Requisite Knowledge by Elfman

Puzzle explanation

The omitted letters spelt “I keep six honest serving-men / (They taught me all I knew)” from “The Elephant’s Child” (Just So Stories) by Rudyard Kipling. It continues: “Their names are What and Why and When / And How and Where and Who”. The six names were to be highlighted in the grid in a symmetrical arrangement, thus determining the isolated central letter as W.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Omitted
Letter		 Answer Explanation
Across
1 I ANTONIA ANTONIO (Merchant of Venice) – O + A
7 K KHANATE K + HAN + ATE
11 E LOAVES AND FISHES LOVE about A + SAND + FISHES
12 E ROMANES ROPES with MAN for P
13 P PERIDERM PRIME RED *
14 S SERRANIDAE (I in ERRAND) in SEA *
15 I HIPPED CHIPPED – C
20 X TAXIARCH TA + XI + ARCH & lit
22 H DISHFUL DI + FLUSH *
23 O ABORNE AIRBORNE – IR; see abear
25 N ATTEND Hidden
26 E DELILAH (HAILED about L) <
28 S HORTENSE HORSE about TEN
32 T THERETO THE + RETRO – R
34 S REFORMADOS FROM SA RODE *
37 E TABLE WINE (BLEW IN) in TEA *
38 R RIPARIAN (PARIS – S + RAIN) *
39 V ISLAND UNIVERSE RAMS VEILED SUN *
40 I SPRINGY RING in SPY
41 N GITTERN BITTERN, G for B
Down
1 G ALRIGHT R in ALIGHT; less acceptable spelling of “all right”
2 M NOMOS SOLON <, M for L
3 E TEAM SPIRIT PRIMATES * above IT
4 N NOVATE NO VAT + E
5 T AT A STRETCH Two definitions
6 H INHERE (R in (MINE – M)) around HE
7 E HEDERATED (HEAD + D + TREE) *
8 Y NIDIFY (I FIND + Y) *; reference cuckoo’s preference for using other birds’ nests
9 T TASTED T’ + AS + TED
10 A ESMÉRALDA ’S in EMERALD + A; reference The Hunchback of Notre Dame
16 U PABULUM PLUM about B in AU
17 G CIGAR CI + GAR
18 H AFTERBIRTH BRIT FATHER *
19 T BUTENE BUTEA – A + NE(w)
21 M REAMY READY, M for D
23 E ADVERTISE (ER + T) in ADVISE
24 A HOARDING Two definitions
27 L HUMIDLY (HUM + (dea)DLY) about I
29 L ELOINER (OE + LINER) *
30 I EOLIAN (NAIL + O + E) <
31 K OAKNUT (A + KN) in OUT
33 N ELANET PLANET, E for P
35 E FEEBLER B in FEELER
36 W HAWSE First letters
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