Listener Crossword 4042: Solution Notes
How To Put On a Little Weight by Charybdis
Puzzle explanation
The grid represented a savarin, a ring-shaped cake containing nuts (almonds/walnut) and fruit (cherry/peach) and flavoured with rum (tafia/Bacardi®). Brillat-Savarin wrote (after translation): “The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star”, deducible from the extra words in clues. By adding a little weight (g = gram), 39ac became GASTRONOMY, leading to the discovery of a new star, Rigel, and then the discovery of four new “dishes”: charger, poori, regale and bowl; each of these was revealed in similar style to the way gastronomy could be read, ie, by the addition of an unchecked letter to a grid entry. Entries in which “salad” was highlighted, in place of or together with “bowl”, were also accepted. Any additional highlighting, eg, of RIGEL or GASTRONOMY, was ignored.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra Word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | ra(th)er | SKULL | SULL(y) about K(ale) |
| 5 | r(e)d | TUI | TULI(p) – L |
| 6 | ALMONDS | Thematic: nuts | |
| 11 | sa(di)st | ALARMIST | ARM in A-LIST |
| 13 | confu(s)ingly | BRAHE | H in BRAE; reference Tycho Brahe, a famous astronomer |
| 14 | Re(co)rd | TAO | Even letters in eThAnOl |
| 15 | Ci(v)il | FLUB | B(ale)FUL *; boss[5] = mistake |
| 17 | SAVARIN | Thematic: referred to in preamble | |
| 18 | TAFIA | Thematic: brandy | |
| 20 | V(er)y | WATERINGS | W(eak) + RAIN GETS * |
| 21 | jo(yo)us | METRIC | MET + RI + C(hurch) |
| 24 | o(f)f | REEL | R + EEL |
| 25 | adv(an)ced | LOSSES | [S(c)L][E(r)O][S(i)S] * |
| 26 | hom(ew)ork | TAIGLE | (I + G) in TALE |
| 28 | ano(d)yne | NOTERS | TENORS, NO to start |
| 31 | unw(is)ely | TARTAR | RAT < + RAT < |
| 34 | not(h)ing | POOR | PO + OR |
| 37 | unbe(co)ming | TIERED | TIRED about E |
| 39 | Aba(n)don | ASTRONOMY | Y after (MOON STAR) * & lit |
| 42 | mani(fe)stly | REGAL | ELGAR * |
| 44 | sande(rs)woods | ARISING | A + SIN in RIG (not RIG in SIN) |
| 45 | Fa(m)ed | RAKU | RA + UK < |
| 46 | f(or)m | BOW | O in B/W |
| 47 | PEACH | Thematic: fruit | |
| 48 | pi(e)rs | GALABEAS | SEA ALGA * about B |
| 49 | BACARDI | Thematic: brandy | |
| 50 | Exc(ha)nge | EAS | SEA, S to end |
| 51 | Ex(p)el | LOSER | OR ELS(e) * |
| Down | |||
| 1 | inhos(pi)table | SIBERIA | ’S + IBERIA |
| 2 | tur(n)out | ULLING | PULLING – P |
| 3 | Dr(es)sy | LORATE | LEOTAR(d) * |
| 4 | Cen(so)red | AN MO | AN + MO |
| 5 | Plo(n)ker | TRAVERSE | ART < + VERSE |
| 7 | As(h)es | MATH | First letters; rowan = second mowing |
| 8 | fl(um)es | DIFFER | RIDE * about FF |
| 9 | s(an)d | GRATIS | A’ GRIST * |
| 10 | br(i)ck | CHARGE | CHAR + GE |
| 11 | Par(ty)ing | AKIN | (l)AKIN(g) |
| 12 | mara(th)oner | TUAREG | UT < + AREG |
| 16 | BRILLAT | Thematic: referred to in preamble | |
| 19 | camp(a)igns | AMN’T | Hidden |
| 20 | WALNUT | Thematic: nuts | |
| 22 | CHERRY | Thematic: fruit | |
| 23 | ce(nt)re | LOOPIER | POOL < + IE + R |
| 27 | sc(he)me | IRANIANS | (I + RAN) + (I + ANS) |
| 29 | deci(d)edly | TOERAG | (OUTRAGE – U) * |
| 30 | cr(is)is | SIDA | SID (James) + A |
| 32 | se(co)nd | AVOSET | A + VET about OS |
| 33 | e(ve)n | TRONCS | TRON + (economi)C + (force)S |
| 35 | Eve(ry)day | REGULA | REGULA(r) |
| 36 | Bo(o)zy | TRIPPER | STRIPPER – S |
| 38 | af(fa)ir | GLOBAL | ALL GO * about B |
| 40 | fi(n)ds | SALADS | SA + LADS |
| 41 | fre(e-w)ill | TRÈS | (Sar)TRE + ’S |
| 43 | mob(st)ers | EWER | WR’RE * |
| 46 | rese(ar)cher | BACK | Two definitions (back[2]) |