Claque by Leo

Puzzle explanation

The answers to the four normal clues were entered with a letter shifted (translated in the geometric sense of movement within a plane), thereby becoming their translation in another language: 1ac COPENHAGEN → COPENAGHEN (Italian), 35ac BLUE → BLEU (French), 1dn CAPTAIN → CAPITÁN (Spanish), 31dn TOURISM → TURISMO (Italian). The letters similarly “translated” in across clues gave “toranslatins yb brain firel”, a thematically altered form of “Translations by Brian Friel”. A line from the play, “But remember that words are signals, counters. They are not immortal. And it can happen that a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of … fact”, was represented by the highlighting of CIVILISATION in a 4×3 rectangle surrounded by A LINGUISTIC CONTOUR. The puzzle’s title was “calque” (a loan-translation) subjected to a thematic letter translation.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Moved letter Answer Explanation [moved letter]
Across
1   COPENHAGEN C + OPEN + HAGEN
11 Al(T)ered AXINITE (TAXI IN) * + E
12 b(O)ing STIPEL (SPELT + (bo)I(ng)) *
13 use(R) PING APING − A
15 (A)stir DONAH (HAD NO) *
17 (N)ame CANA CAVA with N for V
18 (S)tellar IDOLISE (SOLID IE) *
19 bott(L)ing KIANGS A in KINGS
20 Sp(A)in ÉTUIS E + (c)UTIS *
21 lates(T) CEDES DEC(aff) < + (caf)É (environ)S
22 (I)con AGOG AGOING − I(co)N
25 Eve(N)ly VICARS V(e)I(l) + CARS
28 Re(S)cue RNLI (Northe)RN LI(ne)
30 awn(Y) A ONE A(wny) O(n) N(ight) E(xcursion)
33 (B)ro INITIO NIT in II + (br)O
35   BLUE LUBE *
36 lam(B)ed ITALA (Wich)ITA LA(mbed)
40 f(R)inges OTAGO TAG in O(sl)O
43 b(A)red ROTOLO (r)OT(i) in ROLO
44 Pars(I) PEHLEVI (I’VE HELP) *
46 eter(N)ally PIET (poly)PI ET(ernally)
47 li(F)er’s DUPLE L(ifer) in DUPE
48 sol(I)d UTES U + SET <
49 d(R)owse ASLEEP SAL * + PEE <
50 (E)vil or v(E)il EELWORM (MORE WELL) * − (evi)L
51 B(L)ow SACRAMENTO (STREAM + CANO(e)) *
Down
1   CAPTAIN (APT + AI) in CN
2   OXIDE OX + D[I]E
3   PINOT PINT[O]
4   NIDI I + DI[N]
5   GENET E[G] + NET
6   ETHIC ET[C]H + I
7   NICAEAN [A] + NICE + AN
8   SPANDREL (SPAN + L) around RE[D]
9   LENGEST LEN + GET[S]
10   CLASSY LASS after C[Y]
12   SAKI [A]SK + I
14   GLUG (s)LUG[G](ish)
16   OSSI I[S] after OS
23   ORNATELY OR + NAT + LY[E]
24   CLT L(eo) [C](rossword) T(heme)
25   VSO SO[V](ereign)
26   CON [N]C + O
27   TITOISM TI[M] + TOILS − L
29   NILOTES (SET O[N] + LI) <
31   TOURISM URIS in TOM
32   KIRPAN [K]NAP < after IR
34   NOEL O[N]E + L
35   BALU A[B]LU(tion)
37   ALDEA A + LA[D] around E
38   ROUP OU[R] + P
39   UPPER [P]UP + ER
41   GET ON GE[N]TO(o)
42   OVERT [T] + OVER
45   HELM (EH + (ro)[L](ls)) < + M(ount)
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