Listener Crossword 4916: Solution Notes
What to Send In by Charybdis
Puzzle explanation
The unclued entries were all clowns: zany, buffoon, gracioso, Coco, Pierrot, august. The initials of the clues in normal grid order spelt “one across; colour every theme-word-lettered cell”. The answer in the 1ac position was PROSOPAGNOSIA (face blindness), the centre of which was PAG, sometimes used as an abbreviation of Pagliacci (an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo), which means Clowns. Pagliacci is often staged with Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, a double bill known colloquially as “Cav/Pag”. All instances of the letters of CLOWNS were shaded to depict a clown face. The title referred to Stephen Sondheim’s song Send In the Clowns.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|
| AHORSE | ASHORE with S towards the end |
| ALOOF | FOOL < + A |
| AREG | ARE + G |
| ARMATURE | RA < + MATURE |
| ARSON | (p)ARSON |
| ASP | AS + (vi)P(er) |
| ASPER | (g)ASPER |
| AYE AYE | (homophone of I) repeated |
| BROOSE | homophone of BRUISE |
| CEREBRATE | CELEBRATE with R for L |
| CHARCOT | CHAT around RCO |
| EEK | (r)EEK |
| ERA | (Th)E RA(ilway) |
| FIERCE | FIE + R + C + (rob)E |
| HONORA | HORA around NO |
| INGRATE | IN GRATE |
| METRE | MET + RE |
| MUFTAT | MUF(f) + TAT |
| NATIVE | N + EVITA < |
| NERO | ONER with O moved to the end |
| OESTRUS | TROUSERS * − R |
| OHMS | 2 meanings |
| OKA | (O’ + A) around K |
| OUTVIE | OU + TV + IE |
| PATTÉE | PATTE(r) + E |
| PAY BED | (Y + BE) in PAD |
| PROSOPAGNOSIA | PROS + OP + A(round) + (AI + SONG) < |
| REATE | REE around AT |
| REFRAME | (FREE ARM) * |
| RETOOL | (LET + ROO(m)) * |
| RETRO | (treasu)RE-TRO(ve) |
| SAPOTA | SAP + (t)OTA(l) |
| SHWA | (di)SHWA(sher) |
| SLACKLY | SLY around LACK |
| SLOW-WORM | (LOW + ROW < + M) after S |
| SURER | SUER around R |
| THIN ON TOP | HIT * + NON(-s)TOP |
| TITTUPY | TITTY around UP |
| TRUCE | TRUE around C(ereals) |
| UTU | (l)U(s)T(f)U(l) |
| YEALM | YEA(r) + LM |