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I only attempt to crack these the hard (proper?) way as a last resort but this one is unusual because the clue to the codeword given by the four answers is huge. A quick glance at their common features should give the first word (and one of their usual crossword abbreviations completes it).

Thanks quisling. I've cracked it by concentrating on: 'each of the answers to italicised clues provides a hint'.

Good on you, williamseal 👏 🦭 (nearest I can get to clapping flippers)

I will definitely try the “proper” way next time now that I know a little more about Playfair.

Tangentially, my deep dive into Quinapalus led me to a puzzle by Ximenes which combines Playfair, Printer’s Devilry and five other ‘non-standard’ clue types in a single puzzle. It’s called “Gallimaufry”. It would interesting to know what year it is from.

I can post a link if anyone’s interested.

Thanks very much, Jono, for mentioning that puzzle. I found it through the Crossword Centre. It’s an absolute cracker for those, like me, who enjoy such things. Certainly a much harder Playfair to crack without aids, but I enjoyed it enormously. Beats wrapping presents.

His last puzzle was published in 1972, I think, and the use of “Wops” in 15a certainly supports the idea that it was different time. The well-known married couple of the theme don’t help with the dating, either.