Lavatch

Birthday Boy

issue 17 December 2022

Two unclued lights are a title (three words) and its creator (two words). Remaining unclued lights are four names and eight titles (either singly or paired, including two each of two, three and four words and one of five words), each name being associated with two of the titles. The theme word connecting them all must be highlighted in the grid.

        Across

11    Skill securing character hard food (5)

16    Bishop leaves drunkenly with flowing movement (6)

17    Gently affected superiority in card game (5)

19    Husband loves wrong clothes? It’s a cert (4-2)

20    I hear it reformed Athletic Club once (8)

21    Decorative material put round tree lacking width (6,4)

22    Cola drunk with speed was iridescent (9)

25    Bring up hem on coat of flannel (6)

26    See firm about to block fuel cut (7)

31    Greatest cake for famous caveman? (3,4)

36    Hint of pain women suppressed (5)

37    Heavyweight punching pilot directly (2,4)

40    Cattle each in early development stage (4)

44    Part of garment, in subfusc year-round (4)

45    Take in charges and return to take up land (4-6)

48    Parasites run through purple fruit (5)

50    Erica’s releasing queen’s butterflies (6)

52    Place to eat jam (4)

55    Performers playing sitar, band from east (8)

57    Ore containing old blue dye (4)

58    It aims to change workers’ committee (6)

60    Gunners in Greek island (5)

62    Translate in Italian club and cafe chain (9)

66    Losing face, angry in manner (4)

69    Key passage on the radio (4)

70    Rebel, receiving appeal, left fortress (7)

72    Wood suppliers, rookies wanting English supply (6)

75    French royal seal set awry (7)

78    Monks on large ruminants (6)

84    Sort of cake in holy book (6)

88    Ride off during tumult in haste (9)

89    Old lady is able to enter place of worship, a heavenly circle (10)

90    They assess current in stream flowing round setter (8)

92    Cockney recovering in part of London (6)

93    Itinerants mislaying money and belongings (5)

94    Most able in a piano exam (6)

95    Washes, say, in a dish periodically (5)

        Down

   2    Warmer temperature in dance not long past (8)

   4    Yachting group’s rug (3)

   5    Laurel’s family member has season with president (9)

   6    About to stop small amount getting weighed (5)

   7    Speaker, flipping little bounder, entertaining cad (6)

   8    German article about X-ray for membrane (5)

   9    Composer, Asian, penning line (4)

10    It’s put on e.g.

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