Listener 4273 - Conflict By Pointer

[TheBear69]

Thanks, Pointer, for an absolutely superb Listener. Maybe POTY...

[Contrarian]

Just realised that my solution to 4272 will never reach St Albans in time.

Could anyone tell me the email address of the person (John Green?) I have to alert to indicate that my submission will be late?

[jim360]

I don't believe he has an email address. Just send an apology in the next post, or cross your fingers that he'll understand given the season.

[Contrarian]

Ok. Thanks Jim.

[jim360]

You're welcome. I might be mistaken, of course, as still comparatively new to this Listener lark.

[EAChaplin]

Last I heard he doesn't own a computer. We are supposed to notify him in advance if our entry is to be delayed, but I've heard that if the envelope shows date of posting is before the deadline, or if it's from overseas, he is lenient.

[IainGrace]

Cracked it and now on final straight, i.e. correcting errors in order to work out the resulting word. One doffs one's (Santa) hat. Superb ingenuity.

[TheBear69]

Contrarian, as long as your entry is postmarked before the deadline, John will count it as correct (if it is of course). You just won't be eligible to win the weekly prize.

[Cagey]

And finally there. Last few answers just do not get wordplay. Now have one too many clashes, but ignoring one. Just in time for christmas. yeah!

[Ornis]

I too am lost in admiration for the construction and the clueing and would add my seasonal greetings and thanks to Pointer. And as a matter of interest, how on earth do setters go about finding synonyms in a dialect which is not standard English (as for one of the down clues here)?

[BlackHugh]

What a puzzle for Christmas!
How many others here got the recently published book about crosswords "Two girls, one on each knee" by Alan Connor for Christmas? If anyone didn't it is a good read and has a chapter on the the Listener. In fact, given the bit at the back of the book about the author: "One year he correctly answered 47 Listener crosswords - those are the really hard ones", maybe he is a regular here.
Merry Christmas everyone.

[IainGrace]

Finished and posted. Some kind soul might please email [email protected] to explain the wordplay in 9, 31 and 39 down - in the hope that that doesn't render our submitted solution incorrect.....(although we're pretty sure it's all right).

[perseverer]

IainGrace - email sent

[IainGrace]

Thanks for responses to last post. All OK. One cultural reference which meant nothing to us.

[contendo]

I only managed to finish this as a result of receiving help, and consquently won't be submitting. It's a phenomenally ingenious puzzle. However I think it's spoiled by the fact that there's a substantial hurdle in the solving process which is not indicated in the preamble or anywhere else as far as I can see. I even wonder whether something hasn't been inadvertently left out of the preamble.

[tristram37]

Whilst admiring the ingenuity of construction I have to say that I think that the preamble is disgracefully misleading. It says quite clearly that the extra words' initial letters in clue order spell an instruction.... That is quite simply not the case. As Afrit put it (often quoted by Ximenes) "I need not say what I mean but I must mean what I say".

[jim360]

"Solvers must sort out another problem with the clues..." resolves it all. I don't see any problem and I think the preamble is fine.

[upsetter]

Thanks to Iaingrace for saving us from the madhouse.
To any who have not weakened, have the courage of your convictions and follow ideas through.

[Lewap]

Hi. Any hints to sorting out the initial letters problem would be gratefully received - [email protected]

[JackDeCrow]

Have sent you an e-mail Lewap. Lovely puzzle I thought - certainly kept me going through the Christmas period! Merry Christmas to all and thanks to Pointer.

[jim360]

email sent.