Listener 4152: Inn Joke by Mr Lemon

[midazolam]

I don't get it! (the joke that is)

I am glad it was easy this week compared to last week, but I am not impressed.

The title, the rejoinder, the connection between the quotation? I suppose none of it matters to complete it. A shame there's no PDM (for me anyway)

[jim360]

uh-huh. In complete contrast to everyone else in this thread, I can't break into this one - just don't have the head for cryptic listeners I suppose. I think I've solved one clue, though, which speaks volumes for the fact that it must be an easier puzzle than usual. Having said that, can anyone possibly give me a few hints? Not in this thread, obviously, and not complete answers for same reason, but maybe email me a few or something.

[Ruthrobin]

jim360 I know a few of us are happy to lend a hand to those relative newcomers who haven't learned how these Listener crosswords work but you do need to give us an email address or direct us to another thread where we can find one.

[jim360]

I wasn't sure if the idea was frowned upon so I was going to withhold my email until I knew whether or not someone would offer help (might have been against rules or "not cricket" or something). Anyway, it's [email protected] . Thanks in advance!

[Cruncher]

Thought the best PDM about this was the title frankly - and fitting the letters into the perimeter.
Thanks Tilbee - my clever teen scored 9 A*s and an A, and an A in Add Maths, so
much whooping and relief at Chateau Cruncher. Daughter now busy becoming unrecognisable in the muds of Reading so hosepipes at the ready when she reappears

[jim360]

What's "pdm"?

[contendo]

Jim360 - Penny drop moment.
I confess I don't understand the wordplay of 17ac or 17dn. Maybe my answers are wrong but I can't see any room for alternatives.

[Cruncher]

jim360 - both clues have misprints in definitions. 17ac is a double definition (one misprinted) and the wordplay of 17dn involves a simple bit of assembly

[jim360]

Anyway... thanks to the help I've got via email, I now have 14 of the misprinted letters and just the one clue left to solve, as well as what the quotation is. May even complete the puzzle later today!

[jim360]

Finished! Thanks to all for help.

4152 - first time ever that I completed a word listener.

[contendo]

Thanks Cruncher - you meant me rather than Jim360. The penny's dropped over 17a, confirming my initial conclusion and also removing any doubt over 17d.

[Speravi]

The first Listener I completed (ca. 1988) was by Mr Lemon. so I may be biased, but I've never failed to enjoy his offerings - and this was no exception. I heartily endorse the comments of tristram37 and would add that, in my view, the apparent pursuit of tricksy endgames at all costs leads to the increase in unsatisfactory pre-rambles that we have to endure - and its a cost that all too often, recently, has not outweighed the pleasure of the battle. No doubt this is a matter of individual taste, but I would like to say that, in vontrast to some recent offerings, I found this a thoroughly enjoyable breath of fresh air, well within the Listener range of difficulty with fair play cluing (and an acceptable mix of easier and harder clues) and a smile-inducing PDM - thanks, Mr Lemon, for another winner.

[Speravi]

Ahem: "contrast", obviously.

[Speravi]

Oh, dear: I meant to say that the cost has not been outweighed by the pleasure. I'll try to shut up now.

[tristram37]

Thank you, Speravi. I was hoping that someone would agree with me!

[Zabadak]

A very late start for me this week, and rather groggy having been out in the sun without a hat, so appreciated a relatively easy one. Congratulations, I'm sure from everyone, to Jim360 on his (her?) milestone. Now that you've caught the infection, it's probably to late to tell you there's no known cure!
Has anyone located a source for the rejoinder? No doubt about what it is, and the title is almost but not quite a giveaway, but Google doesn't seem to know it.

[pushmi-pullyu]

I agree that it erred on the easy side, but after last week (which I didn't even attempt) I'm not complaining. I did think that 17d was a very weak clue though.

[bobbycollins]

I too welcomed an easy puzzle for a change; all work and no play etc etc. Sorry that you didn't smile at the joke and the connection, Midazolam, it has always made me laugh.

[AndrewG-S]

A late post this week as away for the weekend. Simple but effective and enjoyable, with amusing clues and endgame - no grumbles from me after some tricky Listeners and EVs that took some catching up on what with holidays etc. Thanks Mr Lemon, welcome and congrats Jim360.

[jim360]

Thank you all! I can only hope that it doesn't get that much tougher from here. We'll see, I suppose! Though I eagerly await the next numbers listener, those are the ones I find the easiest (generally). Did one last year I think, the one with primes with only odd numbers or something, and then the one about triangular numbers (almost, anyway - one calculation slip-up stopped me completing it). And then last week's numbers puzzle.

[Arcticpenguin]

A nice friendly offering ! Gave me a chance to re-visit last week's monstrosity.