Listen With Others

I recall writing to the Editors some time in 2016 suggesting that, what with the Puzzle number 4444 looming (at that time) on the horizon then surely it could potentially be ideal for Quads 4 in the excellent Quads series by Shark.  Ok, ok, I hear you say, we haven’t even had Quads 3 yet and Quads 2 appeared in 2016.  Mere detail, mere detail,…

So what have we got in this week’s puzzle?  Well it doesn’t say ‘by Shark’.  But what a blinder of a first clue!

  Comic character most frequently seen in Rupert Bear – art is foremost (6)

As most of you will know, with many really good clues if two words appear to go really well together in the surface then they very often are partly definition and partly wordplay – and so it is here with Comic character.  The answer is AMUSER, with its definition Comic .  The word used here for art is MUSE and the glorious seven words ‘character most frequently seen in Rupert Bear’ simply results in the letter R!  Add the missing letter (A) at the front – as per the Preamble – and we have AMUSER.

The entries at 6, 7, 8 & 9 turned out to be the four requiring modification before entry – and what glorious clues they were:

About to call up individual (4)

…parsed as ON NAME< to give ONE-MAN and entered as 1MAN;

High degree of neatness in almost reformed enclosure in French city (6)

…was NE(w) PEN found in NICE, entered as 9PENCE;

Health recommendation following one American interrupting end of war? (5)

…had the entry 5ADAY, with wordplay of F I and then A in VE-DAY, and

Doctor removes lion flesh in Italian features (12, four words)

…is REMOVESLIONFLESH*, leading to SEVEN HILLS OF ROME and entered as 7HILLS OF ROME.

The first row finally became PANORAMA 1957, the two clued by wordplay were (the Italian-speaking Swiss half-canton) TICINO and (presumably Lake) LUGANO.  The final 3-minute April Fool TV clip mentions both and is available online for those who either haven’t seen it or are keen to do so again.  One nice touch in the clip includes the details about careful work that has been done by plant breeders to ensure all spaghetti grows to the same length. 🙂

Great timing for a puzzle by someone who is clearly a very skilled clue-setter.  Thanks Handyman!

Tim / Encota

PS It’s just been pointed out to me by Shirley and others that I appear to have won this one 🙂