Playing a Part (solution)

by Kai Huang with additional clues by Patrick Blindauer

Each phrase from the first column is paired with a phrase from a second column to form a complete clue. Each correctly formed clue solves to a two-word answer, where the two words also combine to form a longer word. (The longer word must have meaning unrelated to either of the two words. Otherwise this puzzle would be boring.)

The first column is sorted alphabetically, whereas the second column is not, indicating that the second column may be an important ordering for extraction.

Here are the correctly formed clues and answers, in the order given by the second column:

Bit of buffoonery...at a band’s booking (8) = GIG ANTIC
Show of support...in favor of chromosomes (7) = GENE RALLY
Every person...was in the red (4) = ALL OWED
Measurement...of a head covering (4) = CAP SIZE
Piece of camping equipment...for a swindler (5) = CON TENT
Philippic...about a banner (1) = FLAG RANT
Spherical thing...that promises to give you a six pack (5) = ABS ORB
Demonic doings...at a rest stop? (6) = BED EVIL
Cost...to punch up the punch (8) = LACE RATE
Area in the back...to practice driving (7) = REAR RANGE
Container...that regular people eat from? (5) = BRAN DISH
Young kid...on your side (2) = TOT ALLY
Small shack...for the sick and achy (1) = FLU SHED
Fit of fury...in a lush locale? (5) = BAR RAGE
Effortlessness...provided by a small program (3) = APP EASE
Sorcerer...whose best friend is Captain Morgan? (5) = RUM MAGE
Queue...for a rose bowl? (3) = VASE LINE
Nickname for the leader...of Las Vegas (1) = SIN KING
Pitch...from the leader of the pack (7) = ACE TONE
Flashy jewelry...for a gate crasher? (7) = RAM BLING
Stud fee...for a night watch (3) = VIGIL ANTE
Number of years since the introduction...of a water gate (6) = DAM AGE
Bottom feeder’s record...in a diary (8) = CARP ENTRY
Record player instruction...about switching sides (6) = DISC OVER
Traditional tales...of tiny terrors (7) = IMP LORE
Monotonous song...for a pigsty (5) = PEN CHANT
Appraisal...of play mates? (8) = CAST RATING
Prom flower...for a jockey strap (5) = REIN CARNATION
Feline...in a band of hoodlums (5) = GANG LION
Fancy fellow...that exposed himself at the beach (5) = TAN GENT

Using the numbers in parentheses to index into the answers, we get the final clue: CLOSE FRIEND OF A PASSENGER VEHICLE.

The answer is CAR PAL, that is: CARPAL.