Listener 4018 In clue order on and on by Loda

[Philoctetes]

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/art s_and_entertainment/games_and_puzzles/article5 561552.ece
Phew - I thought this might have got lost in the Times upgrade

[Clamzy]

Many thanks Philocetes - better late than....

[kayakamina]

Thanks for the link.

[AHearer]

Thanks, Philoctetes. First thoughts are that the number of short words and the fact that no straightforward words leap out at me from the few misprints I've disentangled so far mean that this is quite a hard one.

[AHearer]

Yes, that was a bit of a slog -- but no wonder I couldn't make sense of the across misprints at first! Still not happy with 27 down, though.

[mad max]

Many thanks for link

[starwalker]

Very neat and with a satisfying conclusion. I am also not particularly impressed with 27 down.

[thebuzz999]

Re 27d: The definition part is a bit weak, but i the wordplay is perfectly sound: 'having enough strength' = able

[AHearer]

It's probably just as well (see exchanges about the previous Listener) that the scrutineer accepts entries on print-outs from the web. The new position of the puzzle in the newpaper meant that mine had seen better days by the time the paper boy had lugged it around in his bag and forced it unwillingly through our letter box.

[Walterloo]

A good puzzle, this one. Clever and satisfying. . .almost. I have a completed grid, including the central square, and I'm confident I've got a correct solution, but I haven't quite found the link from one instruction to another. If the down misprints are Instruction 1, following this leads to instruction 2. The result of this is Instruction 3 which is where I falter. My understanding is that this third instruction has 6 words beginning with A,D,C,A,A,E but I'm blowed if I can understand it. I worked out the top and bottom rows which enabled me to finish the puzzle but that missing link is bothering me. Enlightenment would be welcome.

[midazolam]

do exactly what it says waterloo

remember there are techniques that can be used to get different letters e.g. used by a recent kea listener

nice to see the 2008 edition used this week

i have got to the stage of completing the grid but not worked out how to show the theme yet...very good so far

[Walterloo]

Oh my goodness. Thanks midazolam. That confirms I got further instructions correct and makes it an even greater puzzle. How the hell did Loda get all that to work? Very neat indeed.

[suilven]

Like Waterloo I've got to the 3rd instruction but can make no snse oif it. Unlike Waterloo though I've yet to sort out the meaning of the top and bottom rows in the grid and have an empty centre square. Can anyone drop a kindly hint please?

[cluelessJoe]

Brilliant puzzle, must have taken ages to construct!

Suilven - read Midazolam's posting which will tell you what to do with the third instruction. Once you have followed the third instruction, you should then see what remains to go in the centre square.

On and on and on and ...

[midazolam]

i seem to have finally worked it out with more luck than judgement. I would have been happier if the 7 specified cells that the line goes through spelt it out - and the centre cell could have been any letter...is there something i am missing?

[Apache4D]

Congratulations to all you solvers, I am hugely impressed by your efforts on this one, particularly to all the early solvers, Well Done!!

I on the other hand have only 3/4 of the grid completed, have deduced the instruction from the down misprints, but yet to fully work out the across misprints (think I am one word short!).

I'll keep at it, and am hoping that I am not the only one in this situation!

[Spaghetti]

I have a completed grid, and I've followed the instructions revealed by the unlcued top and bottom rows....but there I've hit a brick wall. Midazolam, you refer to 'seven specified cells', but I can't see that any particular number of cells is specified. Is anyone else in this predicament, or have I gone wrong somewhere (again!)?

[robinruth]

We (relative newcomers to Listeners) have the three instructions but can't make sense of the third one and, like you, can't see where seven cells are specified. Our grid has three intersecting gaps at 29, 31 and 40. Please, Midazolam, would you hint at where the 2008 Chambers new words appear (and tell us how you spot them - do you compare editions?)

[Walterloo]

midazolam (and others) - my 'single' line doesn't travel through any cells, the middle square is all I concentrated on. Your helpful assistance earlier gave me the last 3 words (with one letter missing) that finished the instruction/sentence that the top and bottom rows started (Instruction 5). The 4th instruction helped me complete the top and bottom rows with a letter left over. Adding this to those last 3 words told me what 'line' to make in the central square.

[midazolam]

i) i made 7. From the top and bottom rows ??? ??????? ??????? - there can only be seven that fit this criteria. but i found it quite a leap to get to the denouement.

ii) part of the wordplay in 14 down can only be found in the 2008 edition

iii) not sure what you mean by gaps - the grid can be completed from the 3rd instruction

iv) keep going Apache4D

[turnerjmw]

Midazolam, I think you may be missing something. There are more than seven cells, and when considered together the letters in the cells do relate to the line. So the letter in the centre is significant in that respect.

Spaghetti, one word in the unclued instruction in the top and bottom rows can be thought of in more than one way.