Getting in Shape by Rood

Puzzle explanation

Misprint corrections spelt out “letters one and eight in these clues”; 1st and 8th letters in the misprint clues gave “link points where the same letters meet NW to SE and join up eight corners”. The four junctions of matching letters (spelling CUBE) had to be linked to form a central square, and corners of the resulting two large squares joined with four more lines to outline a cube.

Omitted letters from the remaining clues spelt out “copy shape centrally”. Drawing a smaller version in the central area showed a cube within a cube, which is the Chambers description of a tesseract. To draw a tesseract as a 4-dimensional hypercube would have involved joining more than the eight corners specified in the instruction, so it wasn’t a correct solution.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer Explanation
Across
1 spaw(L) SALIVA (OVA − O’) after (SALINA − NA)
5 tal(E) MYTH (HYMN < − N) around T
8 (T)ool TROWEL LET < around ROW
10 no(T) UGLY SNUGLY − SN
11 lif(E) ASTIR (TAR + IS) *
12 swea(R)ing OD’S LIFE (HOD − H) + FLIES *
14 (S)et ESTEEMED ED around (E after (S + TEEM))
16 h(O)ra RUEDA R(omans) U(nder) E(truscan) D(omination) A(ttesting)
17   LA(C)TEAL (A + TEA) in (L + L)
21 co(N)ner WRASSE W(easel) + RASSE
22   DR(O)WSY RWS in D(a)Y
23 de(E)d ACT TACT − T’
26   KO(P) KOI − I
27 t(A)me FEEBLE FEE + BLE(w)
30 (N)ags EATAGE (l)E(v)A(n)T + AGE
31   SANDBO(Y) SAND + BO
32   (S)OUCT OU + CT
36   (H)UGUENOT (U + TONGUE) *
37 (D)ried ULICHON (LUNCH + I’ + O) *
39 suppl(E) LITHE E(nforcer) after LITH
41   W(A)RY WRYBILL − BILL
42   (P)ARSEE (A + SEER) *
43   SU(E)S SUS
44   AR(C)HED HARE * + D
Down
1   STUP(E)S PUT < in SS
2 Sh(I)p ARGOSY ARGO + S(tylish) Y(achts)
3 han(G) LOLL (dreadfu)L + (d)OLL
4 s(H)op VENDEUSE (END after V) + E(xit) + USE
5 scen(T) MISLED MD around ISLE
6 (I)n YET YEST − S
7 re(N)ted HIRE CAR (s)HIR(r) + RACE <
9 par(T)s BIFOLD OLD after (BI + F)
12 (H)e OERSTED (O + DESERT) *
13 re(E)k SMEEK ’S + MEEK
15   PATE(N) PAT + E
18   (T)WITTEN WIT + TEN
19   ESKA(R) KEA’S *
20 step(S) LOPE POLE *
21 har(E)s WATS WADS with T(rigons) for D
24 (C)rag HEUGH H(olyrood) + EUGH
25   VACUOL(A)R VAC + LOUR < with R moved to the end
28   (L)OBULES BLOUSE *
29   EYE(L)ID (DIE + YE) <
33 (L)igures OUCHES TOUCHES − T
34 d(U)sk SOIRÉE I(ndia) in SOREE
35   STA(Y)ED (ST + D(unstan)) around AE
38 b(E)at BASH B(exhill) + ASH
40 (S)ocks TOE TOE(y)
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