Food for Thought by Handyman

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle marked the 60th anniversary of the broadcast on the BBC TV programme Panorama of a hoax report about harvesting spaghetti from trees in Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. TRUNK, BRANCH and BOUGH formed a tree shape in the grid, with SPAG/HETTI and SPAGH/ETTI hanging down in straight lines. The letters omitted from wordplay spelt out “April fool”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (omitted letter) Explanation
Across
10 (A)MUSER R (from RupeRt beaR) after MUSE
11 OOM(P)AH OOH around MA
12 (R)UN DEEP UNDÉE + P
14 MAED(I) MADE *
15 LUGANO LUG + (c)ANO(e)
16 PENNA(L) PEN + AN <
17 HAUD (Macbet)H AUD(ition)
19 ACYL (banan)A (republi)C (prett)Y (wel)L
20 REP PER <
22 BOARD BARD around O
23 MEH MEH(ndi)
24 TSAMBA SAMBA after (ho)T
27 GET-GO GELT − L + GO
29 STILET ST around TILE
31 GUSTA(F) GUST + A
33 ZILA (region)ALIZ(ation) <
34 RISHI IRISH *
35 C(O)STUS CESTUS − E
36 PES(O) PES
37 KICK IN KICKIN(g)
38 TEMPI TEMP + I
39 ENIAC CAINE <
40 KERNITE (E + RN) in KITE
41 SARSENET (NESTS ARE)
Down
1 PARLORS PAR + L + OR + S
2 NUNGA NUN + GA(m)
3 REEN (G)REEN
4 AREOLA AREA around (SOL − S)
5 MOPPER MOPPE(t) + R
6 ONE-MAN ON + NAME <
7 NINEPENCE (NE(w) + PEN) in NICE
8 FIVE-A-DAY F + I + A in VE DAY
9 SEVEN HILLS OF ROME (REMOVES LION FLESH) *
13 DAUB (br)U(sh) in DAB
14 MEAD MAD around E
18 DOMESTICS DOME + STICKS − (tric)K
21 PSILOCIN LOCI in (P + SIN)
23 MESH ME + SH
25 ALASKAN ALAN around ASK
26 AGISTER TRIAGES *
27 GUSHERS G + USHER + S(tate)
28 GAP SITE GAPE around SIT
29 SZEKE(L) ZEK in (S(cotch) E(ggs))
30 TICINO LATTICINO − LAT
32 TIEPIN TIE + PIN(k)
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