Listener Crossword 4585: Solution Notes
In this World of Sin … by Pointer
Puzzle explanation
In the bottom row of the grid, D was changed to X to form “ilex et hedera”, Latin for The Holly and the Ivy. The decagon traced a Chambers definition of wood, “the cask or barrel as storage for wine etc”. Nine (different) trees were contained within this area, and the highlighting reflected the carol’s lines:
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
The nine trees “in the wood” were LEMON, ANTIAR, HOLLY, TAWA, RATA (row 8), ASH, ACER, SAL (column 9), BAY. Ringing the two occurrences of RATA (rows 7 and 8) was not accepted, as that made only eight trees (with one repeated). SAL in column 2, occurring as part of the definition of “wood”, was not accepted, because it required stretching the decagon to avoid passing through the definition’s letters, and no such measures were necessary. PAN (row 3) was not accepted, because paan (betel or sirih) is only the leaf of the betel pepper, which is in any case a vine, not a tree.
The puzzle’s title is from O Little Town of Bethlehem, which ends with “the dear Christ enters in”, used as a reference to the insertion of X in the grid.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra words | Answers | Jumble |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | SOUPED-UP, SOBA | (gastropu)B OPPOSED USUA(l) | |
| 2 | WISLEY, IFOR | (incidentall)Y IS FLOWERI(ng | |
| 3 | BORAGE, PANNE | (u)PON A GREEN BA(ize) | |
| 4 | MONS, SUBTITLE | MUST NOT BE SIL(ly) | |
| 5 | RACKS, AVANTI | (Fran)K SINATRA VAC(antly) | |
| 6 | TESSA, WHOLLY | (Guide)S THEY ALLOW S(ixty) | |
| 7 | TERATA, WAH-WAH | (sep)ARATE WHAT A WH(imsical) | |
| 8 | ACES, ERRATA | (int)ERACT AS EAR(th) | |
| 9 | BROKER, TERRA | (garden)ER ROBERT RAK(es) | |
| 10 | REPRO, SATAY | (reci)PE OR TRY A SA(lmon) | |
| 11 | ETHE, DERAILED | (Listen)ER IDEA LED THE(m) | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | STRIPE, BIKE | (mem)BER IS KEPT I(nside) | |
| 2 | SALE, EYOTS | (ch)OSE STYLE A(dding) | |
| 3 | LASHER, SEDER | (Minstre)LS REHEARSED | |
| 4 | RADULAE, VAT | (e)VALUATED A R(edesigned) | |
| 5 | MACERATE, PIG | (Eas)T GAME EPIC AR(abs) | |
| 6 | EON, RABATS | (Neutr)ON STAR ABE(rrating) | |
| 7 | HOOP, THAT | (fres)H HOT POTA(to) | |
| 8 | rats | ZEBRAS, IOTA | (se)IZE AS BOAR T(rembles) |
| 9 | free rein | ALASKA, DAWNS | AS A WALK AND S(tops) |
| 10 | groan | WAE, RESIN | (trigg)ERS A IN WE(stminster) |
| 11 | ROSEBAY, ACRE | A SEA-BERRY CO(lonises) | |
| 12 | Echo | EPAULET, THE | (d)UE TELEPATH(ic) |
| Extras | |||
| 8 | RATS | STAR < [The rising of the sun] | |
| 9 | FREE REIN | [And the running of the deer] | |
| 10 | GROAN | ORGAN * [The playing of the merry organ] | |
| 12 | ECHO | (th)E CHO(ir) [Sweet singing in the choir] | |