Castaways by eXternal

Puzzle explanation

Corrections to misprints in clues spelt out Deucalion (across) and Pyrrha (down). In Greek mythology, they were a husband and wife who survived the Flood and repopulated the world by throwing stones over their shoulders, Deucalion’s stones turning into men and Pyrrha’s into women. In the grid, answers that contained a jumbled type of stone had it replaced by the name of a man (across, for Deucalion) or woman (down, for Pyrrha) to make a new word.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint, extra words, [removed stone] Answer Explanation
Across
1 [JET] BE[TJE]MAN BET + J + NAME <
6 [BERYL] SO[BERLY] SLY around ROBE *
10 (D)rink ALE RÂLE − R
11 tre(E) SPRUCE PINE SPRUCE + PINE
12   PLEASE PE around LEAS
14   DARIC IR in CAD <
16   STANCH TAN in SCH
17 jawbone (28ac MAXILLA) ONCE (p)ONCE
19 prayer (1ac BEDESMAN) ILIAD (I + LAD) around I
21 stationery cases (40ac PAPETERIES) REAN REAGAN − AG
23 R(U)bber STROKER STER(n) around ROK
25   RAZOR ROAR < around Z
28 [TOPAZ] [ZAPOT]ILLA O in (LIT PLAZA) *
29   ERNE homophone of URN
31 C(A)ll VISIT SIT after (VAIN − A − N)
33 Tria(L) TEST S in TET
35   TCHICK T + CHICK
37 O(I)l ATTAR ATTA(ined) + R(est)
39 s(O)ur ACIDIC A + CID + I/C
40 [GARNET] PA[GEANTR]IES PAGE + (IN TEARS) *
41   MNA (Gy)MNA(st)
42 infamous Biblical city (6ac SODOM) ELEGY (cru)EL EGY(ptian)
43 Shor(N) SKINHEAD SKIN + HEAD
Down
1 [RUBY] BAN[BURY] BAN + BURY
2   ELVAN EL + VAN
3 (P)ain TEAR TEAL with R for L
4   ÉPICIER EPIC + IE + R
5 barrel organs (13dn SERINETTES) AULOI (LOUISIANA − SIAN) *
6   SEAT SEA + T(own)
7   DIENE DIE + N(ettl)E
8 displa(Y)ed ON-SCREEN RENO(u)NCES *
9 relaxed (20dn ATONIC) MENHIR ME + (HEIR − E) after N
11   SCIENTIFIC I in SCENT + SPECIFICS − (SPEC/S)
13 steam bath (34dn SAUNA), [OPAL] S[ALOP]ETTES (A POLE TESTS) *
15   ALKALI A(ffect) L(ovely) + KALI
18 o(R)e CALX LX after CA
20 [PYRITE] A[PYRETI]C A + PYRE + T + I + C(ouldn’t)
22   EXARCHAL EX- + ARCH + AL
24   KORE K + (E after OR)
26 Elizabethan instrument (1dn BANDORA) RETAKEN TEAR * + KEN
27   RETREAD E in DARTER <
28   METOPE OP in METE
30 Fo(R)m SHAPE PA < in HE’S *
32   SHIRK SHARK with middle letter changed
34 [ONYX] SA[XONY] AX in SONY
36 (H)ull CITY SCARCITY − SCAR
38 Sp(A)n TIME EMIT <
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