Puff Piece by Seps

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt out “Inflationary Language; Roman”. The theme was the Inflationary Language sketch by the Danish-American comedian and pianist Victor Borge, in which he changed words by adding one to any homophone of a numeric part, eg making “forehead” into “fivehead”. Accordingly, the following answers had a number (phonetically) increased by one to make the grid entry: 3ac (to)night, 31ac cre(ate), 35ac be(fore), 1dn (won)derful, 16dn (ten)nis. Six clues needed a number in Roman numerals to be increased by one, as listed below. The puzzle marked 25 years since Borge’s death on 23 December 2000.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Changed word Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
3   TONIGHT TIGHT around ON
10   WAEFU’ (EU WA[I]F) *
11   TONNAG TOG around (N + NA[N])
12 reCtal → reCItal ORAL homophone of AURAL
13   BUTLERY T in BLUE * + [F]RY
14   DOSI-DO IDO[L] after (DO + S)
15   AIDE A + IDE[A]
17   EMPLASTIC [T]EMP + LAST + I/C
22   SINE DIE ENID’S * + (F)I(v)E (s)[I](t)
23   FOOT ROT (OO + TROT) after [O]F
25 moVe → moVIe HAIR SPACE HAIR + PACES *
27   LEVE (e)LEVE[N]
29   ISATIN ISA[A]C with TIN for C
31   CREATE E in CRATE
32 waIVe → waVe SIGN G(uidelines) in SIN
33   BEFORE (E + F) in BORE
34 aLas → aLIas LANAI ALIAS * with N for S
35   PRECESSING REC in P[R]ESSING
Down
1   WONDERFUL (FLEW ROUND) *
2   CAROM M[Y] after (CAR + O’)
3   TEASPOON (PANE[L] + SOOT) *
4   RUDD ((agen)D[A] DUR(ing)) <
5   EMBOSS (MOB + [N]ESS) *
6   ÉTUI (Maigr)ET [G]UI(le)
7   NOTHINGS (IN HOT SN[U]G) *
8   INLACED [A]L in DECANI <
9   HARD-HIT (HI[G]H DART) *
16   TENNIS (SIN + NET) <
18 Men → MIen ABRASIVE A + BRAVE around (S + I)
19   IDEATING [E]ID + EATING
20 heaVer → heaVIer SOBERER S + R in BEER after O
21   STHENIC CHIN[R]EST *
24   TRIERS TIERS around [O]R
26   CIGAR ((Sorcere)R + [M]AGIC) <
28   ONES SE[A] < after ON
30   SOLI SO + [N]IL <
Back to 2025 menu