Listener Crossword 4025 The Brewer's Ingredients by Gnomon

[starwalker]

This is Gnomon's second appearance, the first being back in 2004. I presume that many are already hard at work on it.

[robinruth]

Yes, it's OK in Chambers isn't it - two spellings are accepted, I think.

[cruciverbali]

That's right robinruth, the American spelling is pluralised as stories in the 2008 Edition, though an older edition (1993) gives this plural as storys.

[perseverer]

That explains it - my Chambers is the 1999 edition, and as cruciverbali says, it gives storys as the alternative

[Apache4D]

Well I quite enjoyed this one, and with a rare solve before the end of the weekend, I now have some time to do the EVs.

Very clever all round, though I felt that the "theme" was crowbared in to some of the clues. However with the added element of the insertion of those 21 letters it must have been extremely difficult to make them all make sense, so overall I was happy......Is it wrong that I'm missing my highlighter?!

See you all next week!

[naomirod]

what perchance are EVs?

[cruciverbali]

EV = Enigmatic Variations, a tough barred puzzle on a par with the Listener crossword, featuring the same setters and appearing in The Sunday Telegraph.

[cluelessJoe]

Late start, quick finish on this one. Sorry sundial-piece but I didn't like it - a few iffy clues, an early-spot theme and equally early loss of interest. It ended up as a slightly tedious trawl, not helped by the fact that (a bit like dishes on Indian restaurant menus) thematic spellings can vary so much between reference sources.
Sorry, this is not a very helpful post for anyone seeking answers, maybe I can be a bit more positive another week. Meanwhile, regards to all regulars, and at least I get to spend a few more hours outside in the sun while it lasts (even if it is just to replace a load of cast-iron guttering).
Cheers. cJ

[u10]

I think the reference list that we are supposed to use is the one at the back of Chambers. I too found this very tedious to solve with a lot of contrived clues. Let's hope this Friday for something a bit more different to the usual "one letter to be omitted from the clue" or "the wordplay leads to the answer with one extra letter" etc etc.

[x_word_fan]

Thanks U10. Been racking my "brains" for 3 days for a theme. Worth making sure which was the word by checking them all, even though it had become obvious, as I'd snatched at ***M for 20 across.