Forlor by Nutmeg

Puzzle explanation

A “mobile phone” (ie, a jumble of PHONE) was banned in some answers. The title was Forlor(n Hope), similarly treated. The highlighted diagonal contained “I’m on the train”, a frequent refrain of mobile phone users on trains. Extra letters from wordplay gave “motif based on Gran Vals by Francisco Tárrega”, referring to the ubiquitous Nokia ringtone and the guitar composition by Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea on which it is based.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 IONA [M]AN < after IO
5 STA(NHOPE) PRESS (SPO[O]NER’S PET HAS) *
10 OMELET MELÉ(e) in OT[T]
11 AMUCK A[I] + MUCK
13 AROINTING INTO * in [F]ARING
14 CANNAE CANE around [B]AN <
15 X(ENOPH)OBE [A]XE + HOB in NOPE
16 THI(OPHEN)ES (SHEEP [S]HOT IN) *
18 OATH (l)OATH[E](s)
20 HAWKIES HAWK + I[D] ES(t)
22 BRANSLE (BRA’S + [O]LÉ) around N
24 OR SO OR + SO[N]
25 AGENT [G]AGE + NT
29 TEL(EPHON)Y LETTE[R] * − T + PHONY
31 BARCAS R[A]C in SAAB <
32 BAVARDAGE (VR around A) in BA[N]DAGE
33 C(OPENH)AGEN (PEN + HAG) in CO[V]EN
34 AMELIA AA around (M[A] + ELI)
35 FLYPASTS FLY + PA[L]S around ST
36 AL(PENHO)RN [S]HORN after PLANE *
Down
2 OMRAH (t)OM[B] + RAH
3 NEONATAL (ANNO[Y] + TALE) *
4 A(NOPHE)LINE (NO HELP) * in (A + [F]INE)
5 SENATES SEN + [R]ATES
6 ALICIA ALI[A](s) + CIA
7 PANNE ANN in PE[N]
8 EURO (ORE around [C]U) <
9 SCABIES (C + ABIES) in S[I]
12 KEEPS (OPEN H)OUSE (PENTHOUSE − T) after (KEEP + SO[S])
13 ACROBATIC ACROSTIC with BA[C](k) for S
17 BIRDCALL BIRD + L[O]CAL *
19 ARSENAL [T]ARSAL around NE <
21 WIT(H OPEN) ARMS (THE PARIS WOM[A]N) *
23 LEAVES LEAVE[R]S
26 GUANA (Nicara)GUAN [R]A(inforest)
27 ARDEA (d)[E]AR, DEA(r)
28 JAGIR G(o)I(n)[G] in JAR
30 (NEPHO)LOGY (P[A] + H) in NEOLOGY
Back to 2013 menu