Listener Crossword No. 4569 Bearskin By Elap

[Contrarian]

Lovely puzzle by Elap. Probably slightly easier than the average numerical, with a very satisfying denouement.

[s_pugh]

Managed it without any wrong turnings for a change. I can't say I enjoyed it however, yet another Excel slog, though I'll confess I was impressed with the end result.

[Askival]

Quite a lot of Excel admin tasks, yes, but I get some strange satisfaction out of the donkeywork. I'm sure it's not everyone's idea of the best way to spend a Saturday, but I really enjoyed it. And verifying the endgame was genuinely quite a thrill.

Yes, I know I need to get out more.

[Philoctetes]

Quite straightforward until the last couple - where I got my feet tangled over upper and lower case. Satisfying result. Thanks Elap

[icynorth]

Probably the first numerical I have completed without backtracking. The final construction is fascinating - even working for all the ‘through’ items, even though these would be invisible if you constructed it physically.

Thanks, Elap!

[crosswhit99]

A very nice puzzle, certainly easier than usual as once it became apparent what the five words were going to be the allocation of letters to numbers became a lot quicker with no real need to use a spreadsheet .

[emcee]

There is no doubt about the fantastic construction that has been done here. A marvel to achieve this property arising from a numerical crossword.

What didn't sit particularly well with me was the method of solution. Armed with pencil, paper and calculator there were times when the arithmetic logic could go no further and progress was limited to knowing some of the five words outlined in the preamble. It seemed rather a topsy-turvy approach; normally we solve arithmetically and use the complete set of letter values to form a message (or, in this case, a set of words). I think this was a flaw as the method relied to some extent on educated guesswork as to what (some of) the words were.

With only a calculator as help I didn't find it as easy as others.

Thanks, Elap, for a reasonably entertaining solve and a remarkable construction.

[PhilipW]

Very elegant - I enjoyed solving that one. I too particularly liked it that it worked for the "invisible" through ones as well

[Liathach]

I thought this was a great tour-de-force. I don't actually have a calculator so I rely absolutely on a spreadsheet. I made the usual mistake confusing lower case L and upper case I, but the final result was very elegant. I haven't yet figured out the title, however.

[Liathach]

Presumably CUBS? Seems a little strained.

[crosswhit99]

The title is a homophone of bare skin :-)