Carte Blanche by Lavatch

Puzzle explanation

Each misprint letter with its correction provided a grid coordinate. The letters at those locations spelt out “Swift” and “Afric-maps”, leading to the quotation:

So geographers in Afric-maps, With savage-pictures fill their gaps; And o’er unhabitable downs Place elephants for want of towns.

Accordingly, using two letters per affected cell, blank cells were filled, in grid order, with the letters of SA VA GE PI CT UR ES, clashing letters were kept in the right order within the cell (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) to make BLEAK, BARREN and BLIGHTED as down entries, and in the upper part of the grid TOWNS was replaced by EL EP HA NT S. The title can be translated from the French as “blank map”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Ref Misprint Answer Explanation
Columns
A D: (O)oze LEAK A in LEK
A   USAGES SAGE in US; ref. Bias, one of the Seven Sages
B   SALMI SALAMI − A
B   NAGMAAL NAG + LAMA *
C   RATTLIN (TT + L(and)) in RAIN
C   USURPS U + SPURS with P “dropping”
D   TENE TENEBRAE − BRAE
D   PEISE P(o)E(t)I(c) + S(cen)E
E   NILL NIL + L
F   INSECTA IN SE + CAT *
F G: Wa(Y) ROUTE ROUTINE − IN
G   WRING W(inchester) + RING
G   SITUS (IT + US) after S
H G: (R)ail BARRE R in BARE
H   UNRACED RUN with R moved to the end + ACE + D
I   FEEL (cof)FEE L(iqueur)
J   LESSOR LESS + OR
J   SAT 2 meanings
K   ANELLI NELL in A1
K   AT ISSUE SITA < + SUE
L   LIGHTED LIGHT + ED
L J: (T)enner NOTE NOT ’E’
M   SESSION homophone of CESSION
M F: (W)ish ENVY E + NAVY − A
Rows
N   KINEMAS KINE + MAS
N B: (T)ribe NATION NON around (A + T’ + (Berluscon)I)
O I: b(U)ddies AMIS SIMA <
O   WALDO L(ab) in WAD + O
P   INCURS IN + CURSE − E
Q   NET ASSETS (N + S) around ESTATES *
Q C: Ra(T)e BAT BAHT − H
R   OSTENSIBLE T’ in (O + SENSIBