Listener Crossword 4741: Solution Notes
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Puzzle explanation
The lines through the unclued letters in across entries (WOCNA) and the ones in down entries (CHON) formed an approximation of the shorelines of MAVIS GRIND, an isthmus in the Shetland Islands between the ATLANTIC and the NORTH SEA. At 33 metres wide, it is said to be the only place in the UK where a stone may be thrown across land from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer (unclued letter) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| 1 | A(W)FUL | A + FUL(l) |
| 4 | OCEAN | (A + ONCE) * |
| 8 | T(O)HO | (au)THO(r) |
| 9 | AMMO | (c)OMMA(s) < |
| 11 | LORATE | ((taff)ETA ROL(led)) < |
| 12 | GEAR | (L + GEAR) * = LARGE * |
| 13 | ALEPH | A + L + EPH (Ephesians, not Epistle) |
| 15 | REAR | 2 meanings |
| 16 | NA(C)H | BEENAH − BEE |
| 17 | IBADAH | (HAD A BI(t)) < |
| 20 | RUNS | RUN(g) + S |
| 21 | INTIMIDATE | ID in INTIMATE |
| 23 | COI(N) | (O’ + I) after C(ampania) |
| 24 | NORIA | (A + IRON) < |
| 25 | M(A)VIS | V in MIS |
| 26 | GRIND | (A)G(a) + RIND |
| Down | ||
| 1 | TANTALIC | I in (TAN + TALC) |
| 2 | FORECAST | Spoonerism of CORE FAST |
| 3 | LOT(H) | (TO + L) < |
| 4 | OVERBROWING | (OR + OWING) around VERB |
| 5 | (C)AGE | AGE |
| 6 | AMARANTI(N) | AMI around (A + RANT) |
| 7 | SHERATON | TON after (SHE + RA) |
| 8 | TOLA | (A + LOT) < |
| 10 | MEAD | LIE around MEAD = LIMEADE |
| 14 | PHONE-IN | P + HO + NEIN |
| 17 | ISTHMUS | IS + M(yrrh) in THUS |
| 18 | ARD(O)R | A(nothe)R D(isaste)R |
| 19 | ANOA | ((s)A(l)O(o)N (c)A(r)) < |
| 22 | TIV | TV around I |