EV 917 - 'Prime Mover' by Samuel

[tweaker]

My first Samuel puzzle, already have a toe hold (which must be good). Preamble looks rather OK once its broken down into sections. Although it may not be Necessary for 5dn, I would like to purchase a Collins English dictionary, it's sometimes needed.

Have fun solving all.

[DocHH]

Hello Tweaker,
As you had a toehold earlier, you should by now have your foot firmly in the door.

[turnerjmw]

Quite fun, as Samuel's puzzles always are, and reliably clued. I thought 11ac lacked a superfluous letter until deciding that "i" was just about okay for "inside"

[tweaker]

DocHH, I should do but I've been trying the Listener. I'm trying to get a hand with it but no-one seems to give a Sugar and won't help, so sod 'em.

I'll stick to the EV, at least everybody is friendly on this thread!

[turnerjmw]

tweaker, the Listener is regarded as a "rara avis" among crosswords, rightly or wrongly, and giving help, even on a site which revolves around such requests, is frowned upon and invites opprobrium for the giver. This is due, in part, to the existence of an annual dinner for those who manage to go all-correct the previous year, invitations to which are, I imagine, highly coveted.The convention elsewhere is that the crossword is not even discussed until the solution is published.

I personally don't think it's a bad thing that one puzzle should remain sacrosanct. People should be able to accept that they have no divine right to succeed in every puzzle. It makes the pleasure of unaided completion that much greater. I don't even look at the Listener thread until my puzzle is in the post, as I wouldn't want to learn anything that might cause me to revisit my solution.

Be that as it may, you'll get all the help and chat you need for EV on here!

[DocHH]

Tweaker,
I agree with turnerjmw, others think the Listener should not be attempted without medical supervision.
The EV thread, is definitely friendly, and although it can be helpful, normally it is achieved in a cryptic/hinting manner within the chat, rather than a direct answer to a question! A sort of half-way house between Listener and other Crossword threads.

[tweaker]

turnerjmw .

OK, thanks for that info, I didn't know the Listener had that amount of clout.
my apologies, it seemed like people on the same side working against each other instead of with one another.

I only wanted a hint to get on my way, not to be ignored.

It came across to me that
1: we're the elite secret club.
2: 'once one's puzzle was complete, you keep quiet'?

I'm a very new hand at this game, I know NO-ONE who does the Listener let alone cryptics, and the AB thread seemed like the place to go?

I only wanted a push in the right direction.

[tweaker]

DocHH,

I get what you've both just said, I know it's tough and having no-one to ask doesn't help me. May-be I'm asking too much for myself on some puzzles but they'll come eventually? And i am still a spring chicken in age....

[turnerjmw]

No need to apologise at all. I wasn't having a go at you, just trying to give you a little context. I too know no one else who does these puzzles, and it's been a steep learning curve

BTW if you email me at [email protected], I'll send you a link that may be of interest

[novalis]

Hi everybody!

Attempted this after my morning jog and found I needed a more leisurely speed.

[DocHH]

Tweaker,
I also know no-one who attempts EV or Listener! My other half gets befuddled just by the rubric!
If you wish to add another barred crossword to your weekly challenge, on a thursday morning there is normally a link in the Crosswords section of Q&P in Answerbank to the Spectator Crossword, affectionately known as Speccie! There are posters on that thread who will answer direct questions. EV and Speccie, in my opinion are on a par!
How are you doing this week with EV?

[tweaker]

DocHH,

my girlfriend is the exactly the same! I do the Spectator, I find that more approachable.
EV this week I have a few but, I needed to go to the supermarket and could not find my credit card. After turning the flat upside down and still not finding it I backtracked everywhere I have been since Thursday afternoon (last time used) - friends houses turned over too and nothing.

Returning home I found it, and I swear to God and all loved ones it was not on the table where I looked to start.

That was more on my mind the the EV. However, Terry Pratchett's 'Going Postal' is now on Sky1 'til 8pm then Life after people is on the History channel - A very quirky but interesting programme. So, I'll try to multitask, but I have all week.

I take it you've finished!!!

[serpentinew]

Tweaker - Try www.listenercrossword.com if you want an education into the "closed shop" world of the Listener - the solutions are detailed and go back several years. If you're in the times crossword club you can download the old grids/clues/intro's from there. Does n't help with the current one but educates you in the ways of the Listener. Their level of difficulty varies enormously, but they're set to rigid rules (see the guidance for setters on the site). Personally I find them less contemporary than the Inquisitor or the EV (sometimes anyway) and the rigid rules dictate little "variety" in the clue setting - doubt Araucaria would get a look in these days, Listener 2663 (1982) is his single credit. On their themes, there was some consternation when Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was the theme last year - the old school ties who run the show seem to prefer more classical themes. Not sure they would approve of this week's EV theme.

[DocHH]

Tweaker,
Finished, of course! That was ages ago, even before lunch,which was followed by a perambulation along the seafront!

[AndrewG-S]

Have I got 11 across wrong - I thought it worked with a 5 letter word for desert with a worker inside? But this doesn't fit with the comment above. About 2/3 of way through so far - too many distractions again with sun and sport...

[AndrewG-S]

Sorry just answered my own question!

[tweaker]

Thanks for all the info guys. Araucarias crossword 1982, I would of been about 2 years old! I could hardy write, let alone solve a Listener (which I can't even now)!

Sorry for being grumpy today. -DocHH, it was silly to even ask!

[AndrewG-S]

Ah life is looking brighter, PDM at last on the theme, group and prime mover - now to work out the nine undefined clues.

[dr b]

What up, y'all. Did not even get to print this out till this afternoon as I was at my youngest daughter's play last night and was getting daughter #1 ready to move out to NYC for the summer on a 2:30 pm flight.

Latched on to the theme almost immediately as it refers to my favorite thing in the entire universe. So with such an early penny drop filling in the rest felt like a bit of a slog, but after the Listener this week a bit of a break was probably a good thing.

Tweaker, I have only been doing the Listener since the turn of the year, but I pretty quickly figured out the rules on that thread - don't give hints! So, when in Rome...

There is an expressway in Chicago where I grew up called the Dan Ryan (named after some politician), which people drive like maniacs. There is a local saying that no one should be allowed to drive the Dan Ryan until they've driven it three times. I feel the same way about the Listener.

[cruciverbali]

Would someone be very kind to send me a copy of this one please - I've been re-grouting a shower room all day, and didn't manage to get out to the shops. Thank you !

[email protected]

(always available for gentle hints Tweaker)

[dr b]

cv: on the way.