Listener Crossword 4597: Solution Notes
Bunch of Fives by Brock
Puzzle explanation
The thematic sets were the five brightest stars, the five brightest asteroids, the five fingers, the five seas connected to Moscow, and five fish commonly eaten with chips. In that order, their clues’ initials spelt out “centre and twenty-five others”. Reordering the sets to match the synonyms “sea star”, “starfish”, “asteroid” and “(five)finger”, the fifth letters of fifth words in these clues gave “choose the rightmost S option”, resolving which S to highlight in the southeast arm. The highlighting represented a starfish consisting of five instances of PISCES (the “star fish”) radiating from the central P.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | VEGA | VEG + A |
| 1-4 | VISAGE | VIE around SAG |
| 6-17 | EXCESSIVENESS | (SEX SCENES) * around (S + I’VE) |
| 8-3 | CERES | (Earpie)CE RES(old) |
| 9-2 | VESTA | A after EST after V |
| 10-5 | CAUTER | ACUTER with AC < |
| 13-34 | RING | 2 meanings |
| 15-16 | SIRIUS | SITUS with RI for T; ref. Sothic year |
| 18-26 | BOSNIAN | BOS’N around (NINJA − NJ) |
| 18-32 | BLACK | BACK around L |
| 19-12 | INDEX | IN + D + EX |
| 21-15 | IRIS | IRIS(h) |
| 22-44 | HADDOCK | ADD in HOCK |
| 23-11 | AZOV | AZOLLA with V for ALL < |
| 25-33 | EROS | SORE < |
| 27-60 | UNSAILED | (US LAND IE) * |
| 28-17 | PALLAS | ALL in PAS |
| 28-50 | PSALTER | PER around SALT |
| 28-54 | PLAICE | homophone of PLACE |
| 29-51 | ARCTURUS | (DELHI BUREAUCRAT’S) * − (BAIL HE’D + E) * |
| 31-14 | LAO | ORAL < − R |
| 32-7 | KALENDS | K(issing) + A(morous) + LENDS |
| 34-55 | G-SUIT | G(a)S (g)U(n) I(n)T(o) |
| 35-44 | IN DOCK | INK around DOC |
| 36-21 | ALPHA CENTAURI | (TRUE CHAPLAIN + A) * |
| 37-24 | LA PAZ | PLAZA * |
| 37-38 | LITTLE | LIT + (bot)TLE |
| 40-34 | SKIING | KINGS with letters cycled around I’ |
| 40-49 | SKATE | TAKES * |
| 42-26 | CASPIAN | (ASP − P(oison)) in PANIC * |
| 42-51 | CANOPUS | (CAN + PUS(s)) around O |
| 43-30 | COD | 2 meanings; (D + O’ + C) < |
| 45-53 | TICKETLESS | T(est) + WICKETLESS − W |
| 46-41 | UPON | COUPON − CO |
| 52-39 | HUSS | HUS(h) + S |
| 55-61 | THUMB | TAB around HUM − A |
| 58-47 | WHITE | (E(spresso) H(ead) W(aiter)) * around IT |
| 61-48 | BALTIC | BALTI + C |
| 62-57 | MUSALES | ALE in MUSS |
| 62-59 | MIDDLE | (ELD + DIM) < |
| 63-56 | IMBASE | I + MASE around B |