4 = 2

Dave Shukan

ANSWER: CIRCUS OF HORRORS

 

The answers to the cryptic clues are:

  • Undressed in feline club (CABARET; BARE in CAT)
  • Ordered one carat, entering behind the times (DICTATED; I + CT in DATED)
  • Fluid silver standard (FLAG; FL + AG)
  • Volley of scattered ovals (SALVO; OVALS (anag.))
  • Revolutionary saying about Communist fishing gear (WADERS; RED in SAW)
  • Excellent old woman, upon reflection, admits failure to carry out effectively (ENFORCE; (E + CRONE) (rev.) around F)
  • Half of apothecary's essence (GIST; half of DRUGGIST)
  • Make a delicate fabric besides a sometimes regrettable print (TATTOO; TAT + TOO)
  • Not quite timely notes followed by silence (LATISH; LA + TI + SH)
  • Concocted me this supernatural belief (THEISM; ME THIS (anag.)
  • Buckle in unlimited heft, filling place to sleep (DEFORM; EF in DORM)
  • Outspoken brand of computer played games of muscle (DELTOID; DELL TOYED (hom.))
  • Arm part of society restrained by court order (WRIST; S in WRIT)
  • Located by operator in insufficiently lit water plant (DIATOM; (AT + O) in DIM)
  • Relief after loud rock (the metal kind) pierces as previously mentioned (AFORESAID; (F + ORE) in AS + AID)
  • Small video recorder seized by angry returning bear (STOMACH; S + (CAM + HOT) rev.)
  • Notice shade for consultant (ADVISOR; AD + VISOR)
  • Cellist circle accommodating both XX and male virility (MACHISMO; (MA + O) around (CHIS + M))
  • Nearly crazy carnival city rejected after initially ascertaining it has a lot of cows (ABATTOIR; A + BATTy + RIO (rev.))
  • Drives true, splitting low boundaries of roughs (MOTORS; T in MOO + RS)
  • Covered about onset of snickering over gossip (DISH; (HID + S) (rev.))
  • Average trig function dividing result of addition around crescent shape (MENISCUS; C + SINE in SUM (rev.))

The first five words are in alphabetical order and of lengths 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (though not in that order), corresponding to the shapes at the top.

The remaining words all have FOR, IS, or TO in their interior (note the title 4 = 2, which can be read as "four is two" - and the first three of the words after the main five have FOR, IS, TO, in that order). Reading these strings as xFORy, xISy or xTOy, they can be interpreted as transformations:

  • xFORy - put in x for y in the next line
  • xISy and xTOy - x becomes y in the next line

Filling the letters of the first five clues, in order, in the appropriate shapes (four squares, five pentagons, etc.) gives the starting string and applying the transformations in order yields the answer CIRCUS OF HORRORS.

CABARETCABA-R----E--T----------------
DICTATEDCABA-RDI-CETAT-----T---E-D----
FLAGCABA-RDI-CETATF----TLAGE-D----
SALVOCABA-RDI-CETATF--SATLAGELDV-O-
WADERSCABAWRDIACETATFDESATLAGELDVROS
ENFORCECABAWRDIAENTATFDESATLAGELDVROS
GISTCABAWRDIAENTATFDESATLATELDVROS
TATTOOCABAWRDIAENOFDESATLATELDVROS
LATISHCABAWRDIAENOFDESATHELDVROS
THEISMCABAWRDIAENOFDESAMLDVROS
DEFORMCABAWRDIAENOFDESADELDVROS
DELTOIDCABAWRDIAENOFDESAIDDVROS
WRISTCABATDIAENOFDESAIDDVROS
DIATOMCABATMENOFDESAIDDVROS
AFORESAIDCABATMENOFDADVROS
STOMACHCABATMENOFDADVROMACH
ADVISORCABATMENOFDORROMACH
MACHISMOCABATMENOFDORROMO
ABATTOIRCIRMENOFDORROMO
MOTORSCIRMENOFDORRORS
DISHCIRMENOFHORRORS
MENISCUSCIRCUSOFHORRORS

Upon completing this puzzle, the following animated image is revealed on the round page: