Crossword Genius

Laughter coming from the belfry? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

peals

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'laughter coming from the belfry?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'from the belfry?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'from' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pals' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for peals that I've seen before include "Loud sounds of bells or laughter" , "Leaps about with bursts of laughter" , "Lapse in bell sounds" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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