Check This Out by Charybdis

Puzzle explanation

The fourth paragraph of Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (highlighted in columns 1 and 12 of the grid) ends with “he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food”. The ten unclued grid entries were grocery items. Group I clues each contained an extra letter; the letters spelt “unexpected item in the bagging area”. Group II answers were entered with an extra letter; in the order of the clues, these spelt “remove item”. The unexpected item was TARANTULA in column 5 of the grid, which had to be removed to reveal ANGEL FOOD “beneath”, making new words.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra letter Answer Explanation
Group I Across
11 ca(U)se SAAG SAG around (diarrhoe)A
15 po(N)d REPEATED REED around (PEA + T)
16 cut(E) ARCS SCRA(m) <
18 ne(X)t RASHES RAS around SHE
29 (P)ace ONER (l)ONER
30 d(E)ad SPAN PA in SN
34 s(C)ouses AURIST A + JURIST − J
40 ra(T)ted ASSARTED ASS + RATED *
43 (E)state STEADS S(tate) + DATES *
44 change(D) AMEND MEN in AD
47 r(I)ot LORDS TEMPORAL (ROT + L(eadershi)P + EARLDOMS) *
Group I Down
1 (T)ed’s IN-TRAY IN + TRAY
2 mat(E) CARPET CAR + PET
3 (M)any ONCE ONE around C
5 (I)rate PACES (AS CEP) *
6 (N)or CAFÉ (mal)EFAC(tors) <
7 mo(T)oring UNFASTEN fanciful definition
9 bat(H)s SLOSHES S(purning L(ounge) + SHOES *
11 b(E)low STAR RATS <
13 (B)ill RELIANT (I LEARNT) *
19 (A)flame AMOUR CLAMOUR − CL
20 rid(G)er HASPS HAS + PS
21 (G)rand HANDLER HANDLE + R
22 pla(I)n SCRAG-END SCR + AGEND(a)
23 (N)one ANT ANT(i-)
26 ruin(G) MONDIAL ((petroleu)M + AND OIL) *
32 co(A)t BEDELL BED + (b)ELL(s)
35 t(R)opical ISSUE I + S + SUE
39 Ay(E)r’s LADS L(ogical) A(nalysis) D(etest) S(uperstition)
42 (A)bounding ROMO ROO around M(illennium)
Group II
38ac   DAG (bri)GAD(ier) <
37ac   PUL PUL(l)
41dn   SEE 2 meanings
27ac   NOSE homophone of KNOWS
12ac   ANIL ANI + L
28ac   ANS AS around N
22ac   SAM 2 meanings; ref. Sam(uel) Beckett
8dn   OVER ’OVER
25ac   TWA 2 meanings
26ac   ARC A + RC
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