Listener Crossword 4053: Solution Notes
Phoney by Wasp
Puzzle explanation
The five-letter entries are all words which may be prefixed by “tele-”. In grid order, the corrected clues to eight-letter entries were as shown in the table below. These have corrected misprints as 7, 6, 7, 7, 8, 4, 7, 8, which generate “spurious”, a synonym for the title.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| 1 | UVEA | Hidden & lit |
| 4 | PECCAVIS | 7322284(7) |
| 10 | NIOBATE | ATE after NOB about I |
| 12 | POINT | TELEPOINT |
| 13 | GENIC | TELEGENIC |
| 14 | OWED | O(peration) + WE’D |
| 15 | THEREOUT | 84373(6)88 |
| 16 | SEAMAS | SEA + MAS |
| 17 | URDU | UR + DU |
| 19 | TSUNAMI | T’ + S + UN + AMI |
| 23 | SNYE | SE about (not in) NY |
| 24 | TACT | ’T + ACT |
| 25 | INTRUST | US in (INT + RT) |
| 26 | NOSE | OS (Ordnance Survey) in (N + E) |
| 28 | TAKE UP | Homophone (TAY CUP) |
| 31 | ARCHDUKE | 2(7)243853 |
| 34 | PRAU | First letters |
| 35 | CASTS | TELECASTS |
| 36 | TYPES | TELETYPES |
| 37 | BEHIGHT | HIGH in BET |
| 38 | USERNAME | 8(7)376263 |
| 39 | ROSY | S(ummer) in ROY |
| Down | ||
| 1 | UNGOTTEN | (8)6468836 |
| 2 | VIEWS | TELEVIEWS |
| 3 | ABIDANCE | 22(4)32623 |
| 4 | PACT | PUT, A/C for U |
| 5 | CERESIN | CERES + IN |
| 6 | A ONE | ALONE – L; see one |
| 7 | VISOR | TELEVISOR |
| 8 | INCUDES | INES (Vigo is in Spain, the origin of the name) about CUD |
| 9 | STET | SESTET – ES |
| 11 | TAHA | (A + HAT) <; ref a bird |
| 12 | PURIST | PUT about SIR < |
| 17 | UNREPAIR | 8673(7)247 |
| 18 | UNTRUSTY | 8687(8)789 |
| 20 | STOREYS | Composite anagram of STEREOTYPES, using PETE |
| 21 | AT ODDS | AT(’s) ODDS; “price” as in betting |
| 22 | MITUMBA | MIT (German) + (b)UMBA(g) |
| 27 | SCOPE | TELESCOPE |
| 29 | AKEE | À (from) + homophone (KEY) |
| 30 | PATHS | TELEPATHS |
| 31 | AITU | IT in AU |
| 32 | HUER | NG in answer gives HUNGER |
| 33 | ECHE | Hidden |