Listener Crossword 4466: Solution Notes
X XX XXX by Somniloquist
Puzzle explanation
Across answers whose initial letters spelt THE GREEN KNIGHT were entered with the first letter moved to the interior of the grid entry. The other across answers’ initials spelt SIR GAWAIN and stayed in place. This reflected the Green Knight carrying his head away after Gawain cut it off at their first encounter, and Gawain keeping his head when they met a year later, as in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem also describes Gawain staying in the castle of Bertilak de Hautdesert (who later turns out to be the Green Knight) and on successive days exchanging one kiss for a deer, two kisses for a boar and three for a fox. The letter thorn (þ) is used for every TH in the quotation extracted from down clues, “the fayre hede fro the halce hit to the erthe”, and similarly for the T/H clash in 13ac.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra letters | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | SALUED | SAL + UNITED − NIT | |
| 5 | TAXICAB | TAB around (A + XI + C) | |
| 11 | INTERRED | (I + ERRED) around NT | |
| 13 | RHO | homophone of ROW | |
| 14 | HABANERA | HERA around (A + BAN) | |
| 15 | GOUT | 2 meanings | |
| 16 | ELATE | (tim)E + LATE | |
| 17 | AMILDAR | MILD in AAR | |
| 18 | GENRO | (GENRE + O) − E | |
| 19 | RATH | (w)RATH | |
| 23 | WORDILY | (s)WORD + (l)ILY | |
| 25 | ASTERT | TREATS * | |
| 27 | EARNER | LEARNER − L | |
| 28 | ETHOSES | (lik)E THOSE S(outhern) | |
| 32 | NETS | ((We)ST EN(d)) < | |
| 33 | KHAYA | AYAH < after K(ids) | |
| 34 | NOVELTY | (ONLY VET) * | |
| 36 | IONIC | BIONIC − B | |
| 37 | GUAR | GUAR(dian) | |
| 38 | INORNATE | (ORATE around N) after IN | |
| 39 | FOX | BOX with F for (A)B(e) | |
| 40 | HEROINES | S after (HEROIN + E) | |
| 41 | TEERING | TEE + RING | |
| 42 | NO-SIDE | EDISON < | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Bar(T)on | STALEMATE | STABLEMATE − B |
| 2 | c(H)ase | AMBAGE | AM + BAG + E |
| 3 | po(E)t | UNNERVES | (r)UNNER + VES(sel) |
| 4 | DEER | DECIDER − CID | |
| 6 | (F)rom | TRAMROADS | (RO(m) + AD) in SMART < |
| 7 | (A)id | IDOLA | ID + O + LA |
| 8 | filth(Y) | CRUDDING | D in CRUD(e) + ING |
| 9 | (REH)eating | AT TABLE | A + FORGETTABLE − FORGE |
| 10 | BOAR | BOYAR − Y | |
| 12 | s(ED)ans | THEOW | OW(n) after THE |
| 19 | d(EFR)ocked | ATTENTION | (NOT PATIENT − P) * |
| 20 | Po(OT)le | TWIST | S in (T + W + IT) |
| 21 | (HE)brew | MYRTACEAE | AC in TEA in (MY + RE); ref. pohutukawa |
| 22 | ex(HAL)es | STONE AXE | (EXES NOT) * around A |
| 24 | (CE)rises | DELAINES | LED < + AINÉ + S |
| 26 | (HI)ring | SHAVUOT | SHAV(e) + UT around O |
| 29 | ba(TT)els | THORN | ((bu)T(tery) or (but)T(ery)) + HORN |
| 30 | sp(OT)lit | SKITED | (S + D) around KITE |
| 31 | Bans(HEE) | ANGER | (B)AN(s) + GER |
| 34 | so(RT) | ORFE | (s)O (bette)R (of)F (whol)e |
| 35 | (HE)wed | JOIN | (c)OIN after J |