Spectator 2647

[OftPuzzled]

After some labour, I'm stuck for only a couple of the unclued, but haven't the foggiest of how any of the answers link to the theme. Could anyone help with the hidden 6-letter word to give me a clue? Just the first and last letter will suffice.

[ProfessorMaisie]

(and while I'm here) quinol - 'lathyrus' is vetch and ERS is the bitter variety, I think.

[Maxxer]

31D must have thrown a lot of solvers looking for the fifth member of the group. A pity that such an excellent farewell puzzle was spoilt by an editor's lapse

[Neveracrossword]

...and the incorrect letter count for another clue was on the sloppy side too, I felt 

[Toorak]

https://www.crosswordsolver.org/forum/897839/ev-1635/

Aka

[johnpiper]

I thought insaw the theme word early on but like others am struggling to join the dots.

inalso am struggling with parsing some of the clued lights.

am i right that the two pairs of unclued lights are 1a and 22a and 26d and 32d. These being two examples of the theme word.?

36a i dont understand the parsing.

34a and 1d insort of see a weak connection. How does that link to 28d

thanks for the heads up re 31D

 

on 7D does this end in L and is e the base?

how does 12a which can only be one word i think link to the other unclueds and finally whi is the relevant name relevant?

 

apart from that all is clear!!!

 

[JJ109]

I have more  or less the same queries as you!

36a Padroni (innkeepers) = pad(line ie if you line a garment you could say that you pad it) + anagram of iron

7d yes

[JJ109]

Alcott wrote about the March sisters

[JJ109]

1d contains AMY

12a Jo

28d Beth and

34a Meg

The March sisters of Little Women

[quinol]

Whew jj, many thanks, so 1, 22 across and 26,33 down paired have nothing to do with the other unclueds?

many thanks to prof too

[JJ109]

No - they are just Marches to help get the theme word

[quinol]

Oh, I see, many thanks jj - for a long time I was barking up the wrong tree - thinking 'organ' was involved in the theme

[johnpiper]

Wow. Thats all very clever! Congrats to the setter and to all the on line help.