Listener Crossword 4734: Solution Notes
Definition by Gnomish
Puzzle explanation
The extra letter pairs in clues spelt out “intervening distances”. The clues with shifted definitions were 23dn → 3dn → 8dn → 1dn → 23dn, giving (b, c, d, e) = (23, 3, 8, 1). The sequence abaaaaaaacdee gave 13 “intervening distances” between the 12 required cells, and to fit all 144 cells of the main grid needed 8a + b + c + d + e = 144, making a = 12. Thus, skipping 12 cells to find the 13th letter, then skipping 23 to find the next (37th) and so on located letters that spelt COLUMNS and ERASE, as shown in the intermediate grid here. Repeating the process by columns instead of rows identified M(A)TERIAL BOD(I)ES and erasing the intervening letters left only the words of the first Chambers definition for “space”: “that in which material bodies have extension”. The initial letters of (all) the clues numbered (12, 23, 3, 8, 1) spelt SPACE.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra letters/ |
Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | (IN)tense | SMIT | (make)S + MI + T |
| 4 | CASTE-MARK | CAST + E(njoy) + M’ + ARK | |
| 11 | con(TE)stant | COSIER | C + OSIER |
| 12 | GRAVEN | GRAVE + ’N’ | |
| 13 | RE-ALTERED | REAL + TERED(o) | |
| 16 | INCHASE | IN + H in CASE | |
| 17 | se(RV)e | BLADED | B + LA + DEAD − A |
| 19 | -TRIX | homophone of TRICKS | |
| 21 | STRANGLERS | STRANGERS around L | |
| 22 | SOMMELIERS | (MOSEL + REIMS) * | |
| 25 | PLAN | (shar)P LAN(d) | |
| 27 | rav(EN)ing | DIPNOI | (IN POD) * around I |
| 29 | ROSACES | OS in RACES | |
| 32 | STEERLING | TEER in SLING | |
| 33 | NOETIC | NOTICE with E moved to before T | |
| 34 | Nar(IN)e | AREOLE | (N)ARE + (m)OLE |
| 35 | ASSENTERS | (N + TER) in ASSES | |
| 36 | ruin(G D)anes | ANSE | ANES * |
| Down | |||
| 1 | groove [23dn] | SCROBE | EC’S < around ROB |
| 2 | ISAAC | IS + A + AC | |
| 3 | bound to secrecy [8dn] | TILED | IT < + LED |
| 5 | ARRAN | ARRAN(t) | |
| 6 | (IS)sue | SDEIGN | DESIGN with S(ue) moved up |
| 7 | (TA)king | ERUCT | R in CUTE * |
| 8 | some African countries [1dn] | MAGHREB | (HAMBURGER − UR) * |
| 9 | REPAIR-SHOP | PRAETORSHIP * − T | |
| 10 | KNISHES | KNIT − T’ + SHE’S | |
| 14 | THEREIN | THE(y) + REIN | |
| 15 | ALLOPHONES | METALLOPHONES − MET | |
| 18 | HAG-RIDE | (HEAD GIRL) * − L | |
| 20 | reco(NC)iling | UMLAUTS | MAUL * + STU(b) < |
| 22 | TSARINA | SARIN in TA | |
| 23 | a cut-glass pendant [3dn] | LUSTRE | LUTERS |
| 24 | rav(ES) | GIDGEE | AGGRIEVED * − RAV * |
| 26 | ACCITE | (E + TICCA) < | |
| 28 | PEREIA | (PSST + PEREIA) * = APPETISERS * | |
| 30 | SWEAR | WEAR’S with letters cycled | |
| 31 | COLON | COL(d) + ON | |