Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

A numerical puzzle this week.

The clues...
Any help with clues should be just enough to aid a struggling solver, point them in the right direction.

The theme...
Help with the theme may also be sought and given here. The nature of the themes in numerical puzzles means... I really don't know what I'm talking about, but would just like any help given to be on the gentle side. If someone is stuck, they may only need a pointer or two.

If anyone feels too much thematic information has been revealed, please let the site administrator know - Norah.evoluted@aol.com. Norah errs on the side of caution, anything iffy is likely to be removed.

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

Anyone who gives too much information will be stripped naked, hung upside down and then beaten on the soles of their feet with a dead carp.

You have been warned.

Thanks, Elap. I welcome any help, any advice, where the guidelines for numerical puzzles are concerned. Your punishment sounds a little drastic, but maybe necessary occasionally?

May I suggest a similar, albet a less brutal, fish inspired punishment.

I saw it at the Comefy Store in Soho. It's where The Young Ones (Rick, Ade etc) honed their craft.

A man and a woman, both in top hat and tails (the woman wearing stockings rather than trousers) came on stage to the tune of Wheels by The String-A-Longs. The lady then bent over, flicking up her tails in the process, at which point het partner produced a large fish from inside his jacket (could have been a carp but I can't swear to it) and proceeded to spank her with it.

No doubt this is one of those 'you had to be there' occasions but I can at least confirm the act was allowed to continue until the end and received a large round of applause.

Alas, that was not the case for the following act, who was literally carried off the stage - as was the custom at the time for those not deemed up to par.

I have a completed grid, without having deciphered the message or understood how to split the answers in each set into two pairs!

Naturally, I'm concerned that I may have the wrong answer(s) somewhere. I don't want anyone to risk the fish beating, but I will keep my eyes peeled for whatever may swim by on this forum!!

Now I have the (9, 5, 6) instruction. Let's see where that takes me!

Great job, Elap! Pitch perfect - just the right amount of difficulty, fiddliness with multiple variables, amazement at the payoff, etc. Thanks!

I keep going wrong on this one. In alphabetical order, and therefore not necessarily the order in which they appear, do the letters "KwY" appear in a 3 letter string somewhere along the instruction?

I have them together but not in that order gitto. But I could be wrong as I'm only half way through.

Fair play to the finishers. Toughest numerical for a long time for me this one. I'm about 4 hours in and I have 20 letters identified I think, but not seeing any easy way forward from here. I'm sure the breakthrough will come if I persevere.

I have finally finished the grid. Have a phrase that makes sense, can't immediately solve it to get the instruction. Will continue to ponder.