Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

THE CLUES
Requests for help with the clues should normally include the clue itself, number of letters in the answer and details of any you already have. Any special instructions or relevant additional information should be included.

NB Hints only should be given, no answers please.

THE THEME
Requests may be made here for GENTLE NUDGES towards the theme. Do NOT reveal the theme itself under any circumstances.

PS If this week's puzzle is numerical, some of these guidelines might not apply.

Bit of a slog but its all sorted. Thanks to Aragon

Sorry you found this a "bit of a slog", Jordan, but isn't that the point of The Listener? (Less demanding puzzles are available.) I had a whale of a time with this. I started out a bit apprehensive that the song - when I found out what it is - would be outside of my comfort zone but it turned out to be one I can sing from memory - no, really! - although there's no credit for doing so nowadays as everything can be looked up online.

I wish solvers who will be seeing this puzzle only on Saturday as much fun as I've had with it this Friday evening.

I had cold solved well over two-thirds of the clues before making any real headway into the grid, because the clues that provided the entry points were among the last to fall. I'm not keen loads of cold-solving with nothing in the grid to show for it, so for the first hour or so I'd have described this as a slog too. But once I got a crossing pair of elusive answers everything fell into place, my frustrations were quickly forgotten and this was a joy from then on. The endgame is brilliant.

Is a puzzle that's both a slog an a joy a SLOY puzzle?

Good evening from Maine! Does “grid entry order” mean all acrosses then all downs, in order? Or cell by cell, interspersing acrosses and downs as their first letters appear?

It means all acrosses, then all downs, in order - i.e. the order the clues would appear in a "normal" crossword.

Thanks Loge!

I’m with you Will. Thanks for a wonderful evening, Aragon!

Not sure what is wrong with what I said. The solve took me 7 hours with only a 20 minute break and was a strenuous spell of work (aka a slog). There was no criticism - either overt or implied, and I thanked Aragon. Best keep my thoughts to myself in future. J.

I agree about the excellence of the puzzle, but I'm wondering if aragon hasn't set us a KOHb trap. The preamble uses the unusual word "essential" which can be interpreted to mean ... the essence of (in other words KOHB) or absolutely right (KOHb). As we're instructed to "jumble", not to rewrite I'm inclined to KOHB, but that's what I put years ago and it was wrong. Am I alone in this bit of nit-pickery?