Lots to Find by Franc

Puzzle explanation

The two sets of words were animals and their collective nouns. Replacements in clues and answers were as shown below. Some replacements are not found (with these meanings) in Chambers Dictionary, but are from the “Book of St Albans”, generated by the first letters of extra words in remaining clues. This is cited in the Oxford Dictionary of English appendix on collective nouns, as well as in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. The message from the unchecked and mutually checking letters gave a hint to the use of Brewer’s, but also avoided a potential ambiguity: it could be argued that Chambers Dictionary supports “race” as a collective term for “colts”, rather than “rake” (35dn).

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Clue change
Extra word
Answer change		 Answer Explanation
Across
1 STRING ← CAMEL CAME + L
5 Pride → Lion CLAWED C + (ED after LAW)
11 SNIPE ← WALK AL in WK
13 BIKE ← BEE BE + E
14 PADDLING ← DUCK Two definitions
15 chicken → peep OLPE (co)OL + PE(ep)
16 Goose → Wedge PLEDGE PL for W in WEDGE
18 Dunlin → Fling TWINER WINTER*
21 brown HEIFER HEIR about (F + E)
22 Glaring → Cat ACTION CAT* + I + ON
25 okay AHIMSA A HAM IS*
30 Hawk → Cast FLORET FELT OR*
31 Oscan SHELTA HASLET*
32 FERRET ← BUSINESS SINE in BUSS
34 SORD ← MALLARD MALL + A RD; reference railway engine of that name
37 Troop → Monkey MONEY BAG MONKEY – K + BAG
38 ROUT ← WOLF W + O + L + F
39 Kentucky LOANS LANS about O
40 MUSTER ← PEACOCK PEA + COCK; reference Australian term for getting the best pieces of land
41 outdoor OPENER ONER about PE
Down
1 fir SAPOTA A in SPOT + A
2 TEAL ← SPRING SP + RING
3 surgical INDENT IN + DENT
4 kitten → kindle NILLED (KINDLE with L for K)*
6 Tory LEGLET LET after LEG
7 Anarchic ABBÉ B in ABE
8 WILDFOWL ← KNOB K + NOB
9 Gang → Elk EKE ELK – L + E
10 DESERT ← LAPWING LAP + WING
12 little PICRAS Hidden
17 team → horse GENET GENE + T
19 WHALE ← POD PLOD – L
20 pochard → rush ICHOROUS (COO + RUSH + I)*
23 swan → game CASINO A COIN’S*
24 finch → chirm AFFIRM A + FF + CHIRM – CH
26 Botheration MEEMIE ME + ’EM + I.E.
27 angry THREAP THE RAP, ER swapped to RE
28 National DESYNE S in NEEDY*
29 BADGER ← CETE CE + TE
33 Symphonic RITT Hidden
35 RAKE ← COLT CO + LT
36 pig → sounder SOU SOU(nder)
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