Listener Crossword 4588: Solution Notes
Black Maria by Agricola
Puzzle explanation
The puzzle marked the anniversary of the first “soft” (ie, non-crashing) landing on the far side of Earth’s moon, on 3 January 2019 by China’s Chang’e 4 mission. Luna 3 was a Russian craft that took the first photographs of the lunar far side, in October 1959. Chang’e is the Chinese goddess of the Moon; Luna, Diana and Artemis are Roman and Greek moon goddesses. The latter two were entered in the grid with letters reversed, (as if seen from behind), so that 28ac РОССИЯ (Rossiya = Russia) appeared correctly in Cyrillic script. The Sea of Cleverness (Mare Ingenii) and the Sea of Muscovy/Moscow (Mare Moscoviense) are the two largest far-side seas, which the puzzle’s title refers to as “black maria”.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| 2 | SELENOGRAPHY | (G(ar)Y + LARSON + (s)HEEP) *; ref. The Far Side cartoons |
| 11 | HERALD | AL in HERD; ref. Henry V |
| 12 | ACAPNIA | AIA around (CAP + N) |
| 13 | ANNALS | ANN + ALS |
| 15 | ASP | AS + P(oplar) |
| 16 | CERAMIC HOB | CIBACHROME * |
| 19 | GARIGUE | GAR + I + GUE |
| 21 | ETTIN | EN around (T’ + TI) |
| 22 | EREBUS | E + REBUS |
| 24 | RUFIYAA | (A FAIRY) * around (p)U(t) |
| 26 | 4-O’CLOCK | 2 meanings |
| 28 | POCCNR | COP < + C + RN in mirror writing |
| 29 | LAVER | 2 meanings |
| 31 | RETREAT | 2 meanings |
| 33 | CLEVERNESS | CLEVE + R + NESS |
| 36 | NOW | WON < |
| 38 | AECIUM | MAU(r)ICE * |
| 39 | ARGUING | A + R + U in GING |
| 40 | DROMOI | DI around ROMO |
| 41 | 3-DIMENSIONAL | З (Cyrillic letter transliterated as Z) + DIVISIONAL with MEN for VI |
| Down | ||
| 1 | CHANG’E 4 | CHANGE + 4WD − WD |
| 3 | ERNE | ERNIE − I; ref. Morecambe and Wise |
| 4 | LAARI | LA + AR + I’ |
| 5 | ELLA | ALLE(l) < |
| 6 | OAKIER | KIE(-kie) in OAR |
| 7 | RACHE | RAC + HE |
| 8 | APTOTIC | APT + OTIC |
| 9 | HIS | (Uta)H IS(n’t) |
| 10 | YAPON | YAP + ON |
| 14 | SCAUPER | SCAR around ÉPU(isé) < |
| 17 | MUSCOVY | MUS + CONY with V for N |
| 18 | DIANA | IAN in DA |
| 20 | A-ROAD | AROBA − B + D |
| 23 | BLELLUM | L in BELLUM |
| 25 | ARTEMIS | (AM + IS) around RTE |
| 27 | KRENGS | (KR + S) around ENG |
| 29 | LUNA 3 | 3 after LUNA |
| 30 | RÉGIE | (EG + IE) after R |
| 32 | RECON | RE + CON |
| 34 | NERO | N’ + ER + (li)O(ns) |
| 35 | SIMA | AMIS < |
| 37 | ORD | (Apoll)O (neve)R (mattere)D |