Listen With Others

I loved this theme – and the musical – although I suspect I wasn’t the only one who was snookered by the 5 colours – in order too! – and 1dn CAROMS. I really liked the depiction in the grid, and just regret that I left completing the puzzle too late to colour in all 29 shades before I had to post it.

I enjoyed Q’s (mainly) accessible clues and the colourful, unambiguous endgame. I particularly liked the clever 43ac NEUK (Scotch Corner (northeast UK)). I struggled more with 2dn (RASE though RASP too means scrape) because RSE does not feature in my CD-based Chambers – at least RSE expands to something sensible. I’d never have guessed the misprint in the definition for 21dn YALE (English song pitched up: its key has vs on edge) if I hadn’t got v from “seven” – very tricky!

I’d like to add my thanks to those of many fellow solvers and say a huge THANK YOU to Quinapalus for his online wordmatchers. Without these I would not solve a significant number of Listeners (and wouldn’t get over the starting line with a few).