Listener 4485: Mixed Emotions

[Alekhine]

Hmm. Mixed emotions for me.

An intriguing effort that revealed itself fairly quickly.

Not enamoured with 22A, 28D or 31D.

[starwalker]

Sometimes a second glass, or even a third is a good idea. Not in this particular case. But I have no complaints. Thanks to Miss Terry (or should that be Mr E ?)

[Flocker14]

Just about done - with some reverse working - but fairly quickly? Not here... Are there not 7 unclued answers before the final answer? Once you get there you have to admire it. Thanks Miss Terry - or is it terror?

[Hagen]

Rather like last week's puzzle the main idea leaped out almost straight away, but completing the grid took a lot of work. I found it rather fiddly with much reverse working needed, but it all came together nicely in the end. I agree that once you get there you have to admire it, and I was amused by the final step. Thanks Miss Terry.

[Scorpius]

Like Hagen I also found it a bit fiddly and needed to reverse engineer towards the end. I have a full grid apart from a question mark over one cell, but two elements in the clued thematic entries elude me so far. I'm pretty sure my 'Final answer' is correct.

Flocker14, I'm not sure what you mean. The bits that make up the final answer are certainly clued.

[12barblues]

For me another tough one and although what happened to the clued answers was quickly fairly obvious it took a long time to work out how to construct the include answers. And like others there was a little reverse engineering required. A new compiler or Mr E getting in touch with his feminine side?

[12barblues]

Unclued, not include. And thanks to Miss Terry.

[Liathach]

Like everyone else, I think, I realised quite early on what had to be done, but it has taken me ages to finish it off. Most of my success in this was by working backwards, and I spent a long time in the top left corner. To be honest, I do not understand 8 across, which should be a straightforward clue.

[Flocker14]

Sorry Scorpius - only 6 unclued as in preamble - mental aberration caused by tired brain - wrote one of them twice in my list

[Philoctetes]

Well I enjoyed it, in particular the absolutely complete preamble.

[upsetter]

Thanks to Miss Terry for a tough work-out.

[Liathach]

Like Flocker, I had not made enough notes; 8 across was fine

[icynorth]

I know everyone gushed over last week’s puzzle, but I found this more challenging and ultimately rewarding. Thanks, Miss Terry!

[HappyUncle]

I wasn't sure whether to be Angry or Happy this week, but in the end I was guided to the correct choice. Alekhine has surprised me again: I agree that 22, 28 and 31 were disappointing, but surely 30 was far more vague and could easily have been made more precise.

Like others, I thought that the early PDM would lead to an easy ride, and I was rather pleased when it didn't. If Miss Terry is a new setter, it was an impressive debut ... but do the editors now nod through double unches?

[Scorpius]

HappyUncle, double unches are not unprecedented in the Listener, but they are rare and there are usually extenuating circumstances to excuse them. In this case the two pairs occur in two long unclued entries that are thematically determined but at least real words. I recall a puzzle from two or three years ago where the double unches occurred in short 'funny' entries, which I thought distinctly unfair. I don't think they are unfair in this case. I didn't even notice them until I read your comment.

[Cruncher]

Tough cluing at the best of times and some clues only workable by reverse engineering. Unlike others it took me some while to see what was going on and still have a few gaps but enjoying the toughness of it.

[IainGrace]

As with others, got the message early on, but toiled for a while in the NW corner.

[Plasmabot1]

Hello everyone,
I represent a small team of high schoolers participating in the MIT Mystery hunt. Although we know this is against the values of problem solving, we would like someone send their final answer to the Listener Crossword #4485 to this email: [email protected]
As it is we have to solve 40 sets of 20+ problems each so this would help us greatly.
Thank you in advance,
Anhad

[fyellin]

Regarding that last letter. I had a mysterious note from a former colleague asking me if I still did the weekly Listener, and could I share my final answer with him.

Turns out that this US holiday weekend is the weekend of the MIT Mystery Hunt 2018, and after solving several puzzles, you're called upon to solve this week's Listener. He needed that word at this bottom.

"Miss Terry" is certainly intended to be "Mystery", and this week's puzzle is almost certainly a collusion between MIT folk and the Listener editors.

[olichant]

To be fair, plasmabot, I think you've answered your own question. Everyone has their own idea of what is fair and unfair on puzzle solving - there's a spectrum which is often debated. But that's pretty shameless by any standards.

Apologies to everyone else for that grumpiness. I thought this was a very neatly constructed, clever puzzle. Really nice idea.

[olichant]

Fyellin - sorry, I hadn't seen your post before I posted. That's interesting.