Listener Crossword 4006: Solution Notes
We Interrupt this Programme … by Phi
Puzzle explanation
The week of the puzzle saw the seventieth anniversary (on October 30) of Orson Welles’ celebrated broadcast version of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. FORT, WATERSHED and HOWL, if broadcast (ie, anagrammed), provide the title, while the difference between seven clue answers (need, sipes, dose, man, hid, oches, stare) and their associated grid entries was a single E, as between Welles and Wells. The six “Snippets” led to types of radio programme (music, news, drama, sport, traffic, weather) although each snippet was couched in terms of a different type. The invading trios of letters gave Mar/tia/nsh/ave/lan/ded.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer (→ Entry) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Snippets | ||
| 4 | MUSIC + MAR | a scrum, missed |
| 1dn | NEWS + TIA | in West are |
| 20 | DRAMA + NS H | PM, Hansard |
| 6 | SPORT + AVE | what proves |
| 14 | TRAFFIC + LAN | final Act, Fafnir |
| 34 | WEATHER + DED | Edward the Eighth |
| Across | ||
| 1 | NEED → NED | DEEN < |
| 12 | EYING | YIN in (E + G) |
| 13 | FOLIO | (OIL + OF) < |
| 15 | GYVE | G(enerall)Y V(il)E |
| 16 | SWOT | Two definitions, one an acronym |
| 18 | AHOLD | AH + OLD |
| 21 | TITANS | AN in TITS |
| 23 | WINDROW | WIND + ROW (obsolete) |
| 26 | ROTTERS | (t)ROTTERS |
| 27 | IDLEST | ID EST about L |
| 28 | SURDS | US < + RADS – A’ |
| 29 | HOST | S in HOT |
| 31 | SIPES → SIPS | SWIPES – W(ithdraw) |
| 35 | WHELM | W (watt) + HELM |
| 36 | BRETT | BORE – O + TT; answer is a name |
| 37 | SOLAR DAY | SOAY about LARD |
| 38 | DOSE → DOS | DOES, E and S swapped |
| Down | ||
| 2 | EYRA | (strik)E + AYR * |
| 3 | DIAGONALS | SAID ALONG * |
| 5 | UGLY | (J)ULY about G |
| 7 | MAN → MANE | MAN(y) |
| 8 | AFFLICTS | FLIC in AFT + S(uspects) |
| 9 | ROISTS | ROI + SETS – E |
| 10 | CITO | CO about IT |
| 11 | FORT | Unclued |
| 17 | WATERSHED | Unclued |
| 19 | HID → HIED | HID(e) |
| 21 | TWO-SIDED | DOWDIEST * |
| 22 | NERD | (DR + EN) <; see etymology in Chambers |
| 24 | ASSORTS | ASSOTS about R; reference “ the three Rs” |
| 25 | RETELL | REL about TEL |
| 29 | HOWL | Unclued |
| 30 | OCHES → OCHS | TROCHES – TR |
| 31 | STARE → STAR | (R in EATS) < |
| 32 | PEBA | B in PEA |
| 33 | VETO | VET + O |