Listener Crossword 4878: Solution Notes
Romantic Piece by Pandiculator
Puzzle explanation
The initial letters of the extra words in clues spelt “Opus thirty-six, variation ten; first line; final character”. The first part referred to the 10th of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, named “Dorabella” for his friend Dora Penny. She was the addressee (33ac) of an as-yet undeciphered letter that Elgar wrote in 1897. This ciphertext, known as the Dorabella Cipher, consists of three lines of symbols oriented in one of eight directions, each symbol consisting of one, two or three semicircles. The second part of the clue message specified using just the first line of the Dorabella Cipher.
The “compass” given with the puzzle was used to interpret the orientation of each arc as a compass direction to be followed (disambiguated by the lengths of extra words, where Elgar’s handwritten symbols were sometimes unclear), with the number of semicircles in each character indicating the length of each step, as shown in the diagram here. Following these steps from the cell marked with †, as shown by pink arrows in the grid image above, produces the message “Use Liszt fragment, cell star”.
The so-called Liszt fragment is another undeciphered ciphertext that Elgar wrote 11 years earlier in the margin of the programme for a concert honouring Franz Liszt. Ignoring its “last character” (which is a horizontal dash), it could be converted to vectors as shown here. Following these from the cell marked with ★ (shown in purple in the grid above) traced UNRESOLVED ENIGMAS, the two grid entries to be highlighted, needing the final S to fill the grid’s central cell.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | oils | LAVENDERED | GENDERED with LAV for the first letter |
| 11 | pile | A MINORI | A MINOR + I |
| 12 | uni | HEDERA | (HELD + ERA) − L |
| 13 | Solicitors | VISAGE | VIE around SAG |
| 14 | trophy | KNOUT | homophone of NOWT |
| 15 | helium | EXOGEN | GONE * after EX |
| 16 | imam | GITANES | GÎTES around AN’ |
| 18 | research | TREMATODE | TRE(z) + (MADE TO) * |
| 20 | takes | SHOT | 2 meanings |
| 23 | Youngster | SOLAN | SOL + AN |
| 25 | sanctions | FORMOSA | FORM + O + S(tate) A(id) |
| 29 | input | AGISTOR | (G + RATIOS) * |
| 31 | Xerox | GOGOL | GO + LOG < |
| 32 | Vic | RYND | (YND = ZOE shifted one place back alphabetically) after R |
| 33 | alert | ADDRESSEE | ADEE(m) around DRESS |
| 35 | Rehydrated | PTERYLA | PERTLY * + A |
| 39 | inspector | ESTEEM | E + MEETS < |
| 41 | Asian | ORFES | ((ca)SE FRO(g’s)) < |
| 43 | Trolls | IN TURN | homophone of INTERN |
| 44 | insect | NETTIE | NET + TIE |
| 45 | organisation | CELADON | CON around DALE < |
| 46 | Nabokov | UNRESOLVED | (RUDE NOVEL’S) * |
| Down | |||
| 1 | trellis | LACET | LA(n)CET |
| 2 | Endlessly | AMEX | EXAM with letters cycled |
| 3 | nabob | ENIGMAS | (GIN in SAME) < |
| 4 | frantic | DRANTS | DR + ANTS |
| 5 | Iron | EIGG | EGG around I |
| 6 | radiant | RHEIDOL | HER * + IDOL |
| 7 | stirs | EEK | E(ld)E(r’s) K(in) |
| 8 | therapy | NEON | N + EON |
| 9 | letter | TRUE | (miscons)TRUE(d) |
| 10 | invites | RAT’S-TAIL | START * + AIL |
| 17 | Northern | TERM | TER + M |
| 19 | earns | ELFIN | FIN after EL |
| 21 | fruit | HOGGS | HOG + G(et)S |
| 22 | insecurity | OSLO | (g)O-SLO(w) |
| 23 | news | SCARPONI | SCARP + ON + I |
| 24 | attack | ORGY | OR + GUY − U |
| 26 | lather | STAY | A in STY |
| 27 | couplet | GODLIER | (C)OLERIDG(e) * |
| 28 | hardened | ROSTRAL | R(egarding) + ORAL around (S(nout) T(oo)) |
| 30 | Attempted | ARÊTES | (E(veres)T + S(agarmath)A + E(ige)R) * |
| 34 | riddle | EMEND | ME in END |
| 36 | added | TREZ | (ZER(o) + (i)T) < |
| 37 | carp | EFTS | EFFORTS − FOR |
| 38 | thicket | ANCE | (l)ANCE |
| 40 | emotively | EVOE | (voic)E-OVE(r) < |
| 42 | reading | SIN | 2 meanings |