Listener 4494

[IainGrace]

A very enjoyable one session/several glasses of wine challenge with a theme that slowly becomes apparent.

[upsetter]

A rare guest of the Friday club.

Many thanks Chalicea.

[12barblues]

At last, a puzzle that solves in hours rather than days! Great entertainment, and a neat finish, mind I always like endgames with a similar outcome.

[olichant]

Nice implementation of the theme. A few traps for the unwary, too (and I count myself as serially unwary). Thanks, Chalicea - I enjoyed that.

[cluelessJoe]

Yes, a pleasant enough diversion - but I did find that double unch in 40 particularly unsettling. I wonder when the editors last let one of those slip through the net? Coincidentally, an apt title for the weekend the Listener dinner is taking place in Paris - I hope a good time was had by all attendees.

[Scorpius]

It was about time that we had a puzzle that didn't run into a second day of solving. A few tricky moments, and briefly held up by a non-Chambers thematic entry, but otherwise a leisurely and anxiety free solve. The final product looks remarkably authentic.

[Cruncher]

A classy piece of workmanship

[upsetter]

Workpersonship surely, Cruncher.

[Hagen]

I didn't find this quite as easy as others did, and I'm still not quite sure about one aspect of the second instruction. A very nice implementation of the theme, as I'd expect from is one of my favourite Listener setters.

I don't think this quite scaled the breathtaking heights of her previous puzzle, Difficulty, in terms of construction, but such a comparison is probably unfair. Mozart arguably never wrote anything to equal Le Nozze di Figaro, but the rest of his stuff is pretty darn good too!

[Cloverjo]

I enjoyed that too. Thanks, Chalicea. Nice to have a Listener that I'm not completely perplexed by.

[starwalker]

Yes cJ, I was slightly blindsided by the title and today's event, but all is now successfully resolved. Thanks Chalicea.

[perseverer]

It does seem to be the tradition now that any easy puzzle accompanies the weekend of the Listener.

[perseverer]

.... sorry, missed Dinner.

[Cruncher]

Sorry Upsetter. Should have read workman's hip. Too much snow shovelling.

[cluelessJoe]

Surely Cruncher it should still read workperson's hip - or don't you send the wife out to do the snow shovelling?

[icynorth]

Very enjoyable, thanks Chalicea!

Does a clue count as ‘wordplay only’ if an ellipsis implies a definition?

[Philoctetes]

May I be a tad of a dissenter here. Firstly, the clues were lightweight, as many have noted. Such as 15 were barely cryptic; imho, 34 was simply incorrect. Then, the instructions were poor: the first, if literally followed, did not achieve the desired result; the second likewise, but with an ambiguity (perhaps one could use 8!). And then having the six barred squares led one, perhaps, to anticipate they might be of more use. I'm sorry, but I was disappointed

[sunny-dave]

Easy - but fun.

The Listener doesn't have to be a mind-frazzler every week - there is merit in having a range of difficulties and there is much satisfaction to be derived from a beautifully crafted puzzle like this.

Thanks Chalicea - a lovely gentle puzzle for my Birthday.

SDx

[Ruthrobin]

Thank you Stever and many happy returns of St Patrick's Day.