I prefer Keaton to Laurel and Hardy but as yet not had the opportunity to use him in a clue. I’ll find an excuse I’m sure.

Many thanks for the insight into how much effort goes into creating these individual masterpieces.

I agree 19ac is a lovely clue, so simple yet very funny.
10dn was the one that I felt gave you away as a scientist – two obscure metallic elements!
I think you meant 24dn not 27dn – indeed very topical asnd quite perfectly composed
The 1916 film reference went right over my head, I must admit Buster Keaton would be my choice from that anarchic era of film production.

I’m sure there will be a next time – It’s refreshing to have some young blood in the advanced cryptic world – of quality too.

I spend more time solving (well, trying to) Listeners than EVs and the idea for writing my own crossword come from that puzzle. “I wonder if I can do one of these,” I thought. Then the hunt began for a theme, and some brilliant idea occurred to me of “Pauli’s Exclusion Principle” applying to FERMIONS somehow. Maybe there would be clashes and the resolution would be to “exclude” the letters FERMION? Anyway having decided this it sat in the back of my mind for ages. After all, I’d never be able to finish it, surely?

That was back in February 2012, and then in July/ August I finally got round to asking Chalicea about this — she’s been helping me learn how to solve Listeners so we’d been in touch for a year or so — and the idea rapidly turned from idle thought into something serious. I think we spent a fortnight or so, with Artix involved too, bashing out ideas for the grid. Clashes/ extra letters or misprints spelling out PAULI EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE wile down clues would all need one letter removed from the set FERMION(S) led to a working grid but it was far too complicated and messy. Gradually things got watered down to the neater version that would get published, including the “Spin” of ONEHALF and only seven special clues, with poor old Pauli and his principle being relegated to appearing in wordplay, a subtle reference in the rubric, and the title – which was probably a bit misleading as it doesn’t immediately have much to do with “spin-1/2″ — at least not at the level of a crossword. If only I could have thought of a better one!

The cluing lasted for a long time, as I’m still not exactly brilliant at solving these things let alone writing them. Still, most of the clues are mostly my work though Artix supplied about six or so originals, Shark three and Chalicea two – and they all helped tidy up most of the remainder. 4 down is in fact the editor’s own clue and I saw it only on publication.

During the test-solving Shark suggested that I submit to EV instead of Listener due in part to the faster response time. And it worked out pretty well! First try, first acceptance, with not too many changes to be made from what I sent in originally. So a huge thank you to the Editor for accepting my first-ever submission.

A few of my favourite clues: 19a which was maybe the second I wrote and survived unchanged through the whole process; 27a, 10d also have nice surface reading I think.

27d was a fairly nice clue too – which I believe was finalised a few days before the Kate Middleton picture scandal broke (Artix changed my “little girl” to “Princess” a week earlier!). Surprisingly appropriate and lucky coincidence.

The clue which probably was the biggest pain to write and I seriously wanted to work was 30a “Laurel’s appearing after one in ‘Busted Hearts’? Ah, sadly not — Hardy!” Resistant can just about mean Hardy, and I saw Stan in there and immediately thought of “Laurel and Hardy” and how that might work. I then spent hours trawling through lists of their films before finding “Busted Hearts” which is a 1916 film that stars Oliver Hardy but not Stan Laurel. Hence, eventually, the clue that provides a bit of film history without being too contrived, I hope. Maybe “Is Laurel (without his hat) appearing in…” would have been better, but never mind.

I actually never spotted “spin states” appearing in the grid and it was completely unintentional. As was the “Dirac” appearing wrapped around nearby. I wonder how many other secret messages related to the theme are lurking accidentally in the grid.

Until next time! If there is one…

Jaguar