Listener Crossword 4697: Solution Notes
White Rose by Filbert
Puzzle explanation
The puzzle was about an incident in the 1981 Wimbledon Championships where the umpire called out a shot by John McEnroe and he protested, shouting “You cannot be serious. That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up!” Corrections to the misprints in down clues spelt out “that ball was on the line”. In row 7 of the grid, McEnroe’s tabloid nickname SUPERBRAT was changed to COME OFF IT (a paraphrase of “you cannot be serious”), forming new words that were defined in the “clues” for the thematic entries SERVICE LINE. In the middle column the O represented the ball on the centre line and was changed to K to complete CHALK FLEW UP, which was paraphrased by the puzzle’s title.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | ERNŐ RUBIK | ERNŐ RUBIK’S CRANE = (INSURANCE BROKER) * | |
| 9 | SERVICE | (unclued) | |
| 10 | LINE | (unclued) | |
| 12 | CZECH | homophone of CHECK | |
| 14 | LNER | LONER − O | |
| 15 | ETC | (wr)ETC(hed) | |
| 17 | AUSSIE | GAUSS + IE − G | |
| 18 | WOOSEL | (S(ing) E(ntertaining) L(adies)) after WOO | |
| 19 | MAWR | W in RAM < | |
| 20 | EMMET | (ME < + ET) around (Ta)M(ar) | |
| 22 | OBTAIN | (ON A BIT) * | |
| 24 | SUPERB | SUB around PER | |
| 27 | RATCH | RAT + CH | |
| 28 | SURA | SUPRA − P | |
| 29 | LECHER | L + ETCHER − T(urps) | |
| 31 | ASTARE | SAT * + ERA < | |
| 33 | EAR | EARN before N | |
| 35 | RIEM | I in (RE + (Ji)M(my)) | |
| 36 | WOLFS | (S(tick) + FLOW) < | |
| 37 | DERM | (GERM − G) after D | |
| 38 | NUREYEV | UN < + YE(s) in REV | |
| 39 | DOG-PADDLE | GP in (ADDLE after DO) | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | (T)oiler | ESNE | (E + E) around (S, N) |
| 2 | (H)alf | RECTO | RECTO(r) |
| 3 | Comm(A)nd | OVERSEE | VERSE in (p)OE(m) |
| 4 | (T)rip | RICKET | RICKET(y) |
| 5 | (B)y | BENUMB | BUM with letters cycled after BEN |
| 6 | P(A)ins | ILLS | (W)ILL S(hakespeare) |
| 7 | s(L)eep’s | ONEIRIC | (ONCE IRI(s)) * |
| 8 | forma(L) | HEREIN | HE + REIN |
| 11 | (W)rap | INSWATHE | IN + (WET HAS) * |
| 13 | he(A)d | HALO | HALOGEN − GEN |
| 16 | sum(S) | COMPUTER | MP in COUTER |
| 21 | M(O)re | MUSSIER | SUM < + SIRE with E moved up |
| 23 | Dow(N)ed | TACKLED | TACK + LED |
| 24 | Par(T)s | SHARDS | HARD in SS |
| 25 | (H)aving | RARING | (f)R(u)I(t) in (o)RANG(e) |
| 26 | Cr(E)w’s | BLEW | B + LEWD − D |
| 27 | Sca(L)y | REMORA | RE + M(aria) OR (Mari)A |
| 30 | o(I)l | EASEL | AS in EEL |
| 32 | gu(N)s | AMMO | AM + MO |
| 34 | (E) | RAVE | R + EVA < |