Trapped by ’Eck

Puzzle explanation

The letters removed from clues spelt out hints for Hamlet: “little pig; great Dane; Mousetrap writer”. The letters added gave “act two, scene two”, leading to the quotation “I could be bounded in a nut-shell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams”. Enclosed by A NUT-SHELL, the jumbled letters of DREAMS were replaced by HAMLET.

The answer “owches” at 1dn was defined by “stale pins”, ie the plural of the archaic “ouch2” (brooch). Chambers currently cross-references “owche” to “ouch1” (the expression of pain) but that is an error that arose in the 2003 edition, when the entries for “ouch1” and “ouch2” were switched and the “owche” cross-reference was never updated.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra/missing letter Answer Explanation
Across
1 G(L)uts OMASA O/A around MAS
5 marr(I)ed IMPRISON (PRIM + I) * + SON
12 (T)rails WATER BIRDS WARDS around TRIBE *
14 A-mended LACUNAE LACE around (UN + A(mended))
15 (T)old SIÔN O in SIN
16 ear(L) HEARTS homophone of HART + S
18 C-old LURES LURCHES − (C + H)
19 cut(E) ELLS WELLS − W
21 plum(P) ERM ((plu)M RE(viewer)) <
22 T-On LEITH LEI + T + H
23 Ben-T TEARSHEET (HATES TREE) *
26 S-W-elling BOIL BOVRIL − (V(egemite) + R)
28 O-Pus QUOP OP after (Q + U)
29 pe-S-t PIED PIPER P in (PIED + PIER)
32 ma(I)ze SAMEL MEALS *
34 C-at LEO L + E O
36 (G)love CLIO CL + I’ + O
37 (G)low MOONY MOO + NY
40 b(R)agged ON HAND DONNA * around H
41 car(E) AUTO A + OUT *
42 (A)mount TEACHES SET < around ACHE
44 E-astern KERCHIEFED KED around (REICH * + F- + E)
Down
1 pin(T)s OWCHES (OCHE + S) around W
2 puzzle(D) MAZELTOV MAZE + L TO V
3 Mari-N-e SEARS SEA + (Cu)R(ie) + S
4 Car(A)’s ARC CAR *
6 f-E-athered MINAR MINA + R
7 Mega(N)’s PRAD RAD after P
8 T-Roy ISSUE TISSUE − T
9 Y(E)arn SPIRITUEL SPIEL around (RIT + U)
10 sto(M)p OBOE BO in OE
11 pedal(O) NUNSHIP N(urse) U(nswathed) + SHIN * + P
13 tab(U)s BUSES B + USES
17 (S)take T-RAIL (“-” + R) in TAIL
20 not(E) LEITMOTIF FILE * around (IT + MOT)
22 mas(T)s LEGION L + REGION − R
24 d(R)ead HID (H + D) around I
25 e(A)rring’s FORINSEC FOR + SINCE *
26 (P)raising BASMATI SAB < + MAT + I
30 t-W-o POOCH POO + CH
31 (W)ill IODIDE IO + DIED *
33 ca(R)p ENOKI (Jami)E + IKON <
35 Tur(I)n EXACT CAT * after EX
36 (T)hen CHEEP homophone of CHEAP
38 us(E) OURN MOURN − M’
39 go-O-dliness MERI MERI(t)
43 (R)over HIS SH < around I
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