Office Block by Duck

Puzzle explanation

Words misprinted on entry were Across: 1 grasps 14 Varuna 16 gas meter 27 pansy 29 oidia 32 noggin 34 notable 36 amened; Down: 1 confuse 2 reekie 3 âme 5 strap 8 afreet 9 platitude 11 snark 15 alienator 20 testate 22 latria 23 writer 26 visive 27 spilt. Additional letters in wordplay in the remaining clues spelt “The canonical hours”. These were to be highlighted in the diagonals in the grid: lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, compline. (Although The Chambers Dictionary also lists matins, this is often regarded as subsumed by lauds.)

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra
Letter		 Answer Explanation
Across
1   GRASPS P in GRASS
7 T LAPPS LAST about PP
12 H MADRŌÑA MONA about HARD *
13 E NESTOR NE STORE; the Metro Centre is a well-known shopping mall in in NE England
14   VARUNA RUN in (V + AA)
16   GAS METER MAGS * + ETER(nity)
17 C SILEX SC + ILEX
18 A CEILS SCALE * about I
19 N SPINSTER SPINNER about ST
24 O RENEGUER RE + ONE URGE *
27   PANSY PAY about (N + S); reference contract bridge
29   OIDIA Hidden
30 N PLAISTER IS in PLANTER
31 I IRITIC I + RIT + ICI; a well-known company that was recently taken over
32   NOGGIN NO + G + GIN
34   NOTABLE NO + TABLE
35 C TARRE CAT < + ERR <
36   AMENED AMEND about E
Down
1   CONFUSE CON FUSE; “con” as in “scan”
2   REEKIE CREEK – C(oming) + IE
3   ÂME TAME – T
4 A SATEEN ATE in SEAN
5   STRAP PARTS <; reference composer Samuel Barber
6 L MOISTEN (O + LIST) in MEN
8   AFREET A + FRET about E
9   PLATITUDE P + LATITUDE
10 H PENDLE PEN (23dn) + HELD <
11   SNARK IS – I + NARK
15   ALIENATOR RATIONALE *
20   TESTATE T + ESTATE
21 O ARRANGE ROAN in GEAR (as AR + GE)
22   LATRIA L + A + TRIA(l)
23   WRITER Homophone (RIGHTER)
25 U GINGLE SINGLE, GU for S
26   VISIVE VIVE about IS
27   SPILT L in SPIT
28 R GENOA ORANGE *
33 S E’EN Two definitions (SEEN)
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