Listener no 4157 Easy Win by Ilver

[Ruthrobin]

Thought I'd begin the Friday club. What joy to see another new Listener name and what succinct cluing! A speedy fill then a delightful pdm for me with the theme cleverly holding it all together and what head-scratching before the final touch fell into place. Magic, thank you Ilver!

[starwalker]

Agreed. Such a speedy fill and I'm now just waiting for the drop. A wonderful start for Ilver.

[dr b]

yep - nice, and quick.

[starwalker]

RR - just realised from your posting-time that you cracked the whole thing in 15 minutes. That has to be a record !

[contendo]

RR, you're in a different league. It would take me that long to write the answers down, without having to work anything out.
Anyone got problems with 12D? Apart from this I've filled the grid, got the hint but haven't yet established the connection between the eight words.

[easylistener]

Very satisfying solving. I like anagrams. But yet to solve theme and perimeter etc. Lovely puzzle so far.

[AHearer]

I share the admiration of the multitudes for RuthRobin's celerity. I agree it was an easy girid fill -- but not THAT easy!

On 12D, Contendo, just follow your instinct and look up the unlikely result in the BRB -- it's there.

[Zabadak]

Yup, very pretty - hangs together well and managed to be a bit educational too - I didn't know the result of the single letter variation, for example, and though its setting was obvious, I got it in reverse form the shady characters.
An East Win, done in bits and pieces through a choppy evening. Cheers to Ilver and my best to all.

[Zabadak]

That was obviously meant to be Easy, in case anyone thinks I was being weirdly cryptic.
Incidentally, I can only assume RR was working on Double Summer Time. Any chance of a heads up on the 3.35 at Newmarket tomorrow.
Seriously, I can't even type my entry to this blog that fast.

[cluelessJoe]

Guess the only way I could have solved this quicker than RR was if I'd test-solved it in the first place. Oops!. Anyway good to have a Friday nighter for a change - nice puzzle.
As for that 3.35 Zabadak, I think I'll take a punt on Art History to shade Jameel, but will not be putting much of my shirt on it.

[silversolver]

Also in the Friday Club this week despite a late-ish start. An enjoyable puzzle indeed - nothing too taxing but some fun clues and a nice PDM.

[Ruthrobin]

OK Clueless Joe, you got it in one! And it took me several hours then and a lot more head scratching! Have to come clean now or AB friends will think I've suddenly become like those Times champions (Mark Goodliffe in three minutes style) That event is on the 22nd of this month. However, I did and do still think Ilver's first Listener was a triumph.

[Ruthrobin]

Post script - I have just done a 'fifteen-minute solve' of this week's IQ by Nudd and can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has completed the Ilver :)

[cluelessJoe]

... and I suppose you also have the inside line on the EV and AZED too? Makes for an easy weekend in the sun :)

[sunny-dave]

Nice clueing - filled grid fairly quickly - but very, very frustrated now - have got theme and done perimeter, but just cannot see the final change/highlighting (up 'til 1:30am staring at it and no wiser this morning).

It seems to me that the letter to be changed must be an unch (or more than one entry would be affected) - or am I woofing up the wrong conifer?

[Zabadak]

sunny-dave: check out your Chambers entries for the thematic stuff in the light of the phrase you have used to solve the edges. All should resolve nicely.

[aldanna]

Aah, so Ruthrobin is a test-solver! I always enjoy her agreeably balanced comments but I have several times wondered about the amount of inside information she seems to have.
So far this sedate solver has an almost full grid, and feels it may be possible to finish this week, after a not very successful run.

[emcee]

Just the letter change to spot and I'm done. An unusual theme which I never knew existed. Thanks, Ilver, for an enjoyable solve.

[Ruthrobin]

Thanks for the compliment, Aldanna. In fact a few of us 'test-solve' for each other but for various sources - EV, IQ, Magpie and just now and then, one that makes it into the Listener. There is a long gap between a test-solve and publication (can be years) but great pleasure when a friend's compilation makes the grade.

[dead-eye]

well done cj. Art History got up on the line at 9/2. alas Jameel ran like a ...

[TheBear69]

I agree that the full grid fill was quite easy but I found the final step tough enough to end up in the Saturday club...