Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thanks, Trevor - that all makes sense. I have to confess that I don't even look to see a setter's name (too many years of the Times crosswords, with all setters being anonymous). I have now checked - and yes, Hoskins, did set today's crossword!

That'll teach me to look for Londonisms when they're not there.

Malone, my thinking is (and I shall certainly give way to the ladies on this one!) that frillies could be any size?
There are quite a few large ladies knocking about and I imagine their frillies will not be extra small?
An awful clue at any rate!

Trev, I think you are correct with Hoskins providing the 'i' - that would fit with the link I found?
then
frill- thrill - ecstasy
e- extra
s=- small

a lucky guess.
although, the actor bob hoskins sounded very cockney (he was actually quite posh sounding when he was younger).

Going to drink my soup before it gets cold ...back shortly for the verdict....

Parsing makes much more sense now !

elle, E is what people call the drug ecstasy - i think frill = extra (no east end stuff happening).

Trevor, Elle, Pigale, Rusty - yes, the parsing all works.

Rusty, I will bow to you on the size of the undies - no-one I know would ever refer to 'frillies' anyway!

Thank goodness Trevor happened along!

Yes, good one, Trev!

That makes much better sense than my rather obscure Hoskin's dictionary reference!
That could be referred to as a red herring......
A strange coincidence though - it certainly muddied the waters for me!
Excuse all these mixed metaphors!