All Write for The Listener by MynoT

Puzzle explanation

Words were replaced by homophones in 16 clues and 16 answers were entered as homophones. The perimeter contains “Take care of the sounds and the sense will take care of itself”, a thematic reversal of Lewis Carroll’s “Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves” (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), which was itself a pun on the proverb “Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves”. The original versions are in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, the latter both as a proverb and quoted from letters of William Lowndes.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Modified word Answer (grid entry) Explanation
Across
1   FLYTE (FLIGHT) FLY + TE
6   FLOATEL FELL * around OAT
11   ENSLAVED LAVED after ENS
13 fare (fair) FAURÉ FARE around (p)U(pil)
14   TREEN TUREEN − U
16 bows (beaus), bells (belles) TENORS OR in TENS; 2 meanings
17   SIGNORE SIGN + O’ + RE
18 leman (lemon) DONAH HONDA *
20   TEAR (TAHR) RATE *
22 right (rite) CARRY-ONS CA + R + RY + ON + S
23 Earnest (Ernest) INTENSE TENNIS * + E(vening)
25 pole (poll) DISMAST DISMA(l) + ST
28 Lie (Lye) FIBRILLA FIB + RILL + A
32   URN (EARN) UR + N
35   MOURN (MORNE) U in MORN
36 Knot (Not) SNARLED SNARL + ED
37   CHETAH CH + HATE <
39 bread (bred) LITAI LIT + AI
41   HAIRED (HARED) HAILED with R for L
42   LENGTHEN LE + NG + THEN
43 wrack (rack) SEAWEED (WE EASED) *
44 Fat (Phat) GREASE 2 meanings
Down
1 read (reed) ALEXIA ALEX + (A after I)
2   JEST (GEST) JUST with E for U
3 tea (tee) CHARON CHAR + ON
4 Bars (Barres) TAVERNS SERVANT *
5   TENREC RECENT *
7   LUTE (LOOT) FLUTE − F
8   AFFEER (AFFEAR) FEE in AFR
9 praise (prays) HERRY HERR + Y
10   LESSON (LESSEN) LESS + ON
12   NITE (KNIGHT) NIT + E(at)
15   HOAED HOAXED − X
19   TIME (THYME) T(hat) I(s) M(ore) E(vident)
21   REARM EAR in RM
24   ELLEN (H)ELL EN(thrals)
26   WINNING TWINNING − T
27   SALINE AL in SINE
28   INCHES 2 meanings
29 one (won) TIRADE I in TRADE
30   ISLES (AISLES) ref. Isle of Man, Isle of Dogs
31   LAGER (LAAGER) GABRIELLE * − BILE *
33   REMENS NS after REME
34   SHEIK (SHAKE) ’S + HE + I’ + K
38   WHOLE (HOLE) HOW * + LEPER − PER
40   SIGHT (SITE) EIGHT with S for E
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