Listener 4226 Polar By Kea

[dr b]

Not nearly as difficult as in recent weeks but very enjoyable - I may have laughed out loud when the penny dropped. Merci M. Kea.

[AndrewG-S]

Maybe a little lucky but guessed how the theme was likely to work very early on and then worked through the rest in rather leisurely manner. Fun and not as challenging and kea's usual offerings. Lots of time for cricket and tennis tomorrow. Rather more sociable hours than the us open this time!

[jim360]

Like a few other people the NE corner is proving troublesome. Or at least was when I started typing this, but finally broke into it and, like all the other corners, the rest quickly followed. Substitutions are fairly clear, and all-in-all an entertaining finish. The PDM came quickly, but the grid entries certainly did not!

[IainGrace]

Finished. Enjoyable challenges in some of the clues, and fewer thematic transformations in the grid than we feared from reading the rubric.

[the_heisman]

thank you Kea for a very enjoyable crossword although i will have to hope for the best with the non-Chambers entry. I did feel the red herring marking scheme was a little harsh. If you have highlighted the word RED in any colour that demonstrates that you have got the point of it.

[Staurologist]

What an inelegant unimpressive puzzle. Totally asymmetrical and impossible to solve. :>)

[contendo]

A reasonably rapid grid-fill despite some fiendishly ingenious clues. I was stuck for ages after that before I realised that the thematic transformation didn't apply to nearly as many answers as I had assumed. I'm still worried by one word which I presume is the one in the Oxford Dictionary of English (which I don't possess). If I've got it right it isn't featured in TEA or Quinapulus. Can anyone confirm?

[aldanna]

Yes, not too hard but very entertaining. I like them like that!

[perseverer]

Contendo - this site http://oxforddictionaries.com/ might allow you to check your word. Also try changing the Quinapalus dictionary to Union.

[crosswhit99]

I agree Staurologist - no rhyme or reason to this one !

[Lathamjeld]

Only a couple to get, but I have enjoyed this. I realise that there is no interest or learning to be had in the theme (hence Staurologist's and Crosswhit99's complaints, perhaps?), but it is difficult not to be impressed by the ingenious way in which Kea has constructed the puzzle to make it all work after the various transformations. It is not, IMHO, impossible to solve (if I can do almost do it in less than 24 hours, anyone can!). There are not as many PDMs as there were last week, but thanks Kea, nonetheless, for an enjoyable work-out. Particularly enjoyed 32a!

[perseverer]

..............Those comments have to be read in the context of the puzzle

[Anapice]

Lathamjeld - Where's your sense of humour this week? Didn't you see the Smiley?

[IainGrace]

teuchter2, the solution to 19d - and a couple of others - lies in establishing the more obscure meanings of some words, rather than assuming that they bear their most familiar meaning. All about saying what you mean rather than meaning what you say.

[Lathamjeld]

Anapice - you're absolutely right. What a numpty I am! As a famous cartoon character would say, 'Doh!' Sorry Staurologist!

[rickye]

Still unsure at 19d. Answer and change make sense but still cannot marry to clue

[olichant]

Thanks for the confirmation, cloverjo.

19d is devious. At least two (and possibly three) words are being used in an obscure way. I loved it when I got it.

[rickye]

Got it! Very smart and satisfying. Looked and looked but only just saw!

[borealis]

I found this much harder than many of you - some lovely obscurities. Great fun and I'm still chasing two words for which is the ODE (non BRB) one. Love to make a clever comment here but I can't without giving away the theme! Thank you, Kea.

[magichour]

Excellent puzzle - took me a lot longer than many of you, as I found some clues particularly taxing. Not too long for the penny to drop at the end, however. Very clever construction. I haven't determined which entry is the one only to be found in the ODE, as I recognise all of the entries after modification, but I don't think a trawl through the BRB to find which one isn't in there would be a productive use of time. Enjoyed this.