LISTENER CROSSWORD 4022 At arms length by Hotspur

[Clamzy]

Maybe all our prominent members are resting after last week's exertions, so I'll kick off this week's thread. Haven't had more than a glance at it yet and am not too familiar with this setter.

[turnerjmw]

No. midazolam

[midazolam]

got there in the end - struggled with this more than most. amazon of all sites got me over the finishing line
nice idea but there are several criticisms to this puzzle.

I feel with enough searching one could find 13 down as a member of the first set (and i think it does but it is not the obvious one) so it is not as sound as it could have been.

Also there are 4 three letter entries with 1 unch, 4 and 5 letter words with 2 unches and 7 letter words with 3 unches. Not quite adhering to the guidelines.

Probably a difficult grid to fill for the setter but it is 14x14

[Walterloo]

Well done Midazolam, knew you'd get there. I was keeping an eye on your posts and was willing to jump in to help if you needed more, but this puzzle is a tricky one to drop subtle hints at without giving too much away.

A mixed feeling for this one, really. I still like the thematic unravelling and thought it quite clever, overall. I can understand the reservations on some clues, and it did take A LOT of internet searching to finish it, but I feel good about it nonetheless.

Anyway, I've just printed a copy of an older Listener, Kea's Safe Cracking, which I've never attempted. That will keep me busy over the next fortnight because I suspect the number puzzle is due this Saturday, and I'm rubbish at 'em.

[starwalker]

Walterloo - I wish you all the best with Safe Cracking. I remember it as a hard puzzle, but immensely satisfying.

[IntoTheBlue]

I enjoyed the PDM but as Walterloo has commented the searching through the grid to find names that could validate the members to highlight for the first set was a bit of a pain. (I also spent time trying to find a match up for 13d.) Liked the rendezvous though...

Safe Cracking by Kea is excellent and I'd reccommend it to anyone who hasn't given it a go yet.

IntoTheBlue

[bobbycollins]

I found this rather more difficult than earler posts had hinted. Kept plodding away until the grid was filled and then followed up the message. Didn't find any of the thematic stuff particularly obscure but was't bowled over by this one.

Sorry, Hotspur.

[jamesah]

Thanks to Google my lack of literary knowledge didn't matter in the end. I'd only heard of 3 of the first set with their corresponding member of the second set. However, the rendezvous was very helpful. I'm still baffled by some of the clues however.

[robinruth]

We, too, are still baffled by some of the clues. Having sorted out our issues with smelly places, we are now faced with a problem about breaking down conjugal rights and an open handed young lady.
At least, we have got a long way further than last week with our grid filled (with an error - we are sure) and with some idea of where to go next. Thanks for the support.

[IntoTheBlue]

Hi Robinruth the young lady in question has conjugal rights (3 letters) around a force (3 letters...of the watery kind) +a ...

IntoTheBlue

[uncletony]

A good time to remind less seasoned solvers of the merits of reference books.

In tackling the final stages of this crossword, Google is a very blunt instrument - whereas, with the right reference work, the matter is almost trivial.

Most library cards allow online access to a huge range of reference works. Check it out!

[Clamzy]

Well uncle I spent quite a long time in my local library searching dictionaries of fictional characters, but this didn't help because I was convinced that the lady at 31 down was one of the first group. It's true that it becomes very simple when you are looking in the right place:-)

[robinruth]

We're basking in the sheer pleasure of finishing this one! Many thanks for the gentle prompts for the clues that were holding us back.
The link to the title should have taken us straight there hours ago (and, in a way, obliquely did!)
For newcomers, (of just a coupleof months' experience) I feel that this one was particularly difficult because of the tenuous nature of some of the wordplay - still have the odd doubt about stray letters.
We have shelves of reference books but still had trouble identifying some of the members of the first set (13d had us on doggie hunts and 31d chasing after 19th century politicians and so on!)
Thanks again.

[uncletony]

Clamzy, it is all too easy to get fixated on something.

Fortunately, there were few genuinely viable options to consider. Being confident of the rendezvous, I felt that 31d was unlikely to be one of them on grid considerations. But that's a different story.

[Apache4D]

Despite my somewhat "heat of the moment" comments last week, which I hope can be overlooked if not forgiven, thought I would make an appearance on 4022 (thanks for your comment Robinruth!).

After a busy weekend, I didn't get to start this in anger till late sunday night. Unfortunately I am one of the strugglers with this grid, for some reason I just don't seem to be able to find any affinity with the clues......this is not a criticsm, more a statement about my own skill I think!

However I have the majority of the right side of the grid populated, left hand is sparsely populated. I only have 12 misprints, but am 100% confident of them all.

Have skipped over the majority of the posts as am nowhere near the end game yet, but provided I haven't put anyone's nose out of joint I shall keep you informed of my progress. Hopefully 4022 won't be my first failure!

49a was a gem that I particularly liked.

P.S This weeks EV is by Loda who supplied us with a recent listener that was highly satisfying.......the telegraph webstie has a free 7-day trial for anyone who wants to attempt it.

[Deviant]

Nearly there!

Got 4 (word 2)s and their matching partners. Can see one more partner, but no (word 2) and have no idea of the last (word 2) or partner.

Are all of the works referred to novels?

[robinruth]

One of the first group (one of the two long words - the more political one) actually has two matches in the second (rendez-vous) group, but I think that may be something the setter was not aware of - a set of six different members is clearly required - we can't use one twice! I believe the six required ones are as you defined them, (so 'yes') though we have some doubt about one of them (Midazolam called that one ambiguous in an earlier post) One is a kind of voice for a series of works. If I say anymore, I'll be banned and have my fingers slapped, I know.

[wrigglyP]

I'm so close, but I can't get there.

I have six items in the grid which link very neatly to six other items which have a common feature (which perhaps is hinted at by the title).

How does this common feature tell me where the rendezvous is?

[perseverer]

My assumption is that you have to find this common feature in the grid, but this is not clearcut either.

[wrigglyP]

But Waterloo and Scorpius hinted that there are more than one rendezvous and you have to pick the right one (not sure how)?? I think there's only one instance of the "common feature" in the grid?

[robinruth]

Walterloo told us how many letters he was finding in common in the members of the second group - someone else (maybe an oblique hint) suggested that there was a rather obvious place, connected with the title and the 'creator' to look for that rendez-vous.
I am a newcomer, so it is time I withdrew and went to arm's length of this discussion.
Good night and good luck.