Listener Crossword 4215: Solution Notes
Getting in Shape by Rood
Puzzle explanation
Misprint corrections spelt out “letters one and eight in these clues”; 1st and 8th letters in the misprint clues gave “link points where the same letters meet NW to SE and join up eight corners”. The four junctions of matching letters (spelling CUBE) had to be linked to form a central square, and corners of the resulting two large squares joined with four more lines to outline a cube.
Omitted letters from the remaining clues spelt out “copy shape centrally”. Drawing a smaller version in the central area showed a cube within a cube, which is the Chambers description of a tesseract. To draw a tesseract as a 4-dimensional hypercube would have involved joining more than the eight corners specified in the instruction, so it wasn’t a correct solution.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | spaw(L) | SALIVA | (OVA − O’) after (SALINA − NA) |
| 5 | tal(E) | MYTH | (HYMN < − N) around T |
| 8 | (T)ool | TROWEL | LET < around ROW |
| 10 | no(T) | UGLY | SNUGLY − SN |
| 11 | lif(E) | ASTIR | (TAR + IS) * |
| 12 | swea(R)ing | OD’S LIFE | (HOD − H) + FLIES * |
| 14 | (S)et | ESTEEMED | ED around (E after (S + TEEM)) |
| 16 | h(O)ra | RUEDA | R(omans) U(nder) E(truscan) D(omination) A(ttesting) |
| 17 | LA(C)TEAL | (A + TEA) in (L + L) | |
| 21 | co(N)ner | WRASSE | W(easel) + RASSE |
| 22 | DR(O)WSY | RWS in D(a)Y | |
| 23 | de(E)d | ACT | TACT − T’ |
| 26 | KO(P) | KOI − I | |
| 27 | t(A)me | FEEBLE | FEE + BLE(w) |
| 30 | (N)ags | EATAGE | (l)E(v)A(n)T + AGE |
| 31 | SANDBO(Y) | SAND + BO | |
| 32 | (S)OUCT | OU + CT | |
| 36 | (H)UGUENOT | (U + TONGUE) * | |
| 37 | (D)ried | ULICHON | (LUNCH + I’ + O) * |
| 39 | suppl(E) | LITHE | E(nforcer) after LITH |
| 41 | W(A)RY | WRYBILL − BILL | |
| 42 | (P)ARSEE | (A + SEER) * | |
| 43 | SU(E)S | SUS | |
| 44 | AR(C)HED | HARE * + D | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | STUP(E)S | PUT < in SS | |
| 2 | Sh(I)p | ARGOSY | ARGO + S(tylish) Y(achts) |
| 3 | han(G) | LOLL | (dreadfu)L + (d)OLL |
| 4 | s(H)op | VENDEUSE | (END after V) + E(xit) + USE |
| 5 | scen(T) | MISLED | MD around ISLE |
| 6 | (I)n | YET | YEST − S |
| 7 | re(N)ted | HIRE CAR | (s)HIR(r) + RACE < |
| 9 | par(T)s | BIFOLD | OLD after (BI + F) |
| 12 | (H)e | OERSTED | (O + DESERT) * |
| 13 | re(E)k | SMEEK | ’S + MEEK |
| 15 | PATE(N) | PAT + E | |
| 18 | (T)WITTEN | WIT + TEN | |
| 19 | ESKA(R) | KEA’S * | |
| 20 | step(S) | LOPE | POLE * |
| 21 | har(E)s | WATS | WADS with T(rigons) for D |
| 24 | (C)rag | HEUGH | H(olyrood) + EUGH |
| 25 | VACUOL(A)R | VAC + LOUR < with R moved to the end | |
| 28 | (L)OBULES | BLOUSE * | |
| 29 | EYE(L)ID | (DIE + YE) < | |
| 33 | (L)igures | OUCHES | TOUCHES − T |
| 34 | d(U)sk | SOIRÉE | I(ndia) in SOREE |
| 35 | STA(Y)ED | (ST + D(unstan)) around AE | |
| 38 | b(E)at | BASH | B(exhill) + ASH |
| 40 | (S)ocks | TOE | TOE(y) |