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I think the theme is card games. It was the apparent coincidence of 22a/5d that alerted me, but then there's 9a, 19d, 26d, 29d and perhaps 18a/23d (nearly). I expect there are more.

And, of course, 7d is thematic.

Well spotted Rainman, I completely missed that.

PS. I was going to ask if you meant 27a rather than 29d but thought I better check, just in case, and you're absolutely right - Google says the game involves memory, strategy and screwing over the other players!

Well done, rainman. Not to diminish your achievement, but I really ought to have spotted that theme. 😳
It renders the puzzle more Prize-worthy.

Actually, if you Google virtually every answer, you could probably find a card game, so some might not be intentionally thematic (e.g., 29d). On 225, Brummie once said that "you can assume almost any word fits a font (or rock band) theme.” It may be true of cards as well, but there are enough really common games to think this was intentional.

As a fan of This is Spinal Tap, I can't help posting the following SPOILER ALERT for 30:
https://tinyurl.com/3sp8hrmb

That's a great film. A while back I had a complete meltdown on an EV or IQ thread and remember using the analogy of their "Smell the Glove" black cover to try and make a point 😂

I'm glad you're feeling better Geeker:-)

Brendan, off-topic but this week I saw a terrific documentary about Brian Eno. I'd heard relatively little of his music - some old Roxy Music albums, Bowie collaborations and a couple of early "ambient" albums - but he's amazingly articulate and a really interesting fellow. Limited showings right now but probably will be in "art house" cinemas fairly soon.

https://www.hustwit.com/eno

That brings back memories of my first ever gig when I was about 11 or 12 and my older sister took me to see Roxy Music - they were just amazing.

I threw in an answer for 6 down, that the crossers gradually confirmed. But I'm damned if I can parse a single letter of it. Just not seeing it ...

In other news, Spinal Tap 2 is slated to come out next year ...