Listener 4096: Some Assembly Required by Mr E

[midazolam]

After part of the theme dawned on me half way through filling in the grid, i was thinking we were in for another stale ending. Luckily the ending took a fair amount of decoding, and it was very enjoyable too. Everything fitted together and, with a bit of searching, an entry that I thought was not in Chambers, is in fact in the big red book. Thanks Mr E (although "Indication of Height" will still take a lot of beating)

[dr b]

Jamesah, consider JackDeCrow's hint at 17:01 today. There can only be one way to enter the non-words which leads to a sensible outcome.

[jamesah]

Thanks dr b but I thought that I had done the right thing with the former which gives me the unchecked letters for the non-words but not (as far as I can see anyway) their exact locations. I'll have another look and it will probably turn out to be obvious if I see what to do.

[teuchter2]

I am still having exactly the same problem as Jamesah. The penny is taking a long time to drop.

[cluelessJoe]

jamesah & teuchter2, I was in exactly the same situation and had to walk away from this one for a couple of days as I was getting nowhere fast. On returning, I re-read the preamble very carefully and armed with a clearer brain finished within ten minutes. That final realisation made my jaw drop - superb, thanks Mr.E

[midazolam]

Just a follow up from my last comment on playfair listeners.

The last was indeed number 3993 Argentum by Radix in 2008. Strangely it gets missed out in the archive on the times crossword club website! Jumps from 3992 to 3994.

Before this there was one in 2006 and one in 2004. If this 2 year gap continues then we are due for one soon!

Although they were much more common once upon a time. 5 in 2001, 4 in 2000, 4 in 1998 etc etc. Think ourselves lucky.

[daagg]

contendo, are you sure there are two irregularities to each clue?

[daagg]

... I mean "to each non-normal clue".

[ziller]

I reckon we're due a gardening themed puzzle from Dipper soon.

[contendo]

daagg, there's something missing and something added in each clue is there not?

[AndrewG-S]

Being relatively new to Listener I am not sure what Playfair is - can anyone enlighten me?

[u10]

Andrew - there is information about Playfair at the bottom of this link.
http://www.listenercr...com/List_Puzzles.html

[daagg]

contendo, I agree that's one way of thinking about it! However, there is a simpler way of describing "something missing and something added".

[contendo]

daagg, OK, I could put it more simply but it doesn't help, and I can follow s-matrix's cryptic comment above. I'm feeling very thick but it would probably spoil it if you gave me any more hints.

[daagg]

contendo, I'm trying to give you just enough of a nudge. Look carefully at your additions and deletions, and you should notice that, to make the clues valid, the additions have to go in a very specific place with respect to the deletions. There is therefore a definite, simple relationship between the two sets. Hold that observation in mind while you consider the answers to the three normal clues.

If you need any more explicit hints, you can email me on [email protected]

[shelouse]

Just got there, with a bit of a push over the final fence. What a fantastic puzzle - thanks, Mister E.

By the bye, I recommend the new BBC1 Sherlock to anyone who missed it on Sunday night, particularly after the recent Study in Scarlet Listener puzzle a few months back.

[AndrewG-S]

u10, many thanks for that clarification, it looks truly awful before even thinking about trying it out in the form of a puzzle. A numbers and playfair in the space of two weeks could be challenging!

[Zabadak]

Agree on the Sherlock, I thought it was a brilliant update to the genre. It felt a lot like an episode of Dr Who, only without the Tardis.

[Staurologist]

Superb, I agree. For me, the best feature was the fact that both of the non-words could have been proper [red-herring] words (a gull and a beetle) with different unches. Beautifully realised all round.

[Clamzy]

Like others above this puzzle required more than one "sleep on it" for me and a Monday evening finish. Thanks MrE for my puzzle of the year so far and a most enjoyable challenge. Anyone else admire 23 down?

[silversolver]

Yes, an excellent puzzle and one of my favourites so far this year. Made a late start after being busy for the weekend. After a slow start, I filled the grid last night (with half an idea about what was going on), but the penny dropped in full after work tonight and I enjoyed the final endgame very much. Thanks Mr E.