Listener crossword 4177: Number Plates by Xanthippe

[midazolam]

First numerical of 2012 and a fun puzzle. Looked daunting at first but it all fell into place with a fun ending

Thanks Xanthippe

[Rogue-Elfe]

D'OH!
B0dger (or whatever symbols you've used), you have just solved it for me. I was coming on here to ask about said ambiguity, and just remembered something very very basic in maths. The symbol '-' for subtraction is perfectly correct.
That's a great puzzle, Xanthippe. Interestingly, I would have got it right but by a dubious reason; a change of variable, so to speak. Now, I understand it perfectly, and as Ruthrobin said, it's wickedly clever.

[tenflags]

Well ambiguity resolved some time ago but I am surprised no one has mentioned that there seems to me to be 8 possible permutations to thematically complete and so thinking perhaps I have gone wrong somewhere or am missing some other obvious point that has escaped me.. as it's surely not normal to have multiple solutions.
hey ho time for a cuppa.

[sunny-dave]

I think you may be 'over completing' tenflags - read the rubric carefully ...

[tenflags]

Arrrrrh well spotted sunny-dave.. hadn't got round to this years self imposed mantra.. re-read the preamble V carefully.

[magichour]

Grid complete, letters all replaced and theme perfectly understood. Yet to spot the ambiguity though - trying to work out how to resolve a certain apparent omission...

[B0dger]

D'oh indeed. Most humble apologies. I should have known better.

[magichour]

Finally got there after identifying a mathematical principle I had previously overlooked. Number puzzles are not normally my favourites (for reasons such as the above), but I thought this was extremely cleverly constructed and take my hat off to Xanthippe for achieving a great concept.

[word_cross]

b0dger, I think you should consider removing your original post, please.

[123-and-ABC]

The easiest numerical part that I've seen to date, although in the course of solving I chose the wrong one of two possibilities - but as this gave an non-integer it was rapidly righted. Now for the word bit.

[jim360]

Finished it just now. My working was correct, I just forgot to take into account the fact that at times there were choices as to what letters went where, and my first choice led to dead-ends.

Nice ambiguity, I almost forgot about that since it's second-nature to me by now. Anyway, finished.

[iamamoose]

Agreed, word_cross. A lovely bamboozling endgame. Shame to totally give it away here (albeit inadvertently)

[captaincoma]

I know direct questions are frowned upon but I would be extremely grateful if someone would be kind enough to give me a yes or no answer. I think the final cell is C. Am I correct?

[word_cross]

captaincoma - please provide an email address and someone may be so good as to provide you with an answer. i think far too much has been discussed already on this thread.

[teuchter2]

Have finished the numerical part, enjoyed finding the words and understand what the theme is, but I am clearly missing something about the ambiguity, or rather how to solve it, and am a little puzzled as my list of thematic items contains one more than appear in the total suggested by the preamble. Will keep going and have another think later.

[Ruthrobin]

Thanks, Bodger, that keeps us all out of trouble with the Listener police.

[tilbee]

As someone who struggles on the numericals, was drawn into this by the fact that there were definitions provided , and so I hoped that there was at least one element that I could turn into a standard solve. Only got into this after lunch today, but initially proved three times through logical deduction that the puzzle was not internally consistent and there insoluble, until I carefully re-read the preamble and realised I has misinterpreted 'integer' as 'digit'.

I am amazed that anyone initially solved the grid (or even more so that they found it relatively easy) without determining the theme. Once I had the grid around 1/3 full, I managed to guess at this, and using the theme and the defintions provided, think I managed to bypass a whole lot of complex calculation.


Three months until the next one - phew !

[the_heisman]

Fortunately missed the inadvertent outrage. I am pretty sure I have got it but don't have quite the cast iron confidence of some other posters. A great crossword with multiple layers and a stunning construction. Thank you very much Xanthippe - an otherwise very boring flight and check-in became very absorbing

[Coalminers]

Teuchter2....I too had a list with one extra itam, and that extra item frustratingly confused everything. I suggest you try to find a list with exactly the right number of thematic items.

[jim360]

Well tilbee, I'm of the different school of thought since I enjoy the numericals immensely. This week's was a brilliant one, since none of the clues is that long, a wonderful ambiguity that I didn't get at first because of conventions I am used to, and a nice theme too. I enjoy challenging through numerical logic puzzles - I think it is a pity that so few people here do, as seems to be the case.

[sunny-dave]

I'm with you jim360.

The first ever Listeners I did were the numericals - the others were way out of my reach at the time.

I still look forward to the quarterly logic test - although I sort of think they should be 'as well as' the usual puzzle rather than 'instead of' (greedy I know) ...