Listener Crossword 4722: Solution Notes
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Puzzle explanation
The puzzle was based on the mathematician G H Hardy’s remark (cited in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations) that 1729, the number of his taxi, seemed “dull”, to which his colleague Srinivasa Ramanujan retorted that it was “very interesting” since it was the smallest number that could be expressed as the sum of two positive cubes in two different ways: 1729 = 13 + 123 = 93 + 103. Letters unclued in wordplay spelt out the hint “add two cubes”. All answers numbered 1, 9, 10 and 12 were anagrammed before entry in the grid and six other answers had numeric parts entered as numerals, producing 1729 at the corners of a rectangle. The title is an anagram of NUMBER THEORY.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer (unclued letter) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| 1 | TROOP | ROO in T(ea-sho)P |
| 5 | AN(A)GOGE | ANG + EGO < |
| 11 | TELEVÉRITÉ | EVE in RETITLE * |
| 12 | ARDEN | (greensw)ARD EN(circling) |
| 13 | UNTILE(D) | UNTIE around L |
| 14 | DRACONE | DRA(w) + CONE |
| 15 | ATE | 2 meanings |
| 17 | EARTHA | EAR + THA(n) |
| 19 | (D)YNAST | NASTY * |
| 21 | AUTOMOTIVE | AU + TO + MOTIVE |
| 23 | SCRAM | 2 meanings |
| 25 | JANE(T) | J + ANE |
| 26 | SHADOW PLAY | (LOW-PAID − ID) * in SHADY |
| 29 | ASPIRE | AS + PRE around I |
| 31 | UNISON | S(hown) in UNION |
| 33 | AIL | (biz)A(rre) (no)I(sy) (ral)L(ies) |
| 34 | NINEPINS | SNIPE < after NIN; ref. Anaïs Nin |
| 35 | REDO(W)AS | REDO + AS |
| 36 | V(O)MIT | MIT(t) after V(ideo) |
| 37 | EMBLAZONED | BEDLAM * around ZONE |
| 38 | ABEYANT | ABBEY + ANT − B |
| 39 | HANAP | HAP around AN |
| Down | ||
| 1 | DRAPED | DD around RAPE |
| 2 | OVERAR(C)H | ((bot)H RARE VO(lumes)) < |
| 3 | RADAR TRAPS | R + A + DART + RAPS |
| 4 | OENONE | ONE * + ONE |
| 5 | ALMA-ATA | ALMA + AT + A |
| 6 | NE(U)TRON POISON | ON after (PREONS INTO) * |
| 7 | GETS EVEN | STEVENAGE * − A |
| 8 | ORIENT | ROUTINE * − U |
| 9 | TENSE | 2 meanings |
| 10 | SEATED | SEA + TED |
| 16 | SAINT SIMON | SMITHSONIAN * − H |
| 18 | HUMOR | HUM + OR |
| 20 | YOJAN | (NA + JOY) < |
| 22 | VERONICA | V + ERICA around (O + N) |
| 24 | ULULANT | LULU < + (c)ANT(o) |
| 26 | SA(B)RED | S + A + RED |
| 27 | DIPOL(E) | DIP + (c)OL(d) |
| 28 | UNSTEP | UN + STEP |
| 30 | (S)HEMA | HEM + A |
| 32 | TWO-WAY | WOW in TAY |
| 34 | NINEVEH | (EVEN in HIN) < |