I found some of the clues here quite tricky, but luckily leavened by enough easier ones to help me over the line. Thanks to Brockwell.
There’s a double theme based around two meanings of 1 down, SOAP, which I only noticed the full extent of while writing the blog. There are numerous references in the clues and answers to cleaning products and to soap operas.
| Across | ||||||||
| 9 | OPERA | Car men possibly needing welding ring AA (5) O (ring) + PER (a) + A; if you weld “car” and “men” together you get the opera Carmen |
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| 10 | ULTRASOFT | Hardcore fans frequently very forgiving? (9) ULTRAS (extremists, hardcore fans) + OFT (frequently). Ultrasoft is a brand of fabric conditioner |
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| 11 | PATTY-CAKE | Misuse of tacky tape in Yankees’ game (5-4) (TACKY TAPE)* – US version of pat-a-cake |
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| 12 | TEDDY | Stuffed thing in underwear (5) Double definition |
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| 13 | TOBACCO | Explorer brought back oddly cool plant (7) Reverse of (John) CABOT + odd letters of CoOl, with an appropriate surface reading (for a different explorer) |
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| 15 | TANGRAM | Dynasty’s leading male produces puzzle (7) TANG (Chinese dynasty) + RAM (male) |
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| 17 | LUXOR | 1-0 by the end for Manchester City (5) LUX (brand of soap powder) + O + [Mancheste]R |
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| 18 | SUD | Comeback of Twilight mostly a bit of froth (3) Reverse of DUS[k] |
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| 20 | EVENS | Sinner’s broken by Norrie at the start and quits (5) N[orrie] in EVE’S |
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| 22 | Y-FRONTS | Father working in old juvenile training pants (1-6) FR (Father) ON (working) in YTS (Youth Training Scheme). I suppose you might see these on the line with a TEDDY on WASHDAY |
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| 25 | WASHDAY | Spooner’s cash balance when things may be on the line? (7) Spoonerism of “dosh weigh” |
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| 26 | JOUST | Nothing stops fair contest (5) O in JUST |
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| 27 | DISBARRED | Expelled inspectors embarrassed outside pub (9) BAR in DIS (Detective Inspectors) + RED (embarrassed) |
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| 30 | EMBROILED | Dorothy’s aunt and British drunk get involved (9) EM (Aunt Em from The Wizard of Oz) + BR[itish] + OILED (drunk) |
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| 31 | TIDES | Main movements of Mendelssohn’s 4th introduced by strings (5) The fourth letter of menDelssohn in TIES (strings). The soap powder TIDE is part of the answer |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | SOAP | Block essentially tackled by drain cleaner (4) Middle letter of blOck in SAP (to drain) |
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| 2 | BENTO BOX | Packed lunch from dodgy old Spar (5,3) BENT (dodgy) + O + BOX (to spar) |
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| 3 | BABY | Honey bee swallowed by horse (4) B (bee) in BAY (horse) |
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| 4 | CURATORS | Aussie groundsmen stuck up schedule to feed dogs (8) Reverse of ROTA in CURS. Chambers doesn’t mention it, but according to the Wikipedia article “In Australia and New Zealand, the term also applies to a person who prepares a sports ground for use (especially a cricket ground). This job is equivalent to that of groundsman in some other cricketing nations.” |
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| 5 | STREET | Where you might see Neighbours actress not finishing on time (6) (Meryl) STREE[p] + T[ime] |
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| 6 | EASTENDERS | 1 tip to stop festival succeeded (10) END (tip) in EASTER (festival) + S[ucceeded] – EastEnders is BBC soap opera |
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| 7 | POWDER | Snow leopard finally cutting teeth (6) [leopar]D in POWER (teeth), and another soap-related word |
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| 8 | STAY | Supporter beginning to sing Flower of Scotland (4) S[ing] + TAY (Scottish river) |
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| 13 | TELLY | Giveaway on the back of Monopoly set (5) TELL (a giveaway, e.g. in poker) + [Monopol]Y |
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| 14 | CORONATION | Businessmen making a return on people’s investment (10) CO (business) + reverse of OR (soldiers, men) + NATION (people). Combined with 5 this gives another soap opera (which you can watch on the TELLY) |
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| 16 | MESSY | Confused footballer on the radio (5) Homophone of (Lionel) MESSI |
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| 19 | DOWNSIDE | Negative director upset Sid Owen (8) D[irector] + (SID OWEN)*. Sid Owen is an actor who appeared in EastEnders |
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| 21 | ELDORADO | Jackie Corkhill finishes fish in fabulous place (8) Last letters (finishes) + jackiE corkhiLL + DORADO (fish). Jackie Corkhill was a character in the soap opera Brookside. Eldorado was a short-lived (and much-ridiculed) BBC soap. |
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| 23 | RHUMBA | Hamburg’s endless winding steps (6) Anagram of HAMBUR[g] |
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| 24 | SADDLE | Seat deals flying with Delta (6) Anagram of DEALS + D[elta] |
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| 26 | JOEY | Young Australian’s delight catching English opener (4) E[nglish] in JOY. Joey is a spin-off from the sitcom Friends; not a soap opera itself, but the title character is an actor in one |
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| 28 | ACTS | Defaced information book (4) [f]ACTS |
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| 29 | DISH | Prepared food for heart-throb (4) Double definition (and a word that goes with SOAP) |
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Definitely on the tougher side, but all good fun. No doubt many of the soap opera references will have our overseas colleagues scratching their heads. On which note, it was nice to see Jackie Corkhill from Brookside get a mention! Many thanks to Brockwell and Andrew.
It was one of those good days where it never seemed easy but all went in quite smoothly anyway. CURATORS was my last one in. I must have heard that usage before but I don’t remember. It parsed ok though, as did everything else.
I liked the mix of soap and soap opera references, including a welcome mention for Jackie Corkhill (without knowledge of her character being required) and clever use of Lux.
Thanks Brockwell and Andrew
28: RUTH had me hung up for a while…
OPERA, EVENS, CURATORS (In India, we use both groundsmen and curators in the same sense),
EASTENDERS and CORONATION were my faves.
moh@1
You are right. I have read about these soaps, but haven’t seen any of them.
No complaints. This is what I signed up for.
Thanks Brockwell and Andrew..
I found this tough, but a lot of it would have made more sense if I had spotted the theme! Last one in was EASTENDERS, a complete guess, but all very clear and clever after reading Andrew’s explanation. A new puppy is the reason for my recent early crossword completion!
Had to reveal BENTO BOX, otherwise all good. Dare I mention Spooner again?
Thanks Andrew especially for underwear TEDDY and dorado a fish.
Thanks B too
Great fun. As usual, I missed the theme(s). I also took far too long to see that coronation = investment (as in investiture).
Thanks to Brockwell and to Andrew
What’s a Bento box?
Sorry, but I still don’t understand the explanations for STREET (which I got because it had to be there to go with CORONATION) or what the 1-0 association with LUX may be?
[OK: i can see LUX= SOAP now]
Thanks Brockwell and Andrew
Not as enjoyable as Brockwell usually is. Very clever, but borderline unfair in places (LUXOR a good example).
I’ve never heard of a BENTO BOX either.
Gladys @9
1 refers to 1ac – LUX is a soap brand, then 0 gives O, and the end of manchesteR for the R.
“Neighbours” should be part of the definition for STREET – where you might meet them!
LUX O R 1d is soap and LUX is the name of a soap brand.
A rare case of the theme helping, especially with CORONATION. TEES seemed to fit the wordplay for STAY so well, that I didn’t stop to think about the geography.
