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, common in Listener puzzles, should also be included.
Hints only, please,no answers.

The theme...
Help with the theme may also be sought here. The assistance given should be fairly gentle in nature - really just a nudge, a pointer in the right direction. Avoid giving anything that would spoil the puzzle for others.

If you feel that too much 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.

Full grid but no idea where to go from there.

ditto, Upsetter. Grid filled in under an hour and then staring at the filled grid trying to work out how five cells in a straight line can have 19 separate adjacent cells. I'm not a fan of these quick gridfills followed by endgames which take longer to work out.

All done except that I cannot parse 17 across, even though I have the answer from the crossing entries. For the sake of completeness, it would be nice to know how 17 across works, if some body would be kind enough to enlighten me. I will happily help others with the end-game, but it is very early and difficult to avoid giving the game away.

“Five cells in a straight line” does not say they should be adjacent.

0pt0 - I'm in the same place, fully completed but cannot parse 17a.
About the endgame - I think there is basically only one logical way to get 19 spaces adjacent to 5 cells in a straight line!
I got the overall theme early on which of course helps.

0pt0 - 17a - if 'tower' means 'something that tows', that could give a 6-letter word rather close to the final 5-letter answer. Why 'not much dust' implies removing a single letter I cannot see. Any ideas?

Look up your answer, and consider the possible meanings of “dust”

17a = 3 defs, I think.

In my personal (and very subjective!) top five this year. Lovely work. Thanks, Smudge.