What a nicely clued and enjoyable solve. This was not the fearsome shocker we are all expecting one of these days. Please, please heed our pleas this week and don't spoil it for other solvers and those who are involved in the Listener competition, by announcing your clever answers and reasoning on the AB thread.
bobbycollins _ I am anything but an expert on the resolved answers but I think they explain the apparently clumsy clueing and the need for all the words in 37a.
Indeed logophile. An old friend has box tickets at Old Trafford today (courtesy of his work). I imagine it'll be a lot different from the Stretford End terrace which we used to inhabit over 40 years ago. The Glazers will be seeing both their teams today, one will definitely lose (Tampa Bay) - hopefully not both !
With some help from Himself, I have got this all sorted out - and for once I was quite correct when I wasn't quite sure about all the details. All very clever and neat. However, I think it is a slight flaw if one can get to the end without going through all the steps thoroughly.
I would have liked to see a little more connection between the clue answers and the result of the resolution of clashes. For instance, I have one affected answer, that I can quite justify, that shares only 25% of its letters with the entry. And one entry that, for all I understand the clue, might have no shared letters at all. Is "resolving" unchs fair?
That last one doesn't sound like it's one of those that requires any resolution Philoctetes, but I agree that resolving unches isn't customary (I wonder should your 25% be 37.5% ?)
Away for the weekend so got to this one late. Yes, another relatively gentle outing by Listener standards although the theme only became apparent for me after I had a full grid apart from all the answers to the "unmisprinted" clues. I also suspect that there is a "stinker" in store before too long after a run of fairly straightforward ones...
I too didn't find this that difficult. However, unlike several previous posts, I am viewing this series of gentler puzzles as a deserved break after a run of stinkers in the summer! (e.g. that Carte Blanche without answer lengths - not that I completed that)
Pretty quick gridfill again - and PDM easy enough to find and resolve - but I found the overall effect rather pleasing - especially the thematic clues - and endgame leaves no room for doubt - so thanks, Calmac
Didn't start until yesterday but expected to make reasonably quick progress given the comments already posted. It didn't work out quite like that. However, I think I've finished with all misprints identified and clashes resolved but I can't help feeling that I'm missing something. For example, I have the same concern as bobbycollins re 37a.
Just back from Prague last night, where I managed to solve most of this one without the BRB, Bradford or internet access, which was cheering. Am nearly there this morning, though still a few details to resolve.
A neat puzzle I thought, although would echo some other comments about stumbling on the resolved answers before some of the "apparent clashes" - indeed for the shortest of the clues in question I still have no idea what the original answer was, and for another I'm firmly in the "don't understand what the extra two words add to it" camp!