Listener 4354 Taxi! By Ilver

[fyellin]

No one has solved this yet?? It's Friday afternoon in California, so after midnight in the UK.

I'm in a strange position. Solved grid. I know the quotation, its source and the corresponding key. No idea what to do with the key. Yet I also strongly suspect I know six of the seven cells containing the "resulting identity", and so it's clear what the seventh cell is and what it needs to contain. I can presume how a word gets unjumbled to fill in that seventh cell.

Something's wrong when I think I can create what appears to be a correct grid to mail in without knowing what to do with the key, what the second quotation is, or what the contradiction is.

I hope the purpose of the key makes sense soon, and that I will discover that I've been bamboozled in some amazing way.

[jim360]

I'm in a similar position, but without seeing the word that I can/ should jumble to produce the final part of the identity...

[TheBear69]

Same here! Another grid-staring challenge...

[Cruncher]

I'm with Fyellin here. Quotation sorted so presume I have the key (?). Can see the final identity but no idea about the intervening steps. Hmmm

[IainGrace]

Am I correct in thinking that this quotation formed the basis of a previous Listener?

[olichant]

Some fantastic clues and a theme that I have always found absolutely wonderful. How to apply the key was not obvious to me, though I should have trusted my instincts earlier. Thanks, Ilver - what a clever piece of work this is.

[upsetter]

We too appear to be in exactly the same boat as Jim, though suspect that we took somewhat longer to rumble the identity.

[pushmi-pullyu]

I think you're right IainGrace - it certainly rings a bell with me. Sadly that isn't helping me to finish this one.

[Cagey]

Went to bed with grid done and key. Managed to use first use of key first thing, although second use evades. Have good idea of last steps, but think I miss that final middle part still. I think this so far has been a rather enjoyable solve. It is probably aimed at people who have solved thematic crosswords for a while, and wonder what a complete beginner would make of it. A fun puzzle, leaving me still a little puzzled, but hopeful that I will find that missing step. Thanks Ilver

[Pasquin]

Got it. Saw the identity very early on. Took me a while to see how to use the key, but after the first part of the second quotation revealed itself, it all fell into place. Slightly amused that correcting the jumbled word leaves things looking more untidy than it should in the circumstances. Like the truncated octahedra, a really good mental workout. Thanks Ilver.

[PhantomX]

I've found that the key number is a pseudoprime, which gives a link to the author of the highlighted identity. (whose name, together with the key in words happens to come come to 24 letters)
However I haven't been able to see any set of 24 cells that encodes a relevant quotation, or its author.

[Cagey]

Ok. All done now too. A missing leap rather than a step, and probably only fair if you have lots of experience solving these things, but a good work out. But i also do not think that when you start these things you need to be able to solve them all rught away. Thanks again.

[icynorth]

I feel I've come of age after solving that one. Thanks Ilver!

[AndrewG-S]

Sorry to have caused everyone such a tough weekend - the finale was not intended to be all that difficult. I do hope you manage to get there. Looks like I may inadvertently have set the type of crossword I always complain about - straightforward solve and grid stare. Goes to show it is tricky for a setter to anticipate the challenge for the solver. Ilver

[jim360]

The difference with this an is that at least part of the theme was fairly obvious, even if the way of using the key isn't. Makes for a slightly easier grid-staring challenge when you know, or have a good idea, what to look for. The leap to the first half of the quote was possibly less of a jump than to the second half. At any rate, thanks Ilver.

[Ruthrobin]

We who solve regularly have had a few other crosswords where the same or a similar device was used so it was a fair test for the old hands - perhaps a challenge for newer solvers, but we seem to agree on this board that a range of difficulty is desirable, even if some complain regularly that a crossword is too little of a challenge or has too much of a grid stare involved at the end. (Yes, I know I complained about that very recently too!)

[olichant]

Hi Ilver - it's nice to know that the setters occasionally have a look in here!

I think that the gridfill was a real pleasure, and with some cracking clues - I personally didn't find it too easy at all.

Applying the key does (I think) involve some trial and error, as there are many ways in which it n theory be applied, depending how you break it down. That said, the preamble is clear and does contain some really helpful information which might have led me to the correct method faster, had I been more awake! Can't really say more here without giving anything away, but I definitely don't think it falls into the "frustrating grid stare" camp.

And what brilliant thematic material.

[upsetter]

Here here Olichant.
We are now reassured that this is a fair puzzle and had the key even without the clunking hint above, but still no idea how to apply it.
We will probably have to give up, so many congratulations to all who have solved and thanks Andrew SG for a really great puzzle.

[upsetter]

To avoid any confusion the clunking hint was not from Olichant.

[Cruncher]

Lot of trial and error but have finally got two steps and understand how to get to the final grid. In answer to Fyellin suspect you won't have the correct grid unless you figure out the intervening steps.
On another subject I'm off to the Far East next weekend to work for 6 weeks and therefore posting my annual request for someone to help me send in entries to 63 Green Lane. I would email a jpeg of my solution and you would print it out and post it. I would reimburse you with a suitable bottle or a donation to your favourite charity or something similar. JEG seems quite relaxed about it. If you submit as well then I would wait until you've posted before I mail you my solution. Any takers? My email is [email protected]

[olichant]

Cruncher, I'd be happy to (only tiny caveat is that I'll be away over one of the weekends in August so would post that off a week later than normal, but still comfortably within time). Feel free to email on olichant08 at gmail.com if of interest.