Listener Crossword 4930: Solution Notes
Rearrangement by Ploy
Puzzle explanation
The letters extracted when unjumbling words in clues were “NNNNN EEEEE edge ESESESESESESESE bars SSSS WW SSSS”, describing paths that started from the three bars on the grid’s edge and cut the grid into four pieces, as shown here. The bottom-right 5×5 piece contained KEEP THIS diagonally and was removed. The other three pieces were assembled into a 12×12 square for submission, with HENRY ERNEST DUDENEY highlighted diagonally. This demonstrated a dissection of a 13×13 square into squares of 12×12 and 5×5, published by Dudeney as “No. 175 — Another Patchwork Puzzle” in his Amusements in Mathematics (1917). The circled letters formed PYTHAGORAS, relating to 132 = 122 + 52 as an example of the Pythagorean theorem. The clue gimmick of removing one letter and rearranging the rest echoed the rearrangement of the grid with one piece removed.
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| No | Treated word; correction | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | |||
| 1 | (N)ursery; surrey | WHIPPLETREE | (WHERE TIPPLE) * |
| 9 | lin(N)ets; silent | SH | SHOULD − LOUD * |
| 11 | pla(N)et; plate | GULA | LUG < + A |
| 13 | Jen(N)a’s; Jean’s | ÉTAT | (veg)ETAT(ion) |
| 14 | A(N)dy’s; day’s | MORN | homophone of MOURN |
| 15 | Tynesid(E); density | LOCKSTEP | L + POCKETS * |
| 16 | Myrtac(E)ous; customary | NOMIC | CINNAMON < − ANN |
| 17 | Ne(E)dy; deny | ATHETISE | (A SHEET IT) * |
| 18 | On(E); no | EROTEMA | ROTE in (E + MA) |
| 22 | P(E)sach; chaps | FRIARIES | FRI + ARIES |
| 23 | isonomi(E)s; omission | IN TOTO | INT + O + TO |
| 25 | Rho(D)es; horse | SPILT | S(ome) + PI + LT |
| 27 | bri(G)ht; birth | CAESAREANS | CA + ERASE < + ANS |
| 29 | cam(E)l; calm | ALAY | A + LAY |
| 32 | p(E)sto; spot | TEMPE | M in (TE + PE) |
| 33 | gnu(S); gun | AMMO | (g)AMMO(n) |
| 34 | reev(E); ever | ENDLESS | (i)DLENESS * |
| 37 | (S)ignore; region | MAINLAND | AND after MILAN * |
| 38 | tik(E); kit | GERE | (bagga)GE RE(claim) |
| 39 | radio(S); aroid | TUCKAHOE | (A + HOE) after TUCK |
| 40 | spac(E)rs; scraps | SHREDDED | REDD in SHED |
| 41 | lapse(S); leap | STENS | S + TENS |
| Down | |||
| 2 | fiancé(E)s; fancies | HUMORS | (Wit)H (yo)U + MORS |
| 3 | pyrogen(S); progeny | PARITY | PARTY around I |
| 4 | reduc(E); cured | PANCETTA | (PÂTÉ CAN’T) * |
| 5 | sign(S); sing | LA-LA | LA + LA |
| 6 | remad(E); armed | TECHNICAL | CATCHLINE * |
| 7 | Sinarchi(S)t; Christian | EASTER | EASIER with T for I |
| 8 | (E)ating; giant | ETTIN | (f)ETT(a) + IN |
| 9 | ignora(B)le; regional | SYES | S + YES |
| 10 | artis(A)ns; strains | HYPERSTRESSES | homophone of HIGH + PERS + TRESSES |
| 11 | Cai(R)ns; Canis | GENERIC NAMES | (ENCASING MERE) * |
| 12 | No(S)e; one | DOTARD | DOT + ARD |
| 19 | (S)abre; bear | HASN’T | SN in HAT |
| 20 | layer(S); early | DELAPSION | (ALE + D) < + PSION |
| 21 | Hurricane(S); raunchier | STEAMIER | STEER around AMI |
| 24 | clemati(S); climate | ORYZA | CORYZA − C |
| 26 | (W)agers; gears | IN MESH | (HIS MEN) * |
| 28 | (W)aste; seat | ARMAGH | (H(igh) + GAM + RA) < |
| 30 | di(S)proved; provided | ARLED | D after (p)A(t)R(o)L(m)E(n) |
| 31 | dire(S)t; tried | VENUE | UNEVE(n) * |
| 35 | settler(S); letters | DAKS | DS around (A + K) |
| 36 | acre(S); race | LEAT | (Jung)LE AT(las) |