“Nine clues consist of jokes that might be found in CRACKERS; the grid entry in each case is the punchline. In 40 clues, the wordplay leads to the answer plus an additional letter not to be entered in the grid; in clue order these give another joke, the punchline to which (13 letters) must be highlighted. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
The additional letters give WHAT DO YOU CALL SANTA WHEN HE GETS STUCKS IN A LIFT?
The answer, running NW to SE, is CLAUSTROPHOBE.
Unfortunately, I can’t fully parse 38ac or 42ac.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Jokes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | SANDY CLAWS | What do you call a cat in the desert? (10, two words) | |
| 12 | SLEIGH | By what did Attila the Hun travel to Xmas battles? (6) | |
| 14 | NO IDEA | What’s the name of Santa’s blind reindeer (6, two words) | |
| 21 | WURST | How do you describe cracker jokes about German sausages? (5) | |
| 23 | ELFABET | What did Santa’s little helpers learn at school? (7) | |
| 27 | LAPP | What do Santa’s reindeer do to drink? (4) | |
| 30 | TWO DEER | Why weren’t Rudolph and Dasher sold at auction? (7, two words) | |
| 39 | OH DEER | What did Santa say when it was venison for dinner? (6, two words) | |
| 43 | HORNAMENTS | What do reindeer hang on Christmas trees? (10) | |
| Across | |||
| W | 1 | COS | COWS (Lowers) function (3) |
| H | 10 | ALTERNE | HALT (Arrest) ERNE (predator), awkward neighbour at Kew (7) |
| A | 13 | TEAGUE | Irish fellow [prepared] {E (English) GATEAU}* (6) |
| T | 16 | RUMEN | Will you find ME [inside] RUNT (small cow)? (5) |
| D | 17 | JAPERY | Buffoonery J (Jack) APED (imitated) [with] RY ([gutless] RIBALDRY) (6) |
| O | 18 | PATHS | Ways this may lead to PATHOS (pity) (5) |
| Y | 19 | SEKOSIS | With < KEYS (locks) [withdrawn], OSIS (Cockney washes) cells (7) |
| O | 28 | MALE | For example, boyish MORALE (optimism) R (rector) [expressed] (4) |
| U | 32 | OPINE | Express view of OUP (publishers) IN (at home), E ([close to] CAMBRIDGE) (5) |
| C | 33 | FORESEE | Divine FORCE (power) [ahead of] SEE (first letter to CORINTHIANS?) (7) |
| A | 36 | POGGE | PO (Pilot officer) GAGE (to offer guarantee) for fish (5) |
| L | 37 | LEACHY | Drained [doctors] ELLYACH (BELLYACHE [endlessly]) (6) |
| L | 38 | TAKHI | Horse TALK (that’s rare, say), [on] HI (Hawaiian Islands) (5) |
| S | 40 | DETOUR | DE TOURS (Frenchman’s from city near Orléans) to go round the houses (6) |
| A | 41 | SWARMS | Throngs in [tumultuous] {MASS WAR}* (6) |
| N | 42 | COLOMBA | Article opposite backs stars (7) |
| T | 44 | AME | TAME (Gentle) soul (3) |
| Down | |||
| A | 1 | CATAPULT | Scorpion CAT (man) [sent] {UP A LAT}* (8) |
| W | 2 | STARTUP | New company WART (disliked person) [in] < [promoted] PUTS (places) (7) |
| H | 4 | ARUMS | HAS (Holds) [filled with] RUM (abnormal) plants (5) |
| E | 5 | DEAN | Small valley A (area) [in] EDEN (paradise) (4) |
| N | 6 | CLOAK | Abba’s one CLONK (hit) [on both sides of] A (America) (5) |
| H | 7 | LEIPOA | Ozzie bird [upset] OPHELIA (6) |
| E | 8 | AIDES | EA (Local river) [with adjusted] SIDE* supports (5) |
| G | 9 | SHAYS | Means of transporting piles round yard (5) |
| E | 11 | NEEM TREE | Medicine provider: ‘New measure blocks tripling of drug’ (8, two words) |
| T | 15 | PAWAW | Shaman PAW (to handle) and TAW (prepare skins) (5) |
| S | 19 | SERRE | Close SER <SER (series) [going this way and that] (5) |
| S | 20 | ELDORADO | A place like Ophir SEL ([snubbed] SELL (market)) DORADO (fish) (8) |
| T | 22 | SUE | Process SUET (fat) (3) |
| U | 24 | FOP | Affected dandy‘s < [revolutionary] POUF (bouffant hairstyle) (3) |
| C | 25 | ELEGY | What contains LEG (section) [in] CE (church) Y (yard)? (5) |
| K | 26 | TENEBRAE | TENE (TENET (Principle held) [mostly]) with BRAKE (restraint) in religious offices (8) |
| I | 29 | ANGIOMA | Tumour GI (soldier) [gets in] ANIMA (innermost part), [eating] O (nothing) (7) |
| N | 31 | DECERN | Judge in Glasgow CONCERNED* [about] [missing CO (company)] (6) |
| A | 33 | FLOSH | Down and O (OUT, [initially]), [in] FLASH (news clip) (5) |
| L | 34 | RADAR | Location system sailoR LAD ARmed [in part] (5) |
| I | 35 | SHEMA | SHIA (Mohammedan) [accepts] EM (type of rule) from chapel prayer (5) |
| F | 36 | P-KELT | Local speaker PELT (to rage) [about] FK ([hollow] FEEDBACK) (5) |
| T | 38 | TACE | TACET (Don’t make noise when scoring) piece of plate (4) |
In 38A, say == TA(L)K
In 42A Article == COLUM(N) and opposite == AB back making COLUMBA (stars)
I think.
I found this one a real struggle.
Some of the cracker jokes were grim too!
Thanks to Charismatix and Mister Sting
Yes 38ac the definition is “horse that’s rare”, leaving say =talk
SEKOSIS is not in my Chambers 10th Edition?
9d = SHAGS (carpet piles) around Y (yard)
I struggled with 15d and 11d because I had TOO DEAR as the answer to 30a!