Listener Crossword 4887: Solution Notes
Head of Steam by Agricola
Puzzle explanation
The puzzle marked the bicentenary of the first run of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world’s first powered passenger train journey. The trip started at ETHERLEY and went to DARLINGTON, then STOCKPORT, the three places formed by pairs of letters in grid cells. The locomotive for the journey was named LOCOMOTION No 1 and its inventor was GEORGE Stephenson (highlighted between the three locations). The initial letters of extra words in clues spelt out “date of first journey”, ie 27 September 1825, which was written below the grid (any conventional date format was accepted).
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Extra word | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | EPSOMITES | EPS + OMIT + ES | |
| 7 | Dutch | CODA | COD + A |
| 11 | ETHEROMANIAC | EC around (THE + ROMANIA) | |
| 12 | BARLEY | BAR + LEY | |
| 14 | Apprentices | CLUTCH | 2 meanings |
| 15 | OBELI | LEO < around B + I | |
| 19 | OFCOM | OOM around FC | |
| 20 | thinks | ALL-GIVER | (GILL VERA) * |
| 21 | INKPOT | PINK with letters cycled + TO < | |
| 22 | electric | HOE | HOME − M’ |
| 23 | NOSTOC | (COTS + ON) < | |
| 24 | onlookers | DEBS | B(e) in DES |
| 27 | funny | AID | A + ID |
| 28 | PLANKTON | PLAN + KNOT * | |
| 30 | EPISTOME | EPITOME around S | |
| 32 | Funny | BRIES | I in BRES(t) |
| 34 | Images | AREAL | ARAL around E |
| 36 | ISOPODA | I + OP in SODA | |
| 37 | EORL | OR in (E + L) | |
| 38 | rights | CUMMINGTONITE | homophone of (COMING + TONIGHT) |
| 39 | ESSE | ESSEN − N | |
| 40 | EYELETEER | (RE-EYE around TELE) < | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | EMBROIDER | (BR in MO) in EIDER | |
| 2 | second | PETAL | PET + A + L |
| 3 | SHERLOCK | R in (SHE + LOCK) | |
| 4 | MODEM | MODE + M | |
| 5 | Tempest | TAMIL | T + A + MIL |
| 6 | SILAGE | SIL(ver) AGE | |
| 7 | CAUL | CAUL(k) | |
| 8 | OCTAVO | VAT < in (O’ + CO) | |
| 9 | DICIEST | CID < + I’ + EST | |
| 10 | July | ASH | H after AS |
| 13 | offensive | ELATION | (r)ELATION |
| 16 | BOPS | B + OPS | |
| 17 | Upset | ELOPERS | LOPERS after E |
| 18 | Ray | PROCONSULAR | CORPORAL * around (NS + U) |
| 23 | NARA | NA + RA | |
| 25 | EPOSES | (believ)E + POSES | |
| 26 | BINOCS | BIS around CON < | |
| 27 | next | AT-HOME | (THE MOA) * |
| 29 | NILOTE | NOTE around IL | |
| 31 | early | MARLINE | MARL + IN + E |
| 32 | BEGONE | B(olton) + EG + ONE | |
| 33 | SPUE | SPURTLE − RT − L | |
| 35 | yet | GREE | GREE(k) |
| 36 | ICE | (crypt)IC E(xplanation) | |