Listen With Others

Blimey!

Was I the only one fooled by the relative simplicity of the Across, Ascending & Descending clues?  And the 6-letter circular ones?  I suspect not …

The ‘solver vs setter’ battle only really started after all the above were in place.  A bit of deduction re. the Preamble led me to suspect that the triangular-curved sections each also required a letter to be added – and so it proved.  So nineteen x 12-letter answers were still required, with six of the letters available in each case.  I solved three or so quickly but then it slowed right down.

I particularly liked how, in those ‘triangles’ near the corners of the ‘hexagon’ where two adjacent sections were unchecked, that each must be filled with a common pair of letters – both are A in the top left’s 6 Round’s PEARL DISEASE, for example.

This grid was an excellent construction!  Based on the FLOWER OF LIFE pattern with 19 intersecting circles, it must have been fun setting!!

I also particularly liked some of the misleading definitions, with my favourite being ‘Supplier of sensational information’ as the definition for SCIATIC NERVE.  Loved it!

My thanks again to eXtent.  This was one of the two I end up solving overnight each year on the Eurostar to & from the Alps, which makes it even more memorable.  Great fun 🙂

Tim / Encota