Listener Crossword 4776: Solution Notes
Stand Your Ground … by Apt
Puzzle explanation
The corrections to misprints in the down clues spelt out “two-tiered spice rack”. The outlined rectangles of letters in the grid were “ground” (jumbled) spices: CARDAMOM, NUTMEG, CUMIN, CLOVES, CORIANDER, CINNAMON and MACE. The letters within them that were unclued by wordplay for across entries combined to produce GARAM MASALA below the grid, for which the seven spices are typical ingredients.
There was an error in the clue for 15dn: the number of microns in a parsec is about 30 sextillion (30.857 × 1021), not 30 quintillion (1018). It was unlikely to make the puzzle unsolvable.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer (omitted letters) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | WONTS | (ST + NOW) < | |
| 5 | NAPKIN | NAP + KIN(g) | |
| 9 | DISMAN | DISMA(l) + N | |
| 10 | AIN’T | A + I + NT | |
| 12 | INC(A) | INC | |
| 13 | SURRA | SUR + RA | |
| 14 | GU(A)R (G)U(M) | GURU | |
| 16 | (S)ORA | OR + A | |
| 19 | TIMON | TIMON + PHRASE = MISANTHROPE * | |
| 20 | ECC(L)ES | ECCE + S | |
| 21 | TRIMETRICAL | TRIM + RECITAL * | |
| 23 | REARMS | REARS around M | |
| 26 | OCHRE | CHORE with O moved to the front | |
| 29 | ION(A) | I + O’ + N | |
| 30 | CO(M)PORT | COP + ORT | |
| 32 | MÉDOC | M(iddling) + CODE < | |
| 33 | (A)MAH | (e)M(p)A(t)H(y) | |
| 34 | SA(R)I | SAI(l) | |
| 35 | R(A)NCES | (G)R(e)N(a)C(h)E + S | |
| 36 | UNSEAT | NASUTE *; ref 5dn | |
| 37 | AKRON | KRONA * | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | ou(T) | WEIGHT-TRAINS | (WRITING + HASTE) * |
| 2 | (W)ay | NICAM | (stereopho)NIC AM(plifier) |
| 3 | z(O)ne | TSARDOM | STARDOM with T moved up |
| 4 | mis(T) | SMOG | S(underland) M(idfielders) + OG |
| 5 | b(I)ll | NASUTE | N(oise) + AS + UTE |
| 6 | mil(E)s | PARSEC | SCRAPE * |
| 7 | (R)uss | KIROV | ((satna)V OR I K(eep)) < |
| 8 | ow(E)s | IN ARREARS | (I + NEARS) around ARR |
| 11 | si(D)e | TRANSLEITHAN | (NAH + TIE + L + S(o)N + ART) < |
| 15 | (S)ix | MICRON | MI + CRON; ref. 6dn |
| 17 | (P)uts | FIREWOMAN | (NAIF around MOWER) < |
| 18 | bra(I)n | MNEMIC | MEN * + MIC(e) |
| 22 | (C)ool | ICEPACK | ICE + PACK |
| 24 | cr(E)w’s | ROADIE | (AD + I) in ROE |
| 25 | (R)ide | SNO-CAT | (salad)S NO CAT(ered) |
| 27 | str(A)ppers | ONERS | OWNER − W + S |
| 28 | (C)ome | COMER | C + OMERTÀ − TA |
| 31 | Gree(K) | MINA | M(ade) + IN + A |