24 Across by Pilcrow

Puzzle explanation

24 across was to be entered initially as “Arsene le Wenger” (the accent on the first e being optional). Five letters were then moved and/or rotated to produce (approximately) “Arsenal Manager”, the long-standing job of Arsène Wenger, making new words at 15dn and 23dn. Entries in which the a’s in 24ac did not at all resemble rotated e’s were marked wrong, as they failed to demonstrate that the solver had repositioned the initial letters, rather than merely guessing the final phrase. The clues were paired so that solving them was “a game of two halves”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 COULOMB (U + L) in COOMB
40 ENGAGED END around GAGE
39 CHILEAN CHI + LEAN
6 JANITOR ROT < after JAN I
38 ICE 3 meanings
12 HOT H + TO <
13 PASSERINE PASSER + IN + E
37 ITALICISE IS in (ITALIC + E)
36 RAIMENT AIM in RENT
14 ANTBEAR ANTAR around BE
16 WILI WIL(l) + I
35 OGAM O + GAM
17 TEEN 2 meanings
33 KAGU K(illing) A(nd) G(reat) U(pheaval)
18 PROA PRO + A
32 AEON ON after AE
19 CLOU CU around (L(abour) + O)
30 ALED DEAL *
20 LEASED homophone of LEAST
28 GAMETE GAME + T(hriv)E
26 ODYL BODYLINE − B − IN − E(ngland)
22 RISK (b)RISK
Down
11 RESURRECTED (REST CURE) * in RED
1 CHARLATANIC CHAR + LAIC around TAN
2 OONT TOON with first letter moved to the bottom
34 UNCE DUNCE − D
29 MAMBA MA + MBA
3 LOBES LOB + ES
4 OPEN-END (OED around PEN) around N(eptune)
23 SEA KING AKIN in (S + EG)
5 BARRELLED (BAR + DELL <) around RE
15 FORE-HORSE FORESHORE with S moved down
27 YACCA Y + ACCA
7 ASSAI 2 meanings
31 AMIE I in (AM + E)
8 NEWS N + E + W + S
21 ASSEGAI EG(g) in ASSAI; ref. 7dn
9 TILLAGE TIE around GALL <
25 SLOTH (THE CLOTH − THE C) after S
10 ONION I in NO-NO <
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