the theme. The rest was predictable.

I was slightly puzzled at the end that I couldn’t get it to work in the way I imagined it should, but then realized that one of the definition-only clues has three, not two possible entries and I’d plumped for the wrong two. With only one such ambiguity it wasn’t a major stumbling block, so perhaps it can be seen as a legitimate part of the endgame.

I didn’t particularly care for the second definition to 38. – far too imprecise for a definition-only clue.

It’s very unclear to me what precisely is to be written below the grid (despite midazolam's earlier comment). I can see two possibilities, both satisfying the preamble and both thematically accurate in different ways, that could be described as (5,5). As I shan’t submit it doesn’t matter.

[Deviant]

Having spent a while doing this, it's much easier than the average carte blanche & I may even finish it. I just think that the Listener schedulers need to space them out more.

[tenflags]

This rear-gunner has struggled the last few weeks and playing catch-up. Still need to finally finish off last weeks.

Started this for a change and popped in here for a rest-bite. So far enjoying it and working from the outside to inward as opposed to the other way round called for a few weeks ago. Still some way to go but 9 made me smile.

[tenflags]

BTW with ref to 4134 Cruciverbalism by Poat (St George cross); did anyone spot that the 'unused' first and last letters from the extra words in clues spelt out "Shakespeare date of death" ?!

[aldanna]

Just finished it, and amazed by the cleverness and the multiple strands of the construction. Congratulations Ifor!

[contendo]

Finally filled the grid, got the 12 double definitions and found the spare clue. No idea how to take it any further however, except that in each case of the alternative letters a relationship can be made to the title. Waiting for inspiration to descend.

[7lattens]

Contendo: Try looking at the title and the spare clue together - my struggle is with16a and 38a - hopefully these will lead me to place 5d and 17d in the right order

[7lattens]

Why is it that as soon as you post the answer jumps straight out at you - QED - lovely final link - thanks Ifor

[borealis]

Without the rain to drive me indoors, this would have taken me all week. Great construction and some lovely clues. Thank you, Ifor.

Well spotted re. the extra bit in 4134, tenflags - I didn't even notice the relevant date at the time.

[tenflags]

Hi Borealis, I didn't spot it at the time so can't take credit for that I'm afraid. But looks like no one else here did either ? pretty clever stuff.

[tilbee]

Had to dip into this over this weekend, but finally completed. This was an excellent construction with several red herrings (most of which I fell for). The cleverness in the title and extraneous clue really added to the final pdm.

[tilbee]

PS: the extra thematic element on 4134 was also totally lost on me.

[bobbycollins]

I'm at a very familiar place. Everything in the grid, redundant clue found (no ambiguity for me so I have clearly missed something) and not a clue where to go next.

Did anybody else initially think that 17d was the same entry as 5d? It CAN work, so I had yet another huge doooh moment when I saw the correct entry.

[tilbee]

Bobbycollins - I think there are in fact two ambiguities. One in identifying the redundant clue, and one in distinguishing beween 5d and 17d. As already stated everything is relevant.

[TheBear69]

In spite all of the above, I still am torn between two versions of the (5,5) convergence; they share a word but in one case that word is first and it's last in the other. These two phrases are synonymous, so it does not help to know what the missing clue is, how to enter 5d & 17d or what pair of numbers to enter.

[bobbycollins]

Thanks, tilbee. I shall put it aside for a day. That often works.

[pushmi-pullyu]

Wow, just finished. What a brilliant puzzle.