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Actually, approximately 3/4 of the way through the alphabet, I seem to have stumbled upon a cough, although ‘in the country’ seems superfluous. I dare say you experts would have trawled before asking for help, which is a lesson learned. Did any of you find that clue difficult, given that I still don’t get one part without an h, and the other part with t instead of h?

When Chambers indicates that a word is "dialect" setters usually indicate that by "in the country" or some such.

In the country is a way of covering Chambers saying the word is dialect

oompa - the 6-letter solution was unfamiliar to me and I had to confirm it in Chambers. The "in the country" is merely reflecting that Chambers describes it as a "dialect" word.

An excellent puzzle, the usual model of clarity from this setter. The endgame required a bit of checking too. It's the variation in difficulty that makes the Listener experience so enjoyable - sometimes I can get on with other things at the weekend. Years ago I had the same experience as an earlier contributor, managing to access a slightly simpler puzzle which then gave me the confidence to tackle many harder ones.

I've taken a break from The Listener for a few weeks due to not having the mental headroom for it, with (positive) things going on at work.

I had low expectations of success when I took a look at this yesterday, so was pleasantly surprised when I wrote a few in straight away. I just finished this morning having discovered a number of interesting things in the process.

This was a gentle welcome back into the game and the level of difficulty greatly appreciated.

I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, even though it was on the gentle side and I think that some of the critical comments earlier in this thread are unwarranted. The finished grid contained a huge amount of thematic material and it must have been extremely difficult to compile. So, I would say to those who criticise, if you think you can do better, why not have a go. Incidentally, I have no connection with Chalicea, other than having sat next to her at a Listener dinner.

Thank you Chalicea for an elegant puzzle with a nice theme. Moreover it was one which the third division was able to complete, due to straightforward clues. As a Welsh Rugby supporter (debenture holder at the Stadium) I had been having a very rough time, and will be facing one for years to come. So it's nice to be able to put some points on the board.

An enjoyable puzzle - thank you Chalicea. I too get exasperated by those who complain about it being too easy, with comments which often verge on the self congratulatory- 'completed it while boiling an egg' sort of thing -well good for you. I normally complete about 1 in 5 - and don't feel inclined to complain every time one is too difficult. I'm very grateful for such a splendid virtually free entertainment. Completing it made me happy when I haven't completed one since January and it was interesting and informative.

I think it's worth reflecting on the relationship between ability and time taken. I get fed up with a row of more challenging puzzles, not because they are hard, but because I have a life and can't devote all day for several days in a row to the puzzle. The Times offers the Listener as one of the many temptations to buy their paper. It wouldn't be an intelligent decision if they pitched it exclusively at the top 100 solvers - Just as you wouldn't expect a shoe manufacturer to cater only for the tiny minority with size 14 feet. Perhaps the metaphorical size 14 amongst us could resist the temptation to place our large feet in our large mouths, just for once. :) Have a good evening, everyone!