Listener Crossword 4549: Solution Notes
From Where I’m Standing by Emu
Puzzle explanation
The grid as printed gave a bird’s-eye view of a ziggurat formed of 11×11 blocks in the bottom layer, 9×9 in the next layer, and so on to a single block at the top level. The corrections to misprints in the clues spelt out “ziggurat from west”. The view from the west displays ENDLESS REALMS OF DAY (shown in blue here), a phrase from the poem The Eagle by E. E. Cummings.
The extra words in clues gave the information “letters reprinted on every visible face of blocks”. The view from the northeast corner (ie from the position of “Emu” in the byline) shows EE CUMMINGS THE EAGLE (shown in red), with the letters on the corner blocks repeated because two of their faces are visible. Any orientation of letters and/or combination of upper and lower case was accepted in solutions.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint/ extra word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | (Z)any or ma(Z)y | CROSSBUCK | CUBS < in ROCKS * |
| 10 | B(I)rd’s | MACAW | MACKINAW − KIN |
| 12 | letters | VAPOR | VR around (À + PO) |
| 13 | (G)apers | MYA | AMY with letters cycled |
| 14 | LOO | LOCO − C | |
| 15 | alon(G) | ANGLO | ALONG * |
| 16 | ALLEL | ((K)ELL(y) + (Veronic)A + L) * | |
| 17 | GAELIC | (MAGICAL FLOWER) * = (GAELIC + WOLFRAM) * | |
| 21 | Min(U)s | LESS | ARTLESS − ART |
| 22 | reprinted | DEUTZIA | DEUT + I in ZA |
| 23 | WORLD | homophone of WHIRLED | |
| 26 | On | SARI | SAFARI − FA |
| 28 | LIFE | LIE around (cal)F | |
| 29 | w(R)iter | ALGREN | (w)RANGLE * |
| 30 | every | AND | AN + D |
| 31 | he(A)d | ALUMINA | ALUMNA around I(nstructions) |
| 32 | mu(T)t | CAVE CANEM | (MENACE + VAC) < |
| 33 | ESPRESSO | (athlet)E’S PRESS O(fficer) | |
| Down | |||
| 2 | visible | RAY | R(oguery) + AY |
| 3 | SALES | homophone of SAILS | |
| 4 | le(F)t | SWOLN | L in SNOW * |
| 5 | (R)ocked | BOOGIED | GUIDEBOOK * − UK * |
| 6 | UVA | (g)UAV(a) * | |
| 7 | CANEH | (Ar)CANE H(ebrew) | |
| 8 | str(O)kes | SOLIDI | SO + LID + I |
| 9 | face | PROCHAIN AMI | (MANIA < + I) after (PRO + CH) |
| 11 | (M)ilder | CALMS | CAMEL * − E + S(hift) |
| 13 | of | MAIL-PLANE | MANILA * around PL + E |
| 18 | (W)ound | REWINDS | (W + I) in RENDS |
| 19 | MUCLUCS | MUS around (C + LUC) | |
| 20 | (E)mpress | CZARINA | Z in CARINA |
| 24 | (S)oil | REGAR | REGARD − D(irections) |
| 25 | blocks | LEAVE | A-LEVE(l) * |
| 27 | Star(T) | RENEW | RENFREW − FR |