Listener 4245 Ghost Story By Plinth

[Ruthrobin]

Surely I am not the first to post? This has been delightful all the way through and I just laughed out loud at the help the Internet gave me. Great fun, thank you, Plinth.

[olichant]

A lovely puzzle, and not as intimidating as it appeared (to me, anyway) at first sight. Many thanks to Plinth. Thanks, also, to the various bloggers for their various explanations of Killer Queen - very neatly expressed.

[starwalker]

Yes, it did look a little intimidating at first. Have now got a full grid and will leave the rest of the work for tomorrow. Must also catch up on the Killer Queen processes.

[dr b]

All in all a very proper Listener with a good mix of hard and easy clues and an excellent endgame. Definitely needed the Wiki to sort out the at-first unpromising extra letters.

[magichour]

Yes, this was a very pleasant puzzle which leaves the rest of the weekend free. Going to enjoy the Listener while I can until my subscription expires at the end of the month... the dreaded email has arrived.

[jim360]

A few loose ends to tie up in the bottom half of the grid, but I'm familiar just about with the theme -- enough, anyway, to know what the final substitution is without having to google the relevant text fragment (though I did need to check the spelling). The various gaps may have to wait until tomorrow to get filled -- although as I was typing this one of them got filled.

A lovely theme to choose, anyway, and well presented!

[AndrewG-S]

Yes agree with all the above. Great fun. Thanks plinth.

[Zabadak]

Had to google the extra letters to make sure I wasn't misreading the rubric, but otherwise good fun. Generous of Plinth to give us a carte grise.

[TheBear69]

This is an excellent construction with solid clueing throughout. Thanks Plinth

[Alekhine]

Easy enough.

A DIY weekend beckons.

[tenflags]

nice puzzle and the theme new to me (as much is) but a minor gripe for me was 'waiter' .. I think a shorter word would of been more correct.

[Andcharall]

Pretty easy - nothing wrong with that! - but very clever and satisfying. (Why do I never read the instructions properly first time round?? - I wasted several minutes trying to rearrange the misprints rather than the correct letters - which rather denied the theme, moreover.)

[contendo]

"Would of" Tenflags? Tut tut.
Just fitted the final piece into the jigsaw. I thought this was a great crossword with some very tricky clues. Amazing how I failed to spot the thematic phrase until after the theme was revealed.
Chuffed to see that I got first prize for the Speccie crossword this week. I also got my email & letter from The Times with the news of their "ongoing initiative" to "improve" their products. I like the bit at the end where they say that to continue enjoying the crossword "it will be necessary to take out a subscription". They don't mention the alternative of just buying it on a Saturday morning.

[teuchter2]

I really enjoyed this one and would have been in the Friday club, had I not been out at my son's house for a meal and watching some football! It catered to my linguistic strengths.
I'm feeling very disgruntled having just discovered the news about the crossword club. I only ever bought the Times on a Saturday, specifically for the Listener, and joined the crossword club on a snowy day when I had walked a mile in terrible conditions only to discover that the papers had not arrived due to those same conditions! Anyway, I've sent off an email enquiring how this set of circumstances might be accommodated, so will await a reply with interest. Life is hard enough in the more remote reaches of the country.

[PureListener]

I have also received the email from the Times Crossword Club. I am quite often abroad for a few weeks at a time so the TCC is the only way I can get the Listener. I am not interested in any other crosswords, so what can I do? Is there any way the Listener can be taken away from the TCC and maintained independently? Who has copyright? I think we Listener fans are being taken for a ride. There must be a better way.

Great crossword Plinth! Slightly easier (or less hard in my case) than usual but very good all the same!

[tilbee]

Another very enjoyable offering this week from Plinth. Sounds like the Saturday club may be growing in numbers as the crossword club subscriptions expire.

[Scorpius]

A very educational and enjoyable puzzle that wasn't terribly difficult (though a few clues were distinctly tricky). However, although the required alteration seems absolutely clear, I'm worried that I've not got it right as I cannot find any source to confirm the rare comparative, and one other final entry is not a word, though could become one with a minor symmetrical bar adjustment. However, we have not been asked to alter the bars. I realise that the preamble does not say that what remains after adjustment are all real words, but if they are not, why bother to mention the rare comparative?

[dr b]

the "rare comparative" appears in Chambers Word Wizard; all the other new words appear as headwords in the Chambers section of Word Web Pro, so I assume they are somewhere in the BRB.

[dr b]

Even more, all the final words appear in Chambers Word Wizard.

[perseverer]

dr b - I think Scorpius's concern is an across entry - tho' I don't think he need worry.

[Scorpius]

Thanks dr b for pointing to a source for the rare comparative. How odd that it should be in Chambers Word Wizard, but not in the BRB (at least I cannot find it; maybe it's lurking there somewhere).

However, you and I obviously have different solutions because the other (across) entry is certainly not to be found in Chambers Word Wizard.

I am, nevertheless, reassured by perseverer's comment.