Listener No 4374 : A Tester Laid Out By Salamanca

[Contrarian]

I did enjoy the way the thematic material all slotted together, however I think the obscurity of some of the geographical references was pushing the boundaries of fair play rather.

Thanks Salamanca.

[AHearer]

I was prepared to put up with the geography for the pleasure of revisiting some of my schoolboy humour. Many thanks, Salamanca.

[Ruthrobin]

This began as a speedy and very easy fill that became more difficult as it progressed. I think obscure words are fine as long as they are clued very explicitly, as was the case, but I can do without your schoolboy humour! Thanks, all the same, Salamanca.

[Cagey]

An evening free of jobs so got a chance to tackle this while watch third series of bates motel, the juxtaposition of school boy humour and watching a young Norman become mistress bates makes me smile. Enjoyed the crossword, enjoying the program. Thanks Salamanca.

[perseverer]

Only at the very end did I realise what the precise theme was, although it is something I have heard of, often enough. Also not too keen on obscure geography, but if you are from the relevant area you might not think it is obscure!

[upsetter]

Think we have finished, assuming that the message derived from the extra letters does not require us to do anything else.
Thoroughly agree with RR as the clues were consistent across the difficulty range.
Is there some deep (and obscure) reference in the first three words of the extra letters instruction?
Spoiler alter (but too strange to ignore) - don't click on this link unless you have already solved the crossword...
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oNgYqRp9iX8C&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&;dq=%22take+and+read%22&source=bl&ots=Mq1zVHsM1c&sig=Q5vDPSmLQlkJfuy0UCeSNMzRAAs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisr83SjrPJAhUGWhoKHY1FA10Q6AEIITAA#v=onepage&;q=%22take%20and%20read%22%20eliot&f=false

[jim360]

Pro-tip, go to tinyurl.com so provide a shorter link that also avoids giving away obvious spoilers, eg.

http://tinyurl.com/ha9x2eh

[upsetter]

Thanks Jim - I should have done this
But is this an obscure reference?

[Cruncher]

Rather baffled by this one. Finished it ok but feel the theme is rather loose once one has got over the excitement of realising that there is a humorous anagram to be made from the great man's name

[Ruthrobin]

Perfectly stange Upsetter and jim360 but I decided that he was just using up extra letters that had to be dealt with somehow.

[upsetter]

RR - we only found the link because of a lurking doubt caused by the clunkiness of the phrase and our inability to satisfy ourselves with the solution to 30a.

[doctormatt]

Al done; cleverly constructed.

[Cruncher]

Upsetter - I'll parse you 30ac if you can parse me 16ac. As the letters are all checked it doesn't make a lot of difference to the final result but the wordplay defeats me - [email protected]

[aldanna]

I couldn't parse either 15ac or 30ac, although as Cruncher says the letters all check so it isn't necessary, just a bit unsatisfying. A full grid yesterday evening, though Himself and I spent about half an hour at the end over 11ac (where the letters do not all cross). Until I read the references here to schoolboy humour, I was faintly puzzled by some of the groups, but somewhat clearer now.

[Scorpius]

I'm surprised that some didn't know the association of the name with the theme. I was also puzzled by the apparently superflous first three words of the message and came to the same conclusion as Ruthrobin.
The wordplay to 16a and 3d was tricky, making for a nice range of difficulty in the clues.
I don't understand why the preamble says 36 is in earlier editions. It's certainly in the 2011 edition, and I've been told it's in the 2014 edition, which I have yet to buy. Maybe a Christmas present to myself.

[perseverer]

Without saying too much, the main entry for the answer to 36d is one of the grey words in 2011 Chambers omitted in 2014

[icynorth]

I was somewhat spooked by the instructions, but, as ever, it turned out a lot easier than feared. Nice puzzle, but I think I'll file that theme under 'Weird'. Thanks Salamanca!

[UglyUncle]

Cruncher, there are two anagrams to be made from it, and the more erudite of the two was certainly one that had never occurred to me before. The only addition I can make to the references to schoolboy humour is that I was simultaneously - shall we say - relieved and disappointed that the 12-letter title beneath the grid wasn't the thematic one consisting of three words.

[Scorpius]

UglyUncle, I noticed that other appropriate work too. What a coup that would have been if he'd managed to get it into the grid.
The erudite alternative is indeed in the grid in the form of one of the unclued entries, making the puzzle a nice mix of erudition and scatological humour. I'm quite happy to see the trivialisation of a serious literary theme. The element of surprise and incongruity are things that contribute to the fun of thematic crosswords.

[olichant]

Very enjoyable! Thanks, Salamanca. Made me smile.

[IainGrace]

Enjoyed this and not bothered by the schoolboy humour. The unclued entries readily fell into place because of the slightly odd letters, and the play on letters at the heart of the crossword is relatively well known, is it not? Can't parse 16 across either.