Listener Crossword 4453: Solution Notes
Army & Navy by Shackleton
Puzzle explanation
This puzzle was published on the 50th anniversary of the death of Arthur Ransome on 3 June 1967. Row 10 of the grid (IN PART HURRIED) cryptically indicates both ARTHUR (hidden) and RANSOME (ran some). Row 2 (WHITELY INROAD) is an anagram of his book Winter Holiday, part of the Swallows and Amazons series, in which children in the Lake District play out the 1893-1896 polar expedition by Fridtjof Nansen in the ship Fram. Corrections to the clue misprints spelt out “Dot and Dick dash to the Pole; north is west; add eight flags”. The first part, as well as describing the book’s expedition, is a key for converting row 9 (ICED WALKS NORTH) to Morse code: the six distinct letters of AND DICK become dots, the six letters of TO THE POLE become dashes and the rest become blanks; this gives ··–· ·–· ·– ––, which spells Fram. In the pairs of cells at the sides of the grid, the letters VL and LV are transformed respectively into semaphore signals for NP (North Pole, at the far left as it’s shown in the book’s map) and FN (Fridtjof Nansen). The altered title Army & Wavy hints at the waving of arms in semaphore signalling.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | (D)uties | ASSIZER | (REZ + IS + SA) < |
| 7 | d(O)sh | DOUGH | DO + UG + H |
| 11 | da(T)ed | WHITELY | HIT in WELLY − L |
| 12 | For(A)y | INROAD | INRO + (DAD − D) |
| 13 | (N)ot | FALSE | (ALE around S) after F |
| 15 | (D)rain | SASSE | (rigorou)S ASSE(ssor) |
| 16 | a(D)dition | ELSE | ELISE − I; ref Für Elise |
| 21 | b(I)king | PEDALO | (E + DAL) in PO |
| 23 | (C)omb | VALE | (E + LAV) < |
| 24 | ta(K)e | ALLONS | ALL + ON + S |
| 25 | pu(D) | LICHI | LICH + I |
| 27 | F(A)cundity | FLUENCE | ENC in FLUE |
| 30 | (S)ong | YODEL | L after YODE |
| 31 | (H)orse | CAYUSE | CAY + USE |
| 35 | (T)ank | DERV | (V + RED) < |
| 37 | f(O)reman’s | ON-SITE | ONE around SIT |
| 38 | (T)ook | ICED | DICE with letters “cycled” |
| 39 | (H)ikes | WALKS | WAS around (L + K) |
| 40 | b(E)aring | NORTH | (T(eenager) + HORN) * |
| 41 | (P)oint | IN PART | T after (PAIN * + R) |
| 42 | Lo(O)ked | HURRIED | HUED around (R in (t)RI(p)) |
| 43 | (L)ouse | APHIS | AP + (IS after H) |
| 44 | Devote(E) | SECTARY | SECRETARY − RE |
| Down | |||
| 2 | Darke(N) | SHADE | HADES with S moving to the top |
| 3 | imp(O)rted | SILPHIUM | SUM around ((LP + HI) after I) |
| 4 | (R)eference | ITSELF | STIFLE * |
| 5 | close(T) | ELSAN | S in ÉLAN |
| 6 | (H)alf | RYALS | (SLAY + R) < |
| 7 | t(I)es | DISOWN | (SO + W) in DIN |
| 8 | (S)ome | ONST | ONSET − E |
| 9 | (W)aste | UREAL | UNREAL − N |
| 10 | Ge(E) | HALLOO | (O’ + O) after HALL |
| 14 | ma(S)ter | EDILE | ELIDE < |
| 17 | (T)ool’s | SANDER | SANER around D |
| 18 | h(A)ng | EXSERT | EX + TRÈS < |
| 19 | (D)rill | T’AI CHI | THAI − H + CH + I’ |
| 20 | (D)o | ALCAIC | A + LAIC around C |
| 22 | f(E)n | GLYCERIA | G + CLAYIER * |
| 24 | Prote(I)n | ACTIN | ACTIN(g) |
| 26 | (G)enus | HYAENA | AY < in HEN + A |
| 28 | (H)olders | U-BOLTS | U-BOATS with L for A |
| 29 | ou(T) | EXTORT | EX- + OR in TT |
| 32 | (F)ield | SAWAH | HAWS < around A |
| 33 | (L)ife | ANKHS | H in (TANKS − T) |
| 34 | M(A)tter | ISSUE | I’S + SUE |
| 35 | (G)oad’s | DETER | D + TREE * |
| 36 | (S)hiny | ZARI | (SHIRAZ − SH) < |