Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Could someone please ease my frustration. I am stuck on both 14 and 18. Without giving too much away, in my grid one has to go outward, one inward, both have 4 common letters in the grid plus a (different) vowel each. Is this correct?

Gitto,
14 goes inwards. A common word for road around a less common word for narrow passage , with last letter deleted.
18 goes outward. Definition is bones (with a Latinate ending). Cobras indicates a four-letter cobra genus.

Like some others I found it a somewhat unsatisfying slog, but I don't like circular puzzles at the best of times. In this case the cycling of some answers, the letters latent and the indeterminate starting point added three extra layers of difficulty. I also didn't like the fact that in four cases a bar in the inner ring fell equidistant between two bars in the next ring, sewing further confusion. I know there was some sort of logic to it, but it was visually confusing and made placing the radials a bit of a nightmare that drove me batty at times.

After all that negativity, I feel I ought to say something positive. The clues were mostly good or very good, and the setter crammed in a lot of thematic material.

The one clue I have reservations about is 18, where the indication of IE seems to me to breach the Listener 'Notes for Setters'. The editors don't allow 'Department Head' to indicate D. I don't see that 'Central Kiev' to indicate IE is any different.

Thankyou Dryden, I spent at least 90 mins yesterday trying to convince myself the answer to 14 is what if is, and I'm still not happy (as others aren't). As for 18, I should stop assuming what plurals look like and read the dictionary!!

Please excuse a lurker butting in!

I too was baffled by 14 but the qv path does completely justify the definition.

I am a fan of radial puzzles and despite the quick PDM - I too am partial to the singer - it held my attention to the end (14 obviously).

From posts already here I infer that the theme is WAY outside my comfort zone. The 6 perimeter words (of which I have 5) all seem to be synonyms of one common 4-letter word. I have googled a song title with this word repeated 6 times, but to no avail. Am I barking up the wrong tree completely? I have 10 of the 39 radials, but not enough to begin to have an inkling of the vaguest outline of a hint of who the singer might be. Would some kind soul offer a hint. In return I promise to offer help if ever a puzzle appears requiring an intimate knowledge of Haydn symphonies. (Fat chance.)

Hi cockie, you need another 4-letter synonym for the shape of the six perimeter words, the two together are in the title of the song.

You asked for the vaguest of hints - how are your six words arranged? So you have a .... of ..... .
The singer is a very well known one in the genre, and you will probably know the name when you hear it.

a-HA! Thanks guys.

Incidentally, Listeners 4035, 4288 and 4324 all involve Haydn symphonies. All accessible in the Times Crossword Club if you subscribe.