Listener Crossword 4636: Solution Notes
Monkey Business by Skylark
Puzzle explanation
The extra letters in clues spelt out “I saw something nasty in the woodshed”, from the novel Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Pseudo-rural words from the book, hidden in the grid, were MOLLOCKING (having sexual relations), CLETTERING (cleaning dishes with a twig) and SCRANLETTING (ploughing), which appears in the novel as “scranleting”. The characters in the grid’s perimeter were Flora Poste, Seth Starkadder, Mr Mybug, Ada Doom and Mrs Murther. The title hinted at the author’s name; while technically gibbons are apes rather than monkeys, Chambers has “ape” = “monkey” and vice versa.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra letter | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 8 | tit(I) | TABOO | (ti)T + (b)ABOO(n) |
| 10 | (S)cars or scar(S) | SCRAUCHS | (SUCH SCAR) * |
| 11 | PILED | PI + LED | |
| 14 | Latin(A) | ULEMA | U + L + (l)EMA(n) |
| 15 | (W)it | AWAIT | A + W + A(cerbic) + IT |
| 16 | bonobo(S) | MOB | ((bono)BO M(onkeying)) < |
| 17 | ARTSMEN | SMARTEN * | |
| 18 | P(O)uts | SWALLETS | SETS around WALL |
| 19 | LES | LESS − S | |
| 20 | (M)axis | ROLLED | ELL < in ROD |
| 22 | SOREST | SO + REST | |
| 23 | (E)mail | MEM | (so)ME M(ails) |
| 26 | (T)rump’s | CREAM TEA | (s)TEA(k) after CREAM |
| 28 | SCRYING | S + CRYING | |
| 29 | s(H)ave | TOR | (s)TOR(e) |
| 30 | (I)an | OSAKA | (O + A(n)) around SAK(e) |
| 32 | tee(N) | TRICK | T + RICK |
| 34 | ruin(G) | ELGIN | GIN after EL |
| 35 | me(N) | DEONTICS | (ORTHODONTICS − ORTHO-) around (m)E |
| 36 | (A)ward | WAGED | (GELADA − LA) with letters cycled after W(ard) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Peer(S) | EARL | EARL(y) |
| 2 | (T)old | FORMOL | (L + O) < after FORM |
| 3 | mouth(Y) | OSIERED | OS + IE + RED |
| 4 | ru(I)ns | AREG | (A + EG) around R |
| 5 | OUTWEAR | OUT + WEAR | |
| 6 | Cuba(N) | SCRAN | S + C + RAN |
| 7 | though(T) | THRIVE | TH(o’) + RIVE |
| 9 | Marc(H) | BEE BALM | BEEB + CALM − (Mar)C |
| 12 | gall(E)on | LETTERING | LETTER + IN + G |
| 13 | vie(W) | DAME | DAM + (vi)E |
| 19 | L(O)ire | LETTING | L + BETTING − B |
| 21 | (O)wing | LOCKING | FLOCK − F + (r)ING |
| 22 | sen(D) | SENSISM | (MS + IS) < after SEN |
| 24 | new(S) | ENSUED | D after (E + N + SUE) |
| 25 | C(H)ore | BRAE | (ag)E(nt) after BRA |
| 27 | MERIAM | ME + RAM around I | |
| 28 | s(E)am | SAMOA | O/A after SAM |
| 31 | line(D) | GLIB | (BIG around L) < |
| 33 | CREE | CREE(d) | |