Listener Crossword 4814: Solution Notes
Business Tax Service by Puffin
Puzzle explanation
The first letters of the extra words in clues spelt out “Gates, Denton, Cottan, Huntley, Corbett, Davidson, Buckells”, the surnames of corrupt police officers in the TV series Line of Duty. The three names highlighted in the grid were the investigating officers in the series: FLEMING, ARNOTT and HASTINGS. Hastings often described the villains as “bent coppers”, represented in the grid by a zigzag line through COPPERS. The puzzle’s title consisted of three definitions (in a “line”) of “duty”.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | guided | ADMASS | ADM + ASS |
| 7 | affects | AGENDA | (Hä)AGEN-DA(zs) |
| 11 | trims | PURFLE | PURE around FL |
| 12 | English | MINGLES | M + SINGLE with letters cycled |
| 13 | score | ADIEUS | (l)ADIE(s) + US |
| 14 | Dutiful | ONE-OFFS | (SON OF + E + F) * |
| 16 | entrechat | CEDARN | DANCER * |
| 19 | never | SARGE | (EG + RAS) < |
| 21 | thinking | CHOICER | CHOIR around CE |
| 22 | offstage | EAN | E(nds) A(ntigonus) N(ot) |
| 23 | NBA | CEPHEUS | CEP + HUES * |
| 24 | cooks | ANGIOSPERMOUS | (SON SOUP MAIGRE) * |
| 27 | opting | RIBALDS | RIB + LADS * |
| 29 | ten | URS | SPURS − SP |
| 31 | troopship | RAMADAN | ARMADA with A moved later + N |
| 32 | angry | MILNE | L in MINE |
| 35 | natural | YVETTE | Y + VETTER − R |
| 38 | Henry | RADULAE | R + DUAL * + AE |
| 39 | users | PINIER | PIER around IN |
| 40 | noticed | ACANTHA | A + CAN’T + HA’ |
| 41 | Thunder | STINGS | 2 meanings |
| 42 | Latitude | SHADES | 2 meanings |
| 43 | early | CANGUE | (A + NG + U) in C(losur)E |
| Down | |||
| 1 | yells | APACHE | PA in ACHE |
| 2 | cause | DUDE | DUD + E(xploring) |
| 3 | often | MRIDANGAMS | (I’M + GRANDMA’S) * |
| 4 | running | AFEAR | (h)A(l)F (r)E(p)A(i)R(s) |
| 5 | breaking | SLUR | RULES < − E |
| 6 | exact | SMOOCH | POOCH with SM for first letter |
| 7 | tramps | AIN’T | IN in AT |
| 8 | thieves | EGOTISM | (GOT + IS) in ’EM |
| 9 | decrees | DEFLEXURE | FED < + LEX + URE |
| 10 | ale | ASSARTS | AS + STARTS − T |
| 15 | Valérie’s | ÉTOURDI | (RIDE OUT) * |
| 17 | Irish | NEPS | N + EPS |
| 18 | Designs | ACCOUNTING | AC(re) + COUNT + IN + G |
| 19 | soils | SANDARACH | SAND + A in ARCH |
| 20 | outré | GEOIDAL | (LOG IDEA) * |
| 24 | New-Age | AURORAS | ROAR * in AUS |
| 25 | bankrupts | IRACUND | IR + A/C + UN + D |
| 26 | urban | ELMY | EL + MY |
| 28 | clever | ANDEAN | DEAN after AN |
| 30 | Kikuyu | SPERSE | SP + ERSE |
| 33 | Entering | LENIN | (NINE + L) < |
| 34 | line | DAHS | SHAD(e)(s) < |
| 36 | long | VITA | I in TV < + A |
| 37 | shrewd | TEGU | (qui)TE GU(ide) |