The code phrase was KEYBOARD MUSIC, a genre particularly associated with CHOPIN, BRAHMS, COUPERIN and SCHUBERT. Variations on KEY were keys on a computer keyboard; variations on BOARD were words that could be associated with it in compounds.
ACROSS
1 SNBQCL (CHOPIN); c + hop in
5 WIGWAG; wig wag
10 AUSTRIA; A US tria(L)
12 SYRIA; s + airy (rev.)
13 GET-GO; e.g. (rev.) + T(o’)go
14 MARM; R in mam & lit.
15 ESCAPE (Variation on A)
17 SATIE; ‘s a tie
19 SERENE; ere for a in sane
20 THE FLAT; t,h + E flat
23 IAGO; I ago
24 IRAQ; I r aq.
27 LINCTUS; ct. in Linus (Peanuts)
29 CURARE; Cu rare
31 BLASH; L in bash
34 DELETE (Variation on A)
36 OOZY; (W)oozy
37 ETAGE; tag in (w)ee(k)
38 OLLAV; ol(d) lav
39 ELENCHI; en in elchi
40 MARVER; m a r(I)ver
41 EMSTAF (BRAHMS); HM in bras(s)
DOWN
1 SAYEST; ayes in St.
2 NUTS; stun(t) (rev.)
3 CREPE; rep in CE
4 LITERAL; liter al(l)
5 WAGES (Variation on B)
6 ISOMER; I some R
7 GYMQRICL (COUPERIN); coup Erin
8 AIRING; A1 Ring
9 GAME (Variation on B)
11 SECT; cf. tecs
16 NEAT; neat(h)
18 IFQAOYAV (SCHUBERT); sch. (p)ubert(y)
21 EARL; cf. Lear
22 TINDALE; anag. in tie
25 RUCOLA; ru(e) cola
26 GRIEVE; g + I in ever (rev.)
28 SHERIF; H in fires (rev.)
30 ENTER (Variation on A)
31 BEGEM; e.g. in BEM
32 AESC; cf. aces
33 ROOM (Variation on B)
35 TAHA; hat (rev.) + a
As always there was a clue-writing competition, with KEYBOARD MUSIC being the phrase to clue. Here are the top three:
1st Moby Dick sure is complicated without a set of notes (Ross Beresford)
2nd Scenes from Childhood, eg your backside getting spanked after admitting a bit of mischief (Richard Heald)
3rd I’d back my Euros to convert into notes for a grand? (Richard Morse)
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