Kew Knowledge by Brock

Puzzle explanation

The thematic answers were butterflies, from the spoonerism “flutter-byes” in the unclued entries. The definitions in their clues either contained a spoonerism or led to a spoonerism of the answer. The extra letters in other clues’ wordplay gave “do hide (who died) on this day in nineteen-thirty?” The answer was W(illiam) A(rchibald) Spooner, who died on 29 August 1930. He was long associated with New College (Oxford), of which the puzzle’s title was a spoonerism.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Spoonerism Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1   COMB CO[D] + MB
4   GOOD TURN (T[O] GO ROUND) *
9   ONE-YEAR-OLD ONE-EYE + [H]AROLD − E
12   WAYWODE WAY + W[I]DE around O
14   MASSIF MASS + I[D]F
15   AVAL A + VAL[E]
16   ATILT T[O]IL in AT
18   ONSIDE ((fri)E[N]D IS NO(w)) <
19 KEY POCK PEACOCK PE + A + COCK
23   TROOLIE (OIL ROT[T]E(n)) *
24   REVUES REV + [H]UES
26   COURS COUR[I]ERS − ER
28   AEON (NO + [S]EA) <
30   SUNTAN (a)UNT(y) in SAN[D]
32   SPOOFED [A]SP + O,O + FED
34 Wondering (underwing) HAIRSTREAK (TASK RE) * after (H + AIR)
35   BROWNIES B[Y] + SNOWIER *
36   ORFE O + R[I]FE
Down
1 MOCHA COMMA COMA around ’M
2   MESSIAH SHAMISE[N] *
3   BYES (part of “flutter-byes” spoonerism)
4   GENITOR RINGTO[N]E *
5   ORAL OR[I]EL with A for E
6   DOYEN AN[N]OYED * − A(cademy)
7   UDO (O + DU[E]) <
8 spite what’s (white spots) RED ADMIRAL (REAL MADRID) *
10   DELETE DE + LET[T]ER − R
11 Done guarding war (one guarding door) GATEKEEPER KEEP in (GAT + E’ER)
13   WASP WA(g) + [E]SP
17   ACTS A(g)[E](n)C(y) T(e)S(t)
18   OKRA OK + RA[N]
19   PHRASE (HER PAS[T]) *
20   LOCUSTS CUS[H] in LOTS
21   FLUTTER (part of “flutter-byes” spoonerism)
22 GNU JOE JUNO JUNTO − T
25 FELL IN ELFIN (FINE with letters cycled) around L
27   SNAKE AKE after S[I]N
29   PERI (su)PER-[R]I(ch)
31   NERO ([T]ORN around E) <
33   OHO [Y]O-HO
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