Annual Turnover by Ragtag

Puzzle explanation

Boustrophedon at 28ac comes from the Greek for ox and a turning. It describes an ancient form of writing, alternately left to right and right to left, imitating the movement in ploughing. The stars replacing the seven letter clashes give an approximate representation of the Plough asterism; extra letters in wordplay gave Charles’s Wain, another name for the asterism. Other appropriate symbols, including dots, were accepted.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra
letter		 Answer Explanation
Across
1   DEPOSE DE + POSE
5 C STARTLE SCARLETT *
11   TIME Cryptic definition
13 H SLEEVE SH + homophone (LEAVE)
15   TON TOWN − W
16   RETALIATE LATER < + I + A(ll) + T(he) + E(mpire)
18   PRUNE (UNPREPARED − PARED) *
20   SHED SHE + ’D
21   POESY POE’S + Y
22 A HELMET MET after HEAL
24 R ELAPS RELAPS(e)
27   DEBAG DAG about BE <
28   BOUSTROPHEDON Thematic
32   NEVER NÉVÉ + (rive)R
35   ADAGE AD + AGE
37 L AVOWAL OWL in AVAL
39   EUROS Two definitions; reference money
43   ECHT ET about CH
45   TIERS Homophone (TEARS)
46   ROUSSETTE ROULETTE, L becoming (S + S)
47   ALE ALEVIN − VIN
48   LEAVEN (e)LEVEN about A
49 E LOSS LESS about O
50   DEPUTED PUT in DEE + D [old penny]
51   EFFETE E + F + FETE
Down
1   DETER DETERMINES − MINES
2   EMONG M in GONE *
3   PIN-UP P + IN + UP
4   SERPENT SPENT about ER
6   TEA SHOP HOT PEAS *
7   ALLÉE AL(l) + LEE
8 S TWAE TWA + SE; reference former airline
9   LATHERED HER in LATE + D
10 S EGESTA Hidden
12   TYROL TYR + (g)OL(d)
14   VERSO EVER SO − E
17   IDLE Hidden
19   BYGONES Two definitions; “let bygones be bygones”
23 W EDDA EW + ADD <
25   PORTHOLE R inside POTHOLE
26 A AFRO First letters
29   RELIEVE EVE after RELI(c)
30   HERSELF HER + ’S + ELF
31   HATRED RED/HAT swapped
33   EWES (n)EWES(t)
34   SUITE S(t)U(p)I(d) + TE
36   CORPS CORPUS − U
38 I ASSET (SEA + IT’S) *
40   SEASE SEE about AS
41   PILOT PI + LOT
42   STELE SELE about T
44 N CUSP SN in CUP
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