Listener Crossword 3958: Solution Notes
Describer by Henry
Puzzle explanation
The Describer was the writer Edward Upward. Forms of Edward were to appear upward in five down answers 3 berated 5 Edam 8 terned 21 steddy 23 reddy. His novel Journey to the Border explains movements of words meaning “journey” to the border of the grid in 9 brake 26 Turkey red 7 strip 20 irideae. Corrected letters in definitions spelt Auden, Isherwood, Spender, three contemporaries, in addition to Day Lewis at 31. The Spiral Ascent describes the location of his name, which had to be highlighted. The numbers for the eight remaining clues totalled 104, Upward’s current age; he was born on September 9, 1903.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint correction |
Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACROSS | |||
| 1 | – | AMEBIC | AM + E + B + I + C(ytogenesis) & lit |
| 5 | dec(a)de | DECTET | D + E + ETC < + (can’)T |
| 9 | – | BRAKE | B + RAKE, reference TV presenter |
| 11 | p(u)t | RECORD | (CO + (Directo)R) in RED |
| 12 | – | PEACHIER | (CHI + E) in PEAR |
| 14 | – | URBAN | Two definitions |
| 15 | (d)ig | SPUD | PUD after S |
| 16 | Se(e) | TOODLE-PIP | (omi)T + POPE IDOL* |
| 17 | Da(n)dy’s | BEAU | BEA + U; reference meaning of the name Bea |
| 19 | p(i)tch | UNISON | UNI + ON about S(oftware) |
| 21 | (s)lack | SLATCH | C in (SLAT + H) |
| 22 | (h)oney | DEAR | D + EAR |
| 26 | – | TURKEY RED | R in (TURKEY + E(ye) + D(ot)); reference character in soap opera |
| 28 | sho(e) | DRAG | RAG after D |
| 30 | p(r)ayer | ARDAS | (SAD + RA) < |
| 31 | (W)ritten | DAY LEWIS | (D + A(ldeburgh) + IS) about (W + ELY) <; his pen name, without a hyphen, was more appropriate given the clue wording |
| 32 | f(o)lly | ABSURD | BARD* about SU(n) |
| 33 | h(o)ld | SDEIN | NED IS* |
| 34 | – | TSETSE | (SET + SET) with last letter first |
| 35 | lar(d)er | SPENCE | SPENCE(r) |
| DOWN | |||
| 1 | (s)hrill | ARGUTE | ARE about GUT |
| 2 | – | MACROFLORA | CAM < + ROLF* + OR + A |
| 3 | – | BERATED | RATE in BED |
| 4 | (p)ot | CREWE | Homophone (CREW) |
| 5 | – | EDAM | DA in (E + M) |
| 6 | – | ECCRINE | composite anagram, AS TO USING ECCRINE → CAUSING SECRETION, & lit |
| 7 | – | STRIP | (S + P) about (TRIO – O) |
| 8 | – | TERNED | Homophone (TURNED) |
| 10 | – | KABOB | KA + BO + B |
| 13 | (E)U | EUROCRATIC | C(arling) after ERICA TOUR* |
| 18 | Thor(n) | ACULEUS | A + CLUE* + USE – (villag)E |
| 20 | – | IRIDEAE | IRE about IDEA |
| 21 | – | STEDDY | T(ime)S < + EDDY |
| 23 | – | REDDY | RED DY(e) |
| 24 | (d)esign | DESINE | (violenc)E in DEN IS*; reference character in soap opera |
| 25 | – | MAYBE | Hidden reversed |
| 27 | l(e)aders | KAIDS | K(iller) + AIDS |
| 29 | o(r)e | OWRE | OW + RE; reference Spenser’s spelling of ORE |