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 addtional information or special instructions, common in Listeners, should also be given.
Hints only, please, no answers.

The theme...
Requests for help with the theme may be made here. The 'help' should be a nudge, a pointer in the right direction - enough to assist a struggling solver, not enough to 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.

Ooh, this one looks like it will be fun! Thanks in advance Eclogue. And a commendably clear preamble given how complicated it is.

My only complaint out of the gate is that the grid entry lengths aren’t shown on the clues — I don’t know why. After finding it tiresome to have to keep looking up at the grid to see how long each entry should be, I’m now sitting down and going through writing them all in myself by hand… :-/

I presume that’s can only be a space issue which often arises with the Listener.

If you include enumeration in a crossword like this, you then need to add an extra line to the preamble to explain that the enumerations are for grid entries rather than answers.

Having spent a fairly long time grid-searching I'm beginning to think the endgame could be beyond me.
It would help to know if the ''six-word thematic phrase'' is in English. If not, a better idea of what kind of symmetry is involved is probably the only way I'll get there.

If you have the names, the language of the phrase should be clear.

Yes, I have the names and it looks like you've confirmed my worst fears - any tips regarding the symmetry (is ''five parallel lines'' really as helpful it suggests?).

5 parallel lines describes the highlighting perfectly. When in doubt, start with the most likely spots for a phrase to appear.

Thanks, buddy - but it will be quite a feat if anything leaps out given I know about 5 phrases (all food/drink related}.

I feel pretty confident you have heard this phrase, if only in a 50-ish year old seasonal song.

Great tip, buddy - thanks (all done).