Listener Crossword 4352: Solution Notes
What’s Missing? by Artix
Puzzle explanation
The theme was the song There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame, from the musical South Pacific. Dames missing in blank cells were Joan Bakewell (clambake, wells), Judi Dench (paged, enchant), Kiri Te Kanawa (karateka, nawab), Sybil Thorndike (inert, horn, dikes), Shirley Bassey (rumbas, seyen), Muriel Spark (calcspar, kula), Diana Rigg (brig, glades), Penelope Lively (alive, lye), Eileen Atkins (scat, Kinsale). There were several thematic hints in the clues referring to musicals, the South Pacific, islands, servicemen and absent women.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Across | |
| CLAMBAKE | CAKE around LAMB |
| WELLS | WELLES − E |
| SAILOR | |
| BWANAS | WAN in BAS |
| JAMJAR | JAM + JAR |
| PAGED | GED after PA |
| ENCHANT | (w)ENCH + ANT |
| IRE | IRE(nic) |
| CUCULLATE | CU + CULL + ATE |
| KARATEKA | KAKA around RATE |
| NAWAB | NAB around WA |
| INERT | T after (IN + ER) |
| HORN | (s)HORN |
| DIKES | DI + KES |
| EDEN | SWEDEN − (S + W) |
| SALAMI | SALAMIS − S |
| RUMBAS | (B + A) in RUMS |
| SEYEN | SEEN around (Harr)Y |
| TIBIAL | (L + I + A BIT) * |
| LASSI | homophone of LASSIE |
| SEABEE | |
| CALCSPAR | SP in CALCAR |
| KULA | (AL(l) + UK) < |
| TORS | TORS(k) |
| CHELSEA WARE | (ATHLETE − T − T + A SCREW) * |
| Down | |
| LANT | 2 meanings |
| MARINE | |
| BRIG | R in BIG |
| SIRENIA | (h)AIRINES(s) * |
| JEER | JEEP with last letter shifted two places alphabetically |
| GUAM | A in GUM |
| GLADES | G + LADIES − I |
| SCAT | 2 meanings |
| ALIVE | LI in AVE |
| LYE | 2 meanings |
| BETULA | (ABSOLUTE − SO) * |
| KINSALE | (S + ALE) after KIN |
| AULA | ’AUL + A |
| DISA | (orchi)D + IS + A(frican) |
| SABRES | (BARONESSES − ONES) * |
| MALE | 2 meanings; ref. Malé, capital of Maldives |
| NIUE | IN < + (t)U(n)E |
| BETA | BEAT with last letter moved up |
| CLORE | LORE after C; ref. maiden name of Dame Vivien Duffield |
| SA SA | SA + SA (do = ditto) |
| CAMPUS | CAMP + US |
| HIJACK | HI + JACK |
| WANT | W + ANT |