Listener Crossword 4232: Solution Notes
A Murder Mystery by Hedge-sparrow
Puzzle explanation
Extra letters in the letter-mixture clues gave HOUSEMAID. First and last letters of extra words in down clues spelt out “killer first, then unused letters”, so the code mapped the letters A-Z to HOUSEMAID followed by the rest of the alphabet in order. The detectives’ names (preceded in the grid by the labels A, B and C) and statements were A: Maigret “draped over floor”, B: Fr Brown “floating on lake” and C: Wimsey “at bottom of garden”. In the grid, the BODY is seen under GROUND (floor), on BUTTERMERE (lake) and at the top of EDEN (garden), so statements A and C are negated and B is correct.
For the weapon, ROD (revolver) and MERE (Maori war-club) were accepted as alternatives to the PONIARD (dagger) sticking into the victim.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra letter/word | Answer | Explanation (* jumble with [extra letter]) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | OSCAR | (O’ + CAR) around S | |
| 12 | CILIATE | CE around (ILIA + T(homas)) | |
| 13 | M | CAPO | * [M]AP CO(nfused) |
| 14 | LAODICEAN | LA + DI(p) in OCEAN | |
| 15 | D | INFRA | * FIN[D] A R(eference) |
| 17 | OURIE | (c)OURIE(r) | |
| 19 | PSI | (sto)P SI(gnal) | |
| 22 | EUOI | EURO − R + I | |
| 23 | ALLEGRO | A + L + LEG + RO | |
| 24 | UNDOCK | UNDO + C(loc)K | |
| 26 | E | THEORBO | * OBO[E] THER(e’s) |
| 28 | A | DYSURIC | * D[A]Y CRUIS(er) |
| 30 | S | BUTTER | * (plas)TER BU[S]T |
| 32 | MERELLS | SMELL * around RE | |
| 34 | ALAE | À LA + (sh)E(ep) | |
| 38 | OBO | O(pen) + B + O’ | |
| 40 | LASER | RESAL(e) < | |
| 41 | I | MINAS | * IN M[I]SA(dventures) |
| 42 | ACETYLENE | ACE + TYLER − R + NE | |
| 44 | O | SNYE | * (Carr)EY’S [O]N |
| 45 | H | TAPERED | * (Pi)PE T[H]READ |
| 46 | U | OLD PRO | * PRO[U]D LO(cal) |
| 47 | SYRUP | SPY * around RU(bies) | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | ink | OCCIPUT | OCC(ult) + I + INPUT − IN |
| 29 | CLOSE-UP | CLOSE + UP | |
| 2 | local | SWANS | SS around WAN |
| 39 | BAYOU | B + AYU around O | |
| 3 | enter | AGORA | A’ after (AG + OR) |
| 37 | WISPY | W + I + SPY | |
| 4 | itself | BELONG | BEG around LON(don) |
| 33 | RARELY | AR in RELY | |
| 5 | rissoles | MYA | YAM * |
| 43 | NOR | NO + R | |
| 6 | throughout | OIDIA | (Alkal)OID I A(nalyse) |
| 36 | SALEP | (A + L + E) in SP | |
| 7 | he | PLIE | PLIE(s) |
| 40 | LYRA | ARYL < | |
| 8 | unknown | KICKED | K + I + DECK * |
| 31 | TESTED | T + STEED * | |
| 9 | upturn | WAEFU’ | TWAE − T + F + U |
| 35 | ALEPH | (HELP A) * | |
| 10 | esotericists | ZENDIK | KID < after ZEN |
| 30 | BALATA | BALAAM with TA for AM | |
| 11 | detail | QUAVERED | (QUA + D) around (VERSE − S(uperfluous)) |
| 21 | UNSEAMED | UN + homophone of SEEMED | |
| 12 | extremist | CORRODED | D after (ROD in CORE) |
| 20 | PROMISED | MI in PROSE + D | |
| 16 | elegant | ORLON | ORLO(p) + ’N’ |
| 25 | FILET | FILE + T(unics) | |
| 18 | sailor | LOCI | LOC(k) + I’ |
| 27 | HULL | 2 meanings | |