Listener Crossword 4031: Solution Notes
Much Ado About Nothing by Shackleton
Puzzle explanation
Answers in grid order, Across: basta, interphone, Cody, caravan, spadework, soda, niddle-noddle, well-to-do, fiar, araised, doer, fast-days, yada yada yada, coda, foredated, eddying, done, door-to-door, noddy; Down: bos’n, aspidia, scads, Adella, noonday, taro, raddled, proll, ovolo, nada, enamors, odder, effaced, gradino, esparto, dead-end, dead-on, dayan, saddo, davit, dated, dodo, yo-ho, Addy. Misprints in clues spelt “(S)ummertim(e)”, “(A)utumn Rhyth(m)”, both drip paintings by Jackson Pollock, the outer letters omitted in accordance with a reviewer (The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, under Pollock) saying his pictures had no beginning or end. The unclued entry was “interphone” which, when completed by WY (Wyoming), gave “Winter Phoney” as the forgery’s name. The grid was in the shape of Wyoming, where Pollock was born, his town of birth “Cody” (pollock’s family = cod) needing to be entered correctly in the northwest corner of the state, with “coda” in the other possible position. Cells with A, D, and O had to be shaded in red, green, and blue respectively, following the instructions in the down clues “state to south (of Wyoming: Colorado, a charade for color a d o) red green blue”.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| Corrected Misprint |
Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| (u)p | ARAISED | (ART ASIDE – T) * |
| (m)ore | BASTA | (AS A BAT – A(pple)) * |
| Ho(m)e | CARAVAN | CAN about VARA < |
| (e)nd | CODA | C + ODA |
| (r)oots | CODY | COD + (sa)Y; pollock is in cod family; JP was born in Cody, WY |
| ac(t)ing | DOER | DO + E + R |
| Fin(i) | DONE | D + ONE |
| (m)any | DOOR-TO-DOOR | ROOD < + TO-DO + O + R |
| C(u)rling | EDDYING | DYING about ’D after E(vening) |
| Len(t) | FAST-DAYS | FAST + homophone (DAZE) |
| ho(u)se | FIAR | FRIAR – R |
| (M)arked | FOREDATED | FATED about (ORE + D) |
| (N)utant | NIDDLE-NODDLE | LEN in DODDLE after (N + (acc)ID(ent)) |
| inve(r)ted | NODDY | Two definitions |
| Jo(h)n | SODA | SO + DA; reference cocktail named John Collins |
| (y)acker | SPADEWORK | OWED < in SPARK; “yacker” is Australian word for physical work |
| lo(t)s | WELL-TO-DO | WE’LL + TOD + O; “on your tod” means “on your own” |
| (h)ave | YADA YADA YADA | (A DAY, three times — Fri or Mon, Sat, Sun) < |
| Down | ||
| (S)ailor | BOS’N | BON about S |
| plan(t)s | ASPIDIA | (AID + I + PSA) < |
| he(a)ps | SCADS | CAD in SS |
| (t)o | ADELLA | AD + E + L + LA; meaning of name |
| (e)ating | NOONDAY | NO-ON(e) + D + AY |
| roo(t) | TARO | T’ + ORA < |
| Lo(o)king | RADDLED | DR < about ADDLE |
| (s)link | PROLL | PRO’LL; obsolete spelling for PROWL |
| (o)void | OVOLO | (pr)OVOLO(ne) |
| so(u) | NADA | DAD + A, N for (first) D |
| do(t)age | ENAMORS | (S + ROMAN + E) < |
| fis(h)y | ODDER | (RED + DO) < |
| (r)ub | EFFACED | E + DECAFF < |
| l(e)dge’s | GRADINO | (GRAND + (pr)IO(ry)) * |
| bla(d)es | ESPARTO | (mad)E + SPAR + TO |
| (g)o | DEAD-END | DEADEN + D(rama) |
| (r)ight | DEAD-ON | DADO about E(nter) + N |
| Cas(e) | DAYAN | (NAY + AD) < |
| p(e)rson | SADDO | SO about (A + DD) |
| O(n)e | DAVIT | DIT about AV |
| (b)oy | DATED | DEAD < about ’T |
| (L)ost | DODO | D in DOO(b) |
| ha(u)ling | YO-HO | (O + HOY) < |
| l(e)ss | ADDY | (D)ADDY |