Listener Crossword 4800: Solution Notes
Ready Now by ’Eck
Puzzle explanation
The two treatments required to make all clue answers read “normally” in the grid were enlarging 12 letters to occupy four cells each, and squeezing a film title of two or three letters into each of eight other cells: It, Elf, Ali, If, Pi, Ran, Ray and Up. The extra words in clues gave cryptic clues to BILLY and WILDER (see below). Billy Wilder co-wrote the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. The letters immediately after extra words spelt out NAME IN LIGHTS. Adding those letters to the oversized letters in the grid, clockwise from the bottom row, produced NORMA DESMOND, reading in normal grid order. In a line from the film (included in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations), Norma Desmond says “I am big, it’s the pictures that got small”, which described the two entry methods. The puzzle’s title hinted at the film’s closing line, “All right, Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup.”
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| Extra word (next letter) | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Across | ||
| TEST TUBE | TEE around BUTTS < | |
| HARPO | OPRAH < | |
| INHERIT | (d)ITHERIN(g) * | |
| Can (N)emesis | BLUTO | OUT * after BL |
| AOK | OAK with O moved later | |
| BALISE | BASE around LI | |
| HOSEA | (HAS + O(bjectionabl)E) * | |
| DIAPIR | DIAPER with (poo)I(est) for E | |
| TOD | TO + D | |
| BOYCOTTS | BOYS around COTT | |
| SDEIGN | SINGED * | |
| Difficult (A)t | NOT A FEW | NOW around FATE * |
| entering (M)exican | YUCATÁN | CAT in YUAN |
| RELISH | DELISH with R for the first letter | |
| REFOREST | FORE in REST | |
| SIB | (B(uffy) + IS) < | |
| in (E)ntrepreneur’s | ARDENT | (postc)ARD ENT(repreneur’s) |
| USAGE | US AGE (years since Declaration of Independence) | |
| Times (I) | TORANA | TIRANA with O for I |
| FEU | FEU(d) | |
| STOEP | P after (S + TOE) | |
| UPRISAL | PARULIS * | |
| DITSY | ST < in DIY | |
| SPIELERS | REL < in SPIES | |
| Down | ||
| render (N)eat | TIGHT | TIT around GH |
| SHELFS | FLESH * + S | |
| idle (L)ed | TELEDU | (qui)TE LED U(nion) |
| TRADE GAP | TR + A + PAGED < | |
| BOLOGNA | BO + LOG + N + A(nthem) | |
| HUI | homophone of HOOEY | |
| AT-BAT | A + T + BART − R(elationship) | |
| weekend (I)n | POSITIF | POSIT + I’ + F |
| OVERSOWN | O’ + VERSO + W(igeo)N | |
| LICHTS | ((prodiga)L + S) around ITCH * | |
| GOOSY | G + OOSY | |
| TEN | 2 meanings (factor of integers ending in 0) | |
| HYDRATED | HATED around DRY * | |
| MANICURE | MAN I CURE | |
| AUF | F after AU | |
| recreation (G)round | STERNE | ENTERS * |
| initially (H)igh | ONE-STEP | (POET SEEN) * − E |
| WHIGS | H in WIGS | |
| more (T)rouble | ASSAIL | ASS < in AIL |
| PIEROGI | (RO + G + I) after PIE | |
| FEATS | FEAST with (Denni)S moved down | |
| Savage (S)cotch | BELLS | BELL’S; ref. whisky brand |
| NOY | ANDY with NO Y = AND | |
| ARAYSE | A + YEAR’S * | |
| Extra-word clues | ||
| Can Difficult entering in Times | BILLY | ILL in BY |
| render idle weekend recreation initially more Savage | WILDER | (IDLE + W(eekend) R(ecreation)) * |