Crossword Help Forum
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As it's a numerical puzzle this week, the usual guidelines wouldn't be particularly useful.

Help with the clues is fine, though the 'help' shoudn't be too generous. Help with the theme is also fine, so long as the help is of a gentle nature, just a nudge in the right direction - certainly not anything that would spoil the puzzle for others.

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

I can’t quite tell what the bracketed numbers specifically mean—do they mean the length of the direct result of the respective algebraic expression? It’s not clear to me, given the reference to transformation later in the preamble.

If that’s not what the bracketed numbers signify, I don’t understand how to approach the puzzle. (I did start to make some progress but realised it was predicated on my initial assumption, and multiple reads of the preamble haven’t clarified that.)

Not the trickiest numerical so it may be worth a try for those who don't usually bother. Thanks Elap

The bracketed numbers are just the enumeration. Don’t worry about the transformation until the endgame

I have a filled grid and the resultant message. However I'm not too sure how to interpret it. Is the final entry at 12D what I have, but Chalicea, say, hasn't? (Sorry, Shirley.)

Sounds like you’ve interpreted it fine

Compared to last week's several day effort, this was a breath of air. Possibly the easiest numerical in recent memory, or at least very generous on what can be immediately solved without much case bashing. The hardest part was correcting my own mistakes resulting from poor bookkeeping.

I also enjoyed the endgame. Nice result to put a bow on everything. Thanks Elap!

Nice puzzle once I switched from paper to computer to work it out. Not because the maths is overly tricky, but because I kept getting my upper and lower case letters confused in my handwriting!!

l soIved on computer and confused l for I in the finaI phrase for a bit.

Straightforward, using Excel to help keep track.
Neat endgame.