Listener Crossword 4200: Solution Notes
The Missing Vowels Round by Shackleton
Puzzle explanation
The puzzle celebrated the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Corrections to misprints spelt out “Vict(o)ria, Circle, N(o)rthern, District, Central; c(o)l(o)ur; sl(o)wer, deeper, shakier”. The five missing Os represented the Olympic rings, their colours matching the five London Underground lines; the rings were to be drawn in the grid, located in the cells containing the letters of OLYMPIC. Any reasonable approximation of the correctly coloured rings (or shaded cells) was accepted.
Antonyms of the last three words gave “faster, higher, stronger”, which in Latin is the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, to be written below the grid.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | lo(V)e | BATHSHEBA | HE in SABBATH * |
| 7 | l(I)ved | ARKANSAS | abbreviated to ARK |
| 14 | (C)arriage | ARABA | (A + A) around BAR < |
| 16 | (T)ots | RAWHEAD | WARHEAD with W and R switched |
| 17 | (R)ound | RUSTRE | RUSE around (con)TR(act) |
| 18 | t(I)me | OMEN | WOMEN − W |
| 19 | ba(A) | YICKER | K(id) in ICE in (Y + R) |
| 21 | (C)reasing | PLIER | (bow)L in PIE + R |
| 22 | Brune(I)’s | BORNEO | BOR(e) + ONE * |
| 23 | p(R)ison | CAGE IN | EG < in CAIN |
| 24 | mala(C)ia | OREXIS | O + SIXER < |
| 26 | f(L)yer | PYOT | Y in POT |
| 29 | (E)aster | VACS | 2 meanings |
| 31 | pla(N)t | ROSELLE | (O + S) in RELLIE − I |
| 33 | he(R)ring | CISCO | 2 meanings; ref. O. Henry character, the Cisco Kid |
| 34 | s(T)eeping | SLOE GIN | (LOSING + (patienc)E) * |
| 37 | (H)ummer | ATOC | (lim)A TO C(limb) |
| 41 | (E)ra | YUGA | GAUDY * − D |
| 43 | (R)ubbish | DEBRIS | DEB + SIR < |
| 44 | crow(N) | UNCAPS | UN + CA’ + PS |
| 46 | Ol(D)ie’s | BOURNE | BE around OURN |
| 47 | d(I)ggers’ | ERVEN | NEVER * |
| 48 | (S)hiny | MICATE | IC in MATE |
| 49 | Gu(T) | ILEA | I’ + LEA |
| 50 | matte(R) | ANATTA | (r)ATTAN A(dorning) < |
| 51 | m(I)sses | NARTHEX | RANT * + HEX |
| 52 | (C)ash | RENTE | N in RETE |
| 53 | (T)rousers | JEANETTE | 2 meanings |
| 54 | (C)hai | TEA TASTER | EAT * + TATERS with S moved forward |
| Down | |||
| 1 | sh(E) | BARBARA | BAR + BAR + A |
| 2 | li(N)n | ARROYO | BOYO with ARR for B |
| 3 | (T)runk | TAIRAS | (AIAS around R) after T |
| 4 | fo(R) | SAMEN | AS < + MEN |
| 5 | Se(A) | ERNE | ERE around N |
| 6 | b(L)oke | BAWCOCK | BANK with (WC + O/C) for N |
| 7 | s(C)rapped | AHIGH | A + (t)HIGH |
| 8 | o(L)dness | RECENCY | REGENCY with C for G |
| 9 | G(U)lf | ADENIS | AD + E + NIS |
| 10 | (R)eferentially | SUPRA | (c)ARPUS < |
| 11 | te(S)t | AS LEVEL | SL(e)EVE in (A + L) |
| 12 | sta(L)e | UREIC | (CRU around IE) < |
| 13 | (W)oman’s | HERS | HEIRS − I |
| 15 | N(E)w | NEOPLASM | (ONE + S + LAMP) * |
| 20 | (R)otated | ROLLABLE | BALL < in ROLE |
| 25 | Hi(D)e | SECRETE | E in (S + CRETE) |
| 27 | slop(E) | TIP-CART | (PI in TRACT) < |
| 28 | (E)ast | MOUSMEE | MOUSE around ME |
| 30 | (P)ig | SNEEZER | S + NÉE + REZ <; ref. Duchess’s baby in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland |
| 32 | Mar(E)’s | EQUINE | E + QUINE |
| 35 | (R)evolution | GYRANT | G + (t)YRANT |
| 36 | pre(S)ent | INNATE | INN + ETA < |
| 38 | S(H)eet | TERNE | (sho)T + ERNE |
| 39 | Gl(A)ss | PINTA | PAINT * |
| 40 | mil(K) | LATTE | T(ast)E after LAT |
| 42 | dest(I)ning | MOERA | M(ang)O + ERA |
| 43 | (E)ars | DEAF | DEF around A |
| 45 | f(R)uctuations | BIXA | B + X in IA |