Listener Crossword 4834: Solution Notes
Bygone Characters by Shark
Puzzle explanation
The puzzle used three keyword-based ciphers, Vigenère (named after BLAISE de Vigenère but first described by Giovan Battista Bellaso in 1553), Beaufort (created by Sir FRANCIS Beaufort and similar to Vigenère) and Playfair (invented by CHARLES Wheatstone but popularised by Lyon Playfair). Each cipher’s name could fill 1ac to create real words. The final letters of extra words in clues spelt out “Caesar-shift initials of these words”; their first letters, incremented by one place alphabetically, spelt “first and last letters of these clues”; the affected clues’ outer letters spelt “‘second’ and ‘same keyword for each’ can replace the word ‘first’ in the preamble”. This led to three forms of the preamble’s third sentence, “The {first, second, same keyword for each} of these fits at 1ac and the forename of a person often credited as its creator appears in a straight line in the grid.” All of VIGENÈRE, PLAYFAIR and BEAUFORT could be entered at 1ac to make new words. The only combination that enabled real words to form when decoding the unclued entry UYGM involved using the Vigenère cipher with keyword BEAUFORT to give TUGS, then the Playfair cipher with keyword BEAUFORT to give CALM. CALM is 0 on the Beaufort wind force scale, so that entry was labelled “0” and likewise LIGHT AIR was entered at 1ac. The puzzle’s title referred to the obsolete meaning of “character” = “a secret cipher”.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 6 | FARDS | FARADS − A | |
| 10 | egoisti(C) | EARL | EARL(y) |
| 13 | TARPEIA | (PAIR ATE) * | |
| 15 | hryvn(A) | BOOMERS | BLOOMERS − L |
| 16 | quinc(E) | YUCAS | SAUCY * |
| 17 | render(S) | DAUB | U(rn) in DAB |
| 18 | se(A) | BRA | (BR + AT) − T |
| 20 | Z-liste(R) | INSULT | (h)USTLIN(g) * |
| 21 | mas(S) | READIER | READER around I |
| 23 | cas(H) | SEVERE | EVER in S(af)E |
| 24 | Kiribat(I) | GRASSY | GASSY around R(egion) |
| 26 | ENTRAP | PARTNE(r) < | |
| 31 | zar(F) | SPIGOT | GO in SPIT |
| 35 | ECLOGUE | CLOG in É(t)U(d)E | |
| 36 | recrui(T) | GIAOUR | UR- after (GI + A(mm)O) |
| 38 | safar(I) | SOS | SO-S(o) |
| 40 | ON ICE | O + NICE | |
| 41 | know(N) | BAROTSE | (RAS TO BE) * |
| 42 | DISHELM | DISH + ELM | |
| 43 | STOA | STOMA − M | |
| 44 | Diwal(I) | EDENS | DENSE with letters cycled |
| 45 | separatis(T) | ANDERSEN | AND + ERSE + N |
| Down | |||
| 1 | sar(I) | ENDING | (m)ENDING |
| 2 | Dominic(A) | ROUSE | RUSE around O’ |
| 3 | quai(L) | UMBLES | BLES(s) after (r)UM(p) |
| 4 | rise(S) | VERT | VERTEX − EX |
| 5 | n(O) | ASTER | (H)AS TER(minus) |
| 6 | FRYE | FRYE(r) | |
| 7 | RECHIP | REC + HIP | |
| 8 | DIAZEPAM | DAZE around I + PAM | |
| 9 | SASTRA | SAS + TR + A | |
| 11 | ex-sheri(F) | ABA | (Ar)AB A(lso) |
| 12 | sor(T) | LOBUS | US after LOB |
| 14 | gibberis(H) | PUNDIT | PUN + DIT |
| 19 | duls(E) | AREFIES | SEA-FIRE * |
| 22 | ARACHNID | (A + NID) around RACH | |
| 25 | Reaper(S) | SCORCH | SC + OR + CH(illi) |
| 27 | degenerat(E) | NOISOME | NO + IS + OME(n) |
| 28 | PERMIAN | PER + M + IAN | |
| 29 | DECODE | (ECO + D) in DEBS − (B + S) | |
| 30 | ble(W) | BLAISE | (L(ayer) A(way)) in BISE |
| 32 | kimon(O) | PUEBLA | BLUE * in PA |
| 33 | toughe(R) | TAUTS | TAT’S around U |
| 34 | ROYSTS | S in STORY * | |
| 36 | GORED | GOD around RE | |
| 37 | dea(D) | LEES | (SEE + L(amb)) < |
| 39 | road(S) | GEO | GO around E |