The French Can by Alban

Puzzle explanation

Every answer was a Latin word, the title giving a hint (Etc, etc = Et cetera, and so on). In most cases the Latin word and its translation could be found in an entry in Chambers Dictionary, possibly in the etymology, near its natural place. In other cases the word provided by the jumble had an entry showing the answer. These were Across: 4 terracotta, 28 tabula, 34 dies, 39 peer, 43 seine; Down: 1 Olympia, 3 intrude, 4 recoil, 9 corpora, 30 amiable, 33 otter, 37 era. The unclued entries formed the full version of the abbreviation QED, used to show that “what was to be demonstrated” had been.

The puzzle relied on translations suggested in The Chambers Dictionary. Some of these are not the most obvious, eg, motu = accord in 19ac. All the entries are in that dictionary except for three regularly-formed plurals: culi (4dn), trapi (6dn), and corni (8dn), the latter’s appearance being for a different usage.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra hint Answer Explanation
Across
4 terracotta: [torta creat]ion COCTA C + OCTA(d)
8   CELLAE CELL + AE
12   LUCRUM LUC(k) + RUM
13   RUMEX R + (h)UM + (h)EX
15   ULTRA ALTRU(istic)*
16   CRETA TRACE*
17   SUASIO (O + IS + A + US) <
18   SPONTE SUA AN OPUS SET* and US TO SNAPE*
19   MOTU MO + T + U
21   QUINI QUINIDINE – DINE
22   AMOR (A + M + R) about O
28 tabula: [A lab tu]tors RASA RA + SA
31   CALOR COAL* about (fi)R(es)
34 dies: [is de]ad IRAE (R + AE) after I
35   TREMENDUS Hidden
36   VACARE V + A + C(amilla) + A + ER <
39 peer: [per e]ntry PARIS Two definitions
40   TENET T(rue) + ENE + (main)T(ains)
41   UNIRE UNITE, R for T & lit (time referring to when the language was used)
42   PRUNUS R in SUNUP <
43 seine: Ch[inese] SAGENA ’S + AGEN(t) + A
44   MASCA A SCAM*
45   MARE Two definitions
Down
1 Olympia: sympt[om I play] ELIS SILE <
2   ACHATES ACHES about (A + T)
3 intrude: spl[it under] TRUSUM RU in MUST <
4 recoil: fra[il core] CULI Cu + Li
5   CURSUS CURS + US
6   TRAPI TRIP A*
7   ANCON AN + CON
8   CORNI CORN + I(mpatiens)
9 corpora: [A poor cr]op’s LUTEA UT in LEA
10   AEQUO EQUA(l)* + (sp)O(rtsman)
11   EX PARTE EXTRA PE*
13   RETINA RETSINA – S
19   MARTIUS (SUIT + RAM) <
20   MOVERE ME ROVE*
23   MURAENA (AN + EA + RUM) <
25   ROSEUS ROS(a) + SUE <
26   DICTUM (I’D < + TUM) about C(alories)
27   MARS Two definitions
29   ARENA AREA about N
30 amiable: [I blame a]fter AMARE A + MARE
31   CNIDA CA about DIN <
32   ADSUM Homophone (ADD SOME or ADD SUM)
33 otter: [to ret]rieve LUTRA Anagram of 15ac
37 era: [rea]sonable AERA AREA <
38   ESSE (H)ESSE
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