Listener 4260 Nuts And Bolts By Mango

[perseverer]

Grid just about filled - theme understood - now I just have to make proper sense of the preamble!

Well worth persevering!

[s_pugh]

Thanks for the encouragement scorpius - put this one away for a few hours and as soon as I came back the device became immediately apparent. Re-re-reading the preamble also helps!

[IainGrace]

Just embarked on this. Looks quite tough. Rubric somewhat opaque.

[jim360]

Somehow or other managed to make an inspired early guess at (some of) the theme, enough to confirm a few elements of how it appeared as I went on. A wonderful construction, up there for the best of the year so far, surely.

[lyrabelacqua]

Highlight of the Listener year so far, for me. An absolute corker.

[Mesnilpat]

I now have an almost full grid, I obviously need to reread the preamble as I still have little idea what's going on. Perhaps the penny will drop tomorrow....

[olichant]

Finally got there. I don't know whether I should have greater admiration for the fine construction, or the impeccable clues. Aside from idly wondering what MANGO would be in base 24 (I have lost my basic program) - this was just wonderful.

[Mesnilpat]

I think I've got the unclued answers, but my unchecked letters don't completely fit with the ones indicated in the preamble. Did anybody else find this?

[Mesnilpat]

Doh! Got it now.

Base 24?

[youngoffender]

After a few rather ordinary Listeners, this one is in a different class. Superb cluing (with some especially good surfaces), ingenious grid construction, and lots of thematic material that all comes together beautifully. Lavatch's 'Carte Blanche' remains my favourite of 2013 so far, but this goes straight into my top 5.

[Cruncher]

Aah - those Roman numerals. Doh!

[starwalker]

Very late starting on this. Normally I have an instant dislike for puzzles whose preamble occupies the same amount of space as a dozen or so clues, but this is an exception. Thanks guys.

[IainGrace]

Solved some clues but still can't decide if this is more contrived than it is interesting and worth the effort.

[Helen-in-Oz]

Like Jockie, have finished except for one of the wordplay only, non-entered solutions, which still eludes me. Otherwise a very satisfying puzzle

[Staurologist]

Neatly constructed, indeed. I observe that what dropped in both cases wasn't a penny :>) Mango, take a bow!

[JackDeCrow]

It's been a while since I got so far through a Listener without any clue at all as to what was going on! Loved it in the end - although I agree it's a bit of a shame that the other event kind of disappeared without trace. Perhaps we could have written something under the grid relevant to that instead of the device? Having those three clues effectively outside the puzzle was a bit odd, though I did enjoy the one that fulfilled a double role! Thanks Mango.

[fallster]

This has been the hardest of the year so far for me. Close to done but still trying to figure out one part of the preamble. Tough clues, made tougher by all the uncertainties in solving and entering, and this time got no help from the theme until discovered very near the end (and even then, not a lot of help).

[Cruncher]

Is anyone else unconvinced of the wordplay in the second E clue? It appears to require a phrase that is not in the BRB. Guess I must be doing something wrong

[iamamoose]

Cruncher - I believe only the grid entries are required to be covered by BRB- not wordplay components ? The cultural reference is not that obscure (provided one is of a certain age !)

[TheBear69]

I agree with Cruncher. The wordplay seems to leave a letter out or else uses an unfamiliar phrase not in BRB. Cultural reference?

[iamamoose]

Quite right, my fault. I was looking at the wrong clue! Sorry !
However , looking at the correct one, the relevant phrase seems an everyday one to me. And I'm still not sure that wordplay components are required to be in BRB?