Listener Crossword 4001: Solution Notes
The French Can by Alban
Puzzle explanation
Every answer was a Latin word, the title giving a hint (Etc, etc = Et cetera, and so on). In most cases the Latin word and its translation could be found in an entry in Chambers Dictionary, possibly in the etymology, near its natural place. In other cases the word provided by the jumble had an entry showing the answer. These were Across: 4 terracotta, 28 tabula, 34 dies, 39 peer, 43 seine; Down: 1 Olympia, 3 intrude, 4 recoil, 9 corpora, 30 amiable, 33 otter, 37 era. The unclued entries formed the full version of the abbreviation QED, used to show that “what was to be demonstrated” had been.
The puzzle relied on translations suggested in The Chambers Dictionary. Some of these are not the most obvious, eg, motu = accord in 19ac. All the entries are in that dictionary except for three regularly-formed plurals: culi (4dn), trapi (6dn), and corni (8dn), the latter’s appearance being for a different usage.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra hint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 4 | terracotta: [torta creat]ion | COCTA | C + OCTA(d) |
| 8 | CELLAE | CELL + AE | |
| 12 | LUCRUM | LUC(k) + RUM | |
| 13 | RUMEX | R + (h)UM + (h)EX | |
| 15 | ULTRA | ALTRU(istic)* | |
| 16 | CRETA | TRACE* | |
| 17 | SUASIO | (O + IS + A + US) < | |
| 18 | SPONTE SUA | AN OPUS SET* and US TO SNAPE* | |
| 19 | MOTU | MO + T + U | |
| 21 | QUINI | QUINIDINE – DINE | |
| 22 | AMOR | (A + M + R) about O | |
| 28 | tabula: [A lab tu]tors | RASA | RA + SA |
| 31 | CALOR | COAL* about (fi)R(es) | |
| 34 | dies: [is de]ad | IRAE | (R + AE) after I |
| 35 | TREMENDUS | Hidden | |
| 36 | VACARE | V + A + C(amilla) + A + ER < | |
| 39 | peer: [per e]ntry | PARIS | Two definitions |
| 40 | TENET | T(rue) + ENE + (main)T(ains) | |
| 41 | UNIRE | UNITE, R for T & lit (time referring to when the language was used) | |
| 42 | PRUNUS | R in SUNUP < | |
| 43 | seine: Ch[inese] | SAGENA | ’S + AGEN(t) + A |
| 44 | MASCA | A SCAM* | |
| 45 | MARE | Two definitions | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Olympia: sympt[om I play] | ELIS | SILE < |
| 2 | ACHATES | ACHES about (A + T) | |
| 3 | intrude: spl[it under] | TRUSUM | RU in MUST < |
| 4 | recoil: fra[il core] | CULI | Cu + Li |
| 5 | CURSUS | CURS + US | |
| 6 | TRAPI | TRIP A* | |
| 7 | ANCON | AN + CON | |
| 8 | CORNI | CORN + I(mpatiens) | |
| 9 | corpora: [A poor cr]op’s | LUTEA | UT in LEA |
| 10 | AEQUO | EQUA(l)* + (sp)O(rtsman) | |
| 11 | EX PARTE | EXTRA PE* | |
| 13 | RETINA | RETSINA – S | |
| 19 | MARTIUS | (SUIT + RAM) < | |
| 20 | MOVERE | ME ROVE* | |
| 23 | MURAENA | (AN + EA + RUM) < | |
| 25 | ROSEUS | ROS(a) + SUE < | |
| 26 | DICTUM | (I’D < + TUM) about C(alories) | |
| 27 | MARS | Two definitions | |
| 29 | ARENA | AREA about N | |
| 30 | amiable: [I blame a]fter | AMARE | A + MARE |
| 31 | CNIDA | CA about DIN < | |
| 32 | ADSUM | Homophone (ADD SOME or ADD SUM) | |
| 33 | otter: [to ret]rieve | LUTRA | Anagram of 15ac |
| 37 | era: [rea]sonable | AERA | AREA < |
| 38 | ESSE | (H)ESSE | |