Listener 4015

[cruciverbali]

Our first challenge for 2009 is Baker's Dozen by Adam

Happy New Solving Everyone !!

[Rapparee]

Thanks for the link, C.

I wonder if the absence of a preamble is intentional.

[starwalker]

I am also surprised by the lack of a preamble, if only to remind solvers to use Chambers 2008.

[midazolam]

thanks c

yes and on first glances i think the denouement may be harder than the filling in

[AHearer]

Thank you, cruciverbalist. Filling the grid from the clues seems pretty straightforward -- but what to do with those 13 starred letters has me totally flummoxed at present.

[AHearer]

Oops - can't count!

[starwalker]

I think that I have cracked it, but I'm also certain that the official preamble will be far better than anything that I could offer. Just have to wait for confirmation.

[kayakamina]

Thanks again C for providing the link.

Happy New Year to you.

[mad max]

As always many thanks for link

[GRM]

The missing preamble is now posted here under 'stop press':

http://www.listenercrossword.com/

[AHearer]

Many thanks for that, GRM. Should reduce it to a problem of hearding cats as opposed to herding black cats in an unlit coal cellar.

[midazolam]

thanks GRM - I think it all makes sense now

[Rapparee]

Thanks GRM for the pointer.

Everything has now fallen into place. It makes a change for me to finish on a Friday evening!

Happy New Year to all.

[cluelessJoe]

Many thanks C. and a Happy New Year to all .... hope this one gets me off to a decent start as I'm still struggling to finish the last of 2008!
Cheers cJ

[Clamzy]

cJ Although you and I are by no means boy racers I think you will finish this one in good time to return to last week's. I've put a further hint on last week's thread.

[bobbycollins]

A nice gentle start to the year, chaps. Thanks for the link to the preamble - I would never have worked out the final step without it!

Happy New Year to all.

[bathtub]

Gentle is right (though very enjoyable)! If I get to complete two more by the year's end, as opposed to any sort of dozen, I'll be amazed.

[AHearer]

The penny has finally dropped: I was ridiculously slow in spotting the three-word phrase. Thanks again to cruciverbalist and GRM for the links.

[Cruncher]

Apart from the obvious reference to making 13 out of 12, does anyone see any other significance to the title? Maybe this crossword is as simple as it seems but I guess I expected some other bready reference. Was hoping for a while that the quote would come from Kipling, except he has too many letters for that to work

[cluelessJoe]

I suppose that Mister Kipling would have worked!

Yes, a nice gentle introduction to what I hope will be another vintage year. All the best for 2009 to all.

[Scorpius]

Well, I have a rather different view of this puzzle from the rest of you. Once I worked out the phrase and the substitution code I expected something both interesting and thematic to happen. It didn't. Unless I have missed something, this appears to be a promising theme completely squandered.