Listener Crossword 4180: Solution Notes
Knight’s Move by Merlin
Puzzle explanation
Misprints gave the quotation “You may know by my size that I have a kind of alacrity in sinking”, spoken by Sir John FALSTAFF in The Merry Wives of Windsor. His speech starts with “Have I lived to be carried in a basket, like a barrow of butcher’s offal, and to be thrown in the Thames?”, which was represented in the grid by his being tipped from a BUCK-BASKET to sink below the THAMES.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Altered word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | hard(Y) | AHAB | A + H + AB |
| 5 | M(O)st / (U) | FLATTEST | FL + ATTEST |
| 11 | Pa(M)per | RAGUSA | RAG + US + A |
| 12 | (A) / The(Y) | FELLA | A after FELL |
| 13 | chic-K | CLUCK | C + LUCK |
| 15 | ski(N) | BASKING | BANG around SKI |
| 17 | t(O)o / (W) | RETOOL | (sto)RE TOO L(athes) |
| 18 | fi-B-re | EPISTLE | EP + ISTLE |
| 21 | (Y) / ha(M) | PIGS | 2 meanings |
| 23 | (Y)our | TERU-TERO | T + (OUR TREE) * |
| 24 | (S)top | ANNALIST | A-LIST after (AN + N) |
| 26 | gen(I)e | EXON | 2 meanings |
| 28 | (Z)one | GUARANI | (A + RA) in GUN + I |
| 31 | (E) / dar(T) | INRUSH | IAN RUSH − A |
| 33 | c(H)ap | CHATHAM | HAT in CHAM |
| 34 | Se(A)s / (T) | ESSAY | SEAS * + Y |
| 35 | wra(I)th | ANGER | (d)ANGER |
| 36 | (H)Ouse | OTTERS | (j)OTTERS |
| 37 | (A)corns | ENGRAINS | EN + GRAINS |
| 38 | V-ice | STEW | WETS < |
| Down | |||
| 2 | (E) / Sm(A)ll | HALF-PINT | HALT around (F + PIN) |
| 3 | K-in | AGUTI | A + GUT + I |
| 4 | m(I)en | BUCKS | 2 meanings |
| 6 | (N) / ba(D) | LABILE | LA + BILE |
| 7 | (O) / o(F)f | AFAR | A + RAF < |
| 8 | Be-A-d | TEKTITE | homophone of (TECH + TIGHT) |
| 9 | p(L)y / (A) | ELIOT | E + TOIL < |
| 10 | C-oats | TAGLIONIS | TAG + LION + IS |
| 14 | st-R-eam | KETTLE | 2 meanings |
| 16 | p-I-et | HEPATICAE | (A PIET ACHE) * |
| 19 | bu(T) / (Y) | BUTANE | BUT + AN + (Jun)E |
| 20 | ba-I-t | IRONWARE | ONWAR(d) in IRE |
| 22 | can-N-on | SALUTER | SALUTE + R |
| 25 | S-on | SUMMON | SON around UMM(a) |
| 27 | ho(I)st | BRAGG | ((revealin)G + GARB) < |
| 29 | lea(N)s / (K) | RESTS | 2 meanings |
| 30 | co-I-n | ASSET | AS + SET |
| 32 | (N) / (G)od | HAJI | (I + JAH) < |