Listener Crossword 4804: Solution Notes
Bucking Convention by Flowerman
Puzzle explanation
The corrections to misprints in clues spelt out “Lone Star State”, the nickname of Texas. The lines connecting grid letters spelling out the phrase (anticlockwise from cell 6) formed an outline of Texas, rotated clockwise by 90° — “in turn” as the preamble said. The orientation was also indicated by the positions in the grid of COLORADO (River) and AUSTIN, the state capital. Entries going through the first E in HEME instead of the second (shown in purple here) were accepted, though that produced a less accurate course for the Rio Grande. Entries with A not visible as well as the star in 32ac were marked wrong, because the instructions said to add the symbol, not to replace the letter.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Misprint | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | BADASS | DA in BASS | |
| 5 | SLACKLY | SLY around LACK | |
| 10 | BENT | 2 meanings | |
| 11 | OCULATED | (CALLED OUT) * − L | |
| 12 | BALD | BALDRICK − RICK | |
| 13 | LACE BUGS | LA + CEBUS around G | |
| 14 | STORK | STARK with O for A | |
| 16 | POT | POTAGE − AGE | |
| 18 | SHARN | SHARP − (shee)P + ’N’ | |
| 20 | ALLOSAUR | ((sexua)L + AROUSAL) * | |
| 21 | ORCHEL | ORIEL with CH for I | |
| 23 | RUSE | DRUSE − D | |
| 25 | EMBAIL | (MISTRESS − STRESS + ABLE) * | |
| 28 | OTTAWA | (i)OTA around TAW | |
| 30 | AEON | AE + NO < | |
| 31 | OROGEN | (GO in NERO) < | |
| 32 | ROULEAUS | RULE around O’ + A + US | |
| 34 | CAMEO | CAME TO − T | |
| 36 | SAT | SAVANT − VAN | |
| 39 | EASEL | (w)EASEL | |
| 40 | WROOTING | (GROW INTO) * | |
| 41 | ERGO | (GR in (r)O(b)E(s)) < | |
| 42 | SIGNETED | homophone of CYGNET’D | |
| 43 | PLEA | PLEASURE − SURE | |
| 44 | TAKE AIR | (KARATE + I) * | |
| 45 | LISLES | SELL < around I’S | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | BABY’S-TEARS | BABY + (RESTS + A) *; under “mind-your-own-business” in Chambers | |
| 2 | (L)etter | DELTA | LT in DEA |
| 3 | h(O)t | ANDORRA | HAND − H + ORRA |
| 4 | Sto(N)e | STERN | (ST + RN) around (becom)E |
| 5 | SCARLET RUNNER | (NURSE + R(eticent) + LEARNT) * around C | |
| 6 | clu(E) | LUCE | CLUE * |
| 7 | re(S)orted | ALECOST | LACTOSE * |
| 8 | CABAS | C + ABASHED − HE’D | |
| 9 | LEGO | G(rinder) in LEO | |
| 15 | KAHLO | KAGO with (H + L) for G | |
| 16 | PAUA | PA around AU | |
| 17 | sta(T)e | TREASONOUS | TREA(d) + SO + NOUS |
| 19 | HEME | (t)HE ME(adow-saxifrage) | |
| 22 | L(A)x | LOOSE | LOSE around (rode)O |
| 24 | lu(R)ch | SWEE | SEE around W |
| 26 | Conte(S)t | BOUT | BOULT − L |
| 27 | (T)on | ICED TEA | T in (v)ICE-DEA(n) |
| 29 | TEASELS | L in TEASES | |
| 33 | (A)ce | LEONE | LE + ONE |
| 34 | CARPI | CARP + (g)I(n) | |
| 35 | MEREL | MERE + HALL − HAL | |
| 37 | Me(T) | ARIA | A + RIA |
| 38 | tre(E) | TITI | TIT + I’ |