Mind the Gap by Calmac

Puzzle explanation

It is found that some down answers are too long to fit and some are too short (one meaning of the “drawback” in the preamble). The central phrase “reculer pour mieux sauter” means “to draw back to take a better leap”. It is found in The Chambers Dictionary’s appendix of phrases from foreign languages. Letters in double cells must read in the correct order: left to right, or top to bottom, or both (diagonally).

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 INTERNAL AUDITOR (OUTLINED ARRANT) * about I
12 NO-BRAINER BARON * + IN + (Cind)ER(ella)
13 GONAD (AN in DOG) <
15 BANC Hidden
16 RUNRIG (GIRN + UR) <
17 IRENE IRE about EN(d)
18 TUREEN U(sually) in TREEN
19 SORDO Hidden
21 ASTI ASTIR − R
22 FORRES RR in FOES
25 RITE (w)RITE(r)
26 LOOT TOOL <; answer is a verb
  RECULER POUR MIEUX SAUTER Thematic
28 ETAS EAS(e)about T
30 ACER ACE + R
32 TINSEL TIN + SEL(l)
34 ERIC CLERIC − CL
35 TRIAD (DIRT about A) <
36 CAHOOT CA + HOOT
40 SCAMP Two definitions
42 ELUATE ULE < + ATE
43 INCA (IN + A) about C(onquistadores)
44 EBLIS E + BLIS(s)
45 SCLEROSES (LESS SORE) * about C(alamine)
46 SPEECH THERAPIST (SHE’S CHATTIER + PEP) *
Down
1 INDISCREETNESS (SINS + INTERCEDES) *
2 NORROY Hidden reversed
3 ERIN Alternate letters
4 RACE BRACE − B
5 ANAESTHETIST HESITATES * in ANT
6 LENT LENT(o)
7 ARCTIC CIRCLE (A + RC + CLERIC *) about TIC
8 DOUR DO + UR
9 INNER WINNER − W
10 TARE ERAT <; wordplay uses Latin word
11 REGISTERED POST PRIDE STORE GETS *
13 GRUFF GUFF about R
  DINE OUT Unclued
14 CERULEAN CLEAN about (E + RU)
15 BLAIR RIB < about LA; reference real name of George Orwell
20 DORPS (SP + ROD) <
  TEAR Unclued
23 OSIER NOSIER − N
24 ROSARIAN RAN about (O + SARI); a “standard” is a rose
25 ROUGE G(irl) in ROUÉ
26 LUXOR L + UX + OR [other ranks]
  CUTICLE Unclued
27 MECCA (ME + CA) about C(onverts)
29 SLOES Homophone (SLOWS)
31 JAMBES B in (Henry) JAMES
33 SHALE SALE about H
37 AUBE A + TUBE − T
38 OTIC (n)OTIC(e)
39 INCH Two definitions
40 SERA ARES <
41 CROP Hidden
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