Listener Crossword 4333: Solution Notes
In the Event of Fire by Flying Tortoise
Puzzle explanation
In Dante’s Inferno, an inscription on the gate to Hell ends with “Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch’entrate!”, translated in the grid’s perimeter as “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!”, in the shape of an arch. Omissions from adjacent grid entries formed loose synonyms of “hope”, excised on entry: Across: 10/10 belie/f, 12/14 year/n, 21 Desire, 22/23 as/Sume; Down: 2/18 à/im, 11 confidence, 20/27 ex/pect, 30 long.
The intention was to use the same word order as in the current edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, which is the same as the word order in the original Italian, though the actual words in the ODQ differ. The translation therein is “Abandon all hope, you who enter!”, which hasn’t changed since the 3rd edition in 1979. However, some solvers found a version in older editions starting with “All hope abandon” and using “ye” in place of “you”. Because of the confusion, any word order was accepted, including solutions where “here” was excluded from the message and the letters EERH at the foot of the first column were left unaltered.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer (omission) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| 1 | BOOT | OT after BO |
| 6 | WANE | ANEW * |
| 9 | AMPLY | AMPLIFY − IF |
| 10 | (BELIE) | (L + I) in BEE |
| 10 | (F)EALTY | ALT in FEY |
| 12 | LEAP (YEAR) | (EARLY PEA) * |
| 14 | (N)OWHERE | NOW + HERE |
| 15 | AGIO | (handb)AG I O(btain) |
| 16 | AT ODDS | ADS around TOD |
| 17 | DAO | D(estiny) A(nd) O(rigin) |
| 20 | SHIRK | SH + IRK |
| 21 | (DESIRE)E | SIRE in DEE |
| 22 | GLIOM(AS) | (SOMALIA − A + G) * |
| 23 | (SUME)RIAN | REMAINS * around U |
| 25 | EIDERDOWN | (I DO around RED <) in NEW * |
| 26 | SILKIER | SILKIE + R(eferendum) |
| 28 | HERON | HEROD with N for D |
| 29 | PESAH | (HAS + EP) < |
| Down | ||
| 1 | BALLADEER | (EARL + BLADE) * |
| 2 | OMERT(À) | (b)ROMATE * |
| 3 | OPAL | (c)OL(d) around (A + P) < |
| 4 | HYOID | (s)HY + O + ID |
| 5 | NEWISH | WISH after (o)NE |
| 6 | WAHABI | WASABI with H for S |
| 7 | ALEGAR | A + (GARGLE − G) * |
| 8 | EYE-OPENER | 2 meanings; ref. propping one’s eyes open with matchsticks |
| 11 | (CONFIDENCE) TRICK | (DEFECTOR IN NICK + C) * |
| 13 | PADDIES | 2 meanings |
| 18 | (IM)AGINE | I’M + AGE around (s)IN |
| 19 | OLDER | (f)OLDER |
| 20 | SOR(EX) | (Profes)SOR EX(perimentally) |
| 23 | ROKE | ROKE(r) |
| 24 | IWIS | (k)IWIS |
| 27 | (PECT)IN | (NICE + PT) * |
| 30 | A(LONG) | ON in ALG |