Make a Connection by IOA

Puzzle explanation

Extra letters in across clues “spell BOUND”, while in down clues “the LADY vanishes”, representing two Hitchcock film titles. The titles represented by blocks of letters in the grid are The Birds (OWL, CROW, TIT), North by Northwest (N BY NW), Rear Window (WINDOW reading upwards) and The 39 Steps (STEPS starting in cell 39). The puzzle’s title is a definition of “hitch”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra/missing letter Answer Explanation
Across
1 co(B) BOWLERS ER in BOWLS
7   U-TUBE homophone of YOUTUBE
11   WEAKENER (WE ARE) * around KEN
13   OTITIS IS after TITO <
14 (O)x VIABLE VARIABLE − AR
15   NATURE SATURN with N for S, E for N
16   TRILL TRILLION − (I + ON)
17   DESMAN DES + MAN
19 Mo(U)sey STROLL ROLL after S(weethear)T
22   GARDEN GARTH OR EDEN − OTHER *
23   AWAKED WAKE in AD
26 (N)one AGEING (A + G + G) around EIN
29 (D)anger OFFEND OFF + END
33   ODSOS (SOS + DO) <
34   FOSSIL (LISSOM with F for M) <
35   ANADEM NAMED * after A
36   EXTEND E + X + TEN + D
37   NICK-NACK NICK + (k)NACK
38   SWEAR (assi)S(tant) (Le)W(is) (insp)E(ctor) (repl)A(cing) (Mo)R(se)
39   STEPSON STEPS ON IT − IT
Down
1 L-earner BLOND L in BOND; ref. James Bond
2 He-A-rd OCTAD (homophone of ADD) after OCT
3   WRITER (ER + WRIT) with parts exchanged
4   LOTUS LOT + US
5 D-over RESEAL R + ESE + AL(l)
6   SAVING VIN in SAG
8   TEARY TERRY with A for the middle letter
9   UNBIND BOUNDING * − GO *
10   ERELONG (f)E(r)R(i)E(s) + LONG
12   KITBAG (KGB DETAIL) * − LED *
18   WEN WENT − T
19   SAMOANS SA + MOANS
20 d-Y-ad TWO OWT <
21   LESSEN (end)LESS EN(dless)
24   ALSACE A + LACE around S
25   DOGMAS DOGS around MA
26   AFFECT ACT around (F + FE)
27   INSETS INSECTS − C
28   VODKA (VLADIVOSTOK VIZ) * − SLIVOVITZ *
30   ESTOP SOT * in (E + P)
31   DINGO (DOG IN) *
32   OLDEN (g)OLDEN
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