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 special instructions or additional information, common in Listener puzzles, should be included.
HINTS only, please, no answers.

The theme...
Help with the theme may also be sought and given here. It is intended that the help is fairly gentle in nature, just a nudge or a pointer in the right direction. It certainly shouldn't be anything that would spoil the puzzle for others. Any posts which, even inadvertently, reveal too much are likely to be removed.

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

Pleasant enough, and a good newcomers’ puzzle, but old hands will complain it’s too easy

Indeed. I had a lot more trouble with the main Times cryptic today, some very clever and difficult clues. A new compiler perhaps...?

No - a very old hand - John Henderson, Enigmatist (and recent AGC winner)

Is it worth bothering with?

It’s harmless enough and will keep you engaged for an hour or so but the daily Times cryptic is a much more enjoyable workout

Agreed, candledave, today’s Times took me longer. Re the AGC, had he discovered the equation, I thought it might have merited the prize, but as it had been in the public domain at least since 2021, to my knowledge, I thought that unlikely. I would have voted for ‘Eck or Sabre

Agreed dodgepot - ‘Eck or Shark for me

Shark was the other one in my top three! Both he and Sabre are previous winners, of course.

It was pretty close at the top - only four points between Enigmatist and Shark apparently in a system where people give 11, 7, 5, 3 and 2 points to their top 5

‘Eck was 20 points back