Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

The Clues ….
Requests for help should normally include the clue itself, the number of letters in the answer, and details of any you already have. Any additional information or special instructions should also be included.
Hints only, please, no answers.

The Theme ….
Requests for help towards the theme may also be made here. The 'help' should be in the form of a pointer, a steer in the right direction... more than a 'gentle nudge' could spoil the puzzle for others. Any requests or answers which - even inadvertently - reveal too much are likely to be removed.
The theme itself should not be revealed under any circumstances.

The Listener is a unique puzzle and should be treated with respect.

Thanks istenem. Have learned something new today doing your neat puzzle. Have a great weekend.

Thank you istenem. Not something we were familiar with, but Google supplied the answer readily. Another timely one from the editors. Clever use of “figures” which confused us for a time. Nice one.

Fairly sure that I've completed this puzzle including the correct highlighting, so I think I've correctly identified all the elements of the theme. However I'm perplexed by how the initial letters of the solutions to clues containing the 6 removed thematic words "cryptically suggest an achievement". It doesn't seem necessary to understand this part of the preamble in order to complete the puzzle, so why have it in there at all? Or, have I missed something? From the letters I have, there seems to be an anagram of American spelling of a key word, plus one other letter, which may represent a key number.

Turast, I agree that you can complete the puzzle without figuring out the meaning of the six letters. Just a bonus tidbit perhaps. I took what you refer to as one other letter to represent a word. It's a common usage in cryptics. Then think of an anagram indicator.

mathprofrockstar - that's a possibility I hadn't considered. My theory was that you consider where the extra letters occur in the grid. I don't like either explanation. I'm not terribly thrilled with the endgame at all, to be honest, it requires a bit of a 'guess what I'm thinking' logical leap at the end and although I have little doubt I've done the highlighting correctly, I think it's a real stretch to read the preamble in the necessary way. Oh well, chacun a son gout I expect others will love it.

Another Listener with a rather easy grid fill and the extra words with the clash number made things relatively straightforward. I wish we could return to the days when the crossword took 1-2 DAYS to complete rather than 90mins + a little googling and grid staring - but my wife continually reminds me that I can be grumpy.

An easy grid fill leading to a theme I know nothing about, but Google has told me an inspirational figure. I cannot find the other - unless this is a pun. I can highlight the same name twice in the diagram so I suppose that this satisfies the rubric.

It is rather a matter of 'guess what I am thinking'.

I have no idea what the six letters are meant to indicate, but I don't think it is asking members of a certain august musical institution to burst out in hilarity.

foinaven - its a little bit cleverer than simply highlighting the same name twice in the diagram

I'm with you foinaven. I haven't a scoobie who the second person is unless it's a person I found by googling, but who has no apparent link to the number.

I think the 6 letters can make an American word with an abbreviation in the middle - a bit tenuous but other than hilarity and a musical institution, it's the best I can do.