Crossword Genius

Local man and wife lay out money for children, as before (6,9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

family allowance

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

'money for children as before' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'local man and wife lay out' is the wordplay.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'out' indicates anagramming the letters (out can mean wrong or inaccurate).
'local'+'man'+'wife'+'lay'='localmanwifelay'
'localmanwifelay' anagrammed gives 'FAMILY ALLOWANCE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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