Wonderful puzzle – really tricky but lots of fun. My wife is Japanese so BENTO BOXes are very familiar. Favourites were LUXOR and ULTRASOFT. Many thanks to B & A.
muffin @10 – I couldn’t disagree with you more! Brockwell on top of his form, I’d say, with LUXOR one of my top favourites.
Others include OPERA, TOBACCO (brilliant to get both explorers in), EVENS (wonderful surface), Y-FRONTS and STAY – but the whole is so much more than the sum of its individual clues.
I’m going back to it for a while to let it sink in. 😉
PeterT@12: Yes, I started with TEES, but I realised just in time that it wasn’t a “flower of Scotland”.
Eileen @14
Yes, LUXOR was very clever, but what if you had never heard of the soap?
A BENTO BOX was a real treat on long train journeys, travelling around Japan. I always enjoy Brockwell’s references to people whether real or fictional, as is the case in this dual theme. I have probably, at some stage, and without apology, watched all the SOAP OPERAS mentioned and I do remember the ridiculed ELDORADO. I thought LUXOR was brilliant and I’m with Eileen on the setter being on top of his form. Can’t please everyone I suppose, but for me he never disappoints.
Ta Brockwell & Andrew.
SOAP can also go with SUD, BABY and BOX. I’ll get off mine now 😉
An all-pervasive theme in its various guises. Besides the various SOAP OPERAS and soap brands, there is a soap DISH, SADDLE soap, soap POWDER, and soap may come in a CAKE or BAR. I expect there are more.
As can be seen from earlier posts, I found some of these very tricky, with all the fissions, fusions and disguised cross-references. I’m not sure if TIDE or LUX soapflakes are still sold in the UK, though I’m old enough to remember them, and I needed to look up Aunt Em and the TANGRAM. But this was one where the end of the process was usually an “A-ha!” rather than an “Oh, really?”. I liked the Car Men and the explorer’s TOBACCO.
Oops, missed the SOAPBOX.
Comment #20
Good spot, AlanC @18!
This was, for me, what the art of setting is all about. Lovely concealed defs all over the place, coupled with clever inventions such as OPERA, LUXOR and many others.
Love it when you think bento?? then look it up and find it.
Stared at _ A _T _ N _ E _ S for an age before it clicked with the theme.
Brilliant.
Had to look up that meaning of CURATORS and failed to find it in Chambers. RHUMBA is an unusual spelling, though Chambers has it as an alternative. I wonder where it came from, as Spanish would never have RH together like that.
I had BUTTY BOX for a while, till OPERA proved it wrong – but that’s probably because my family hails from Yorkshire, not Japan.
I’ve never seen RHUMBA spelled that way before, but figured it had to be that.
I enjoyed the surfaces for MESSY, JOUST, SOAP and STAY.
The theme whizzed past unnoticed, though I have heard of Tide and Lux (was it one of them or Persil that claimed to wash “whiter than white”?) and hoo boy did I need the blog today: heartfelt thanks and a virtual pint of bitter to Andrew!
Brilliant crossword and one where (a rarity for me) I spotted the theme(s) before completing and it helped. I’m part of the club who bunged in TEES forgetting that it hasn’t been in Scotland since Henry II pushed the border north in the 1150s. Loved OPERA: perhaps Brockwell is referencing Matthew Bourne’s reworking of Carmen as “The Car Man”.
Thanks Andrew.
Bit of a TIHI vibe to today’s puzzle, clever but dry imo. Got bored and because of reading the comments I got the theme and a lot fell into place that I don’t think would have otherwise. On the other hand, I’ve no idea how BENTO BOX has obliterated so many people; one of today’s best clues but such is life.
‘Carmen’ has been used as wordplay for AA or RAC several times before, so it was good to see it reverse engineered for a change.
I know nothing about Australian groundsmen, but CURATOR is used in Britain for a museum guardian and it fitted the wordplay so I guessed it had to be that.
Spotted the theme early on (unusual for me) and that helped me with some of the clues (Eastenders and Coronation Street HAD to be in there, and there were only two 10-letter solutions to fit them into).
Loved LUXOR when it finally clicked.
… me at 14 (contd.)
A real treat for a dull morning – a characteristically clever use of a double theme, squeezing every last drop out of the possibilities. I latched on to the theme quite early on and really enjoyed taking time to follow up the references, as there were several unknowns for me.
I had to look up the Yankee version of Pat-a cake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat-a-cake,_pat-a-cake,_baker%27s_man, sung in our family, as in others, I know, through many decades, with the name in the last line changing to accommodate new arrivals, now including great-grandchildren.
Like others, I’d never heard of a BENTO BOX, which sounds like a useful kind of thing, which would have put my foil-wrapped sandwiches to shame in the staff room.
Jackie Corkhill was a new name for me – it included two soaps I never watched – so I looked it up: like AlanC @17, I admire the way Brockwell uses ‘real’ names in his clues and this was very clever.
Naturally, I was delighted to find Sid Owen at 19dn (“Rickaaaaaaay!” is one character I am familiar with!).
Friends is a soap I never watched, increasingly to my regret these days, so I didn’t latch on to JOEY. I have a childhood memory of my father, returning from The War, mentioning JOE Soap a lot. I always wondered who he was and now I find that he’s military rhyming slang for a dope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Soap .
LUX readily leapt out at me, as a soap rather than a powder – I have quite vivid childhood memories of the extravagant claims made for it https://www.lux.com/in/lux-story.html – I believed them all. I was quite surprised to see that it’s still available, if you know where to look for it.
I liked the clue for TIDES – I always enjoy those musical ones – but somehow completely missed the soap powder! – thanks, Andrew.
(It hasn’t really taken me this long to revisit and savour this lovely puzzle: I composed a comprehensive comment and then, juggling various links, managed to delete it. 🙁 ) so I went away and did something else, while I regathered my thoughts.)
This should have been a Prize puzzle – there’s too much involved for a weekday. Huge thanks, as ever, to Brockwell and to Andrew – I’m tempted to say ‘lucky Andrew’, as I often do but I would never have been ready to post a blog before lunchtime!
I’ve tried several times to post a comment but I’m told it looks like I’ve already said it. Is it awaiting moderation?
For some reason your long comment was in the moderation queue – no idea why, but I’ve approved it 🙂 A
Thanks to Brockwell and Andrew. Lovely crossword with some great surfaces.
Though, in the clue for 3down, I can’t help worrying about the bee. And the horse.
Looks like you’ve managed to pass the moderator’s test, Eileen @28!
moh @30 – so glad I’m still up to passing something!
(Many thanks, Andrew! 🙂 )
#1 Surely good, clean fun? Enjoyed this a lot. Thanks to Brockwell and Andrew.
I saw the cleaning theme fairly early, but it still didn’t help since SOAP was my LOI! A few unparsed, including ELDORADO, but the cluing was fair. Not often I complete a Thursday in half an hour!
I found none of the entries easy except for DOWNSIDE, my FOI; quite a few I NHO, so satisfied to have completed it, albeit with Google help on a couple of answers. As Drdubosc@3, first put in RUTH instead of ACTS. Favourites LUXOR, CORONATION, ULTRASOFT, OPERA. Thanks Brockwell and Andrew!
Glad to have finished this one quicker than usual for Brockwell. Slightly dampened by needing the blog to parse a few- LUXOR for example. A rare time I spotted the theme as well which was my main help for ELDORADO.
Always suspicious of Carmen in the Guardian clues meaning the AA or RAC. Glad to see it worked the other way round.
Favourite today OPERA.
Thanks Andrew and Brockwell
Given that, for once, I spotted the theme, it took me an embarrassingly long time to see my LOI OPERA. Great puzzle!
25Across.
I don’t think any normal person has ever heard of DOSH WEIGH
A very unenjoyable task
Well that took a while to finish and 6d took a long hard stare before it finally fell. Loved Opera and Luxor – amongst many other great clues – but unimpressed by the Spoonerism as Dash (yet another soap brand) and Dosh are a little far apart?
Thanks to Brockwell and Andrew.
Nice puzzle, but a mix of easy-ish and difficult ones. Needed Andrew’s explanation for some of them. I could beat myself for not seeing the opera in “Car men”… My excuse perhaps is that I bought a new (old) car this morning from car men at our local garage….
Very unusual for me, I noticed the double theme before I finished the puzzle (after I had Eastenders), which helped me find Coronation. Couldn’t parse the Spoonerism (what is dash way?; did not think of dosh and weigh; I usually have problems with soundalikes as I see the words written in front of my eyes). Nearly fooled by the flower, but when I remembered it can mean river, I saw the solution imemediately, the Tay not being far from where I live. Thanks Brockwell and Andrew
I’m genuinely stunned that I failed to spot the theme! Maybe I was just having so much fun I didn’t stop to look
Top ticks for CORONATION, BENTO BOX & ULTRASOFT
Cheers A&B
I completely missed the theme, as usual, and EASTENDERS was my LOI.
I liked the CAR MEN construction although could not figure out the wordplay. One day I will remember that “A” is often “PER”; today was not that day. And I was pleased with myself (and groaned) when I figured out “flower”. That one goes in the same pocket as “lower”.
For once, I spotted the theme relatively early on and it helped, especially with OPERA, which I couldn’t parse at all without Andrew’s help. This was tough in parts but beautifully constructed, which made it hugely enjoyable. Thanks to Brockwell and Andrew.
Having really struggled through this at certain moments, I was left with several partly unparsed. Not having twigged the dual theme I had absolutely no idea how LUXOR came to deserve its place as the only city that fitted all the crossers in place at 17ac. Rather a devious clue in retrospect! EMBROILED made me smile…
…not wanting at all to become involved in the Great Spoonerism Debate, but WASHDAY produced my biggest ever groan for an example of one of those…
A bit tricky in parts but enjoyable. I liked Dynasty’s leading male producing a TANGRAM, the father wearing training pants, Y-FRONTS, and the beautiful surface for SOAP. I thought the Spoonerism was a bit of a dud.
Thanks Brockwell and Andrew.
Comment #46
I had a rather dodgy THONG pencilled in for 12a for a while.
Well, if you stuff the I in THING…
@37 and @44
totally agree!! shouldn’t a spoonerism refer to something that actually exists otherwise it becomes extremely tenuous?
Oh dear, too tough for me again! I solved about a third, then came here. Wonderful clues and themes, so witty! Thanks to Brockwell, and Andrew for talking me through it. I need to retrain my brain to think… differently!
Thanks for the blog , I do prefer the nature themes but still a very interesting set of clues , The rare fusion for OPERA and some fission for CORONATION . I know BENTO BOX from Muarakami .
For the last time – the actual phrase for a Spoonerism has to mean something , the mangled version can be anything . Shoving leopard perhaps or – is the bean dizzy .
[ AlanC @17 , did you see me on BBC4 last night ? Blink and you missed it . ]
Nic@49 , it just takes a lot of practice , everyone on here has been through the difficult phase . Keep having a go at the harder puzzles , you learn more and defeat is good for the soul .
A JOEY is a young kangaroo.
On Brockwell’s wavelength for a change, though the beautiful panorama of the Ionian sea probably helped.
Thanks both.
[Roz @50: go on then.]
Nic@49: As Roz says, defeat and the soul go hand in hand.
Roundhegian26@52: …and a kangaroo is an ‘Australian’?
25a increased my dislike of Spooner clues, if that was possible.
How can you watch soap operas and still have enough unresolved brain left too do cryptic crosswords?
Sorry undisolved
I can’t understand the concept of soap opera – no overall plot. It may be heresy, but I’ve always thought that Anthony Powell’s A dance to the music of time was just upmarket soap opera!
Not being someone who tries to solve the clues in order, I started with 9a, got OPERA immediately, then looked at 1d and got SOAP. So I had a very early inkling that there might be at least one theme.
I find it interesting that the RHUMBA differs significantly from the Afro-Cuban rumba from which it was derived. The Americanized spelling was by way of rebranding the original as a more sedate ballroom dance introduced by American bandleaders in the 1930s. Disputes at genteel affairs featuring this variant would often eventually in a rhumble.
… eventuate …
A beautiful puzzle, challenging enough to take three sessions to complete. Ironically for this Canadian, my loi was 7d POWDER. I solved it by fluke, taking the final letters from both “snoW” and “leoparD”, which brought the solution to mind, even though it was the wrong parsing. Lucky break. I partially caught the soap opera theme, but missed the cleaning angle. Well done Andrew finding all the references!
Favourites 31a TIDES (definition and surface), 23d RHUMBA, 24d SADDLE (good surfaces)
8d STAY, good old William McGonagall:
Beautiful silvery Tay,
With your landscapes, so lovely and gay,
Along each side of your waters, to Perth all the way;
No other river in the world has got scenery more fine,
Only I am told the beautiful Rhine,
Near to Wormit Bay, it seems very fine,
Where the Railway Bridge is towering above its waters sublime…
Sorry, but this crossword was a bridge too far for me – maybe because I have no knowledge of soaps, maybe because I haven’t the right kind of brain, or broad enough general knowledge. And having read the blog I still found some of the explanations baffling! Enjoyment was the opposite of what I got from it today!
Eileen at 28/29. Could it be this:
Please note that, as comments containing multiple links are often spam, any comment containing three or more links will be put in the moderation queue and it may be some time before it appears on the site.
From Info/FAQs
Our village overlooks the Tay. You can see the Tay Bridge of McGonogall fame, and the Tay Road Bridge
muffin@59: Hardly heresy – I think you may have summarised Proust as well….
Hector@60: I had exactly the same overture. Picture me with a large D on my nightcap.
I don’t expect (and never have) a theme. Looking overneath my shoulder at them I generally find strangeisms squuz in. Although in this case the BENTO BOX, PATTY-CAKE, LUXOR tri-limbulisation seems pre-medicated.
Tated
Lots of clever trickery to admire in this.
I noticed a theme…
[ AlanC@54 , 9pm Wednesday a programme about Cern and the LHC , about 10 minutes in a girl rides past on a bicycle , do not blink . It is old footage from Horizon and was a set-up , I was told not to look at the camera and did not do it very well . I was probably the token female for a programme that just featured men talking to camera . ]
[You’re too modest Roz, that’s good cycling.]
[ Martin thank you , the cycling was fine . It is just if you are told – don’t look at the camera – then it makes it certain that you will . ]
Too hard, too many obscurities IMO. Saw it through over many visits and although some things to enjoy a lot of it felt like a grind. Thanks Andrew, and Brockwell.
Glad to see so many regulars found this somehow enjoyable and fun. Personally, I cannot see it. I do the crosswords every day and enjoy the range of difficulties, but so much about this puzzle left me cold, from completely unknown references (BENTO BOX) to unfathomable clueing (how is 1-0 supposed to refer to the answer of 1 down when the hyphen indicates it is not a separate entity?) Brockwell is normally so much better than this, and overly clever, erudite and incomprehensible clues may be fine for the 1%, but a turnoff for the other 99% of solvers.
This was a touch too challenging for me. Finally gave in and came here for the ones I hadn’t got. Given that “SOAP” was one of the ones I had failed to answer, I couldn’t make sense of the various clues that referenced it. No worries.
However, I’m really surprised by all the people who have never had a bento box. Do yourselves a favour and go and have a meal at a Japanese restaurant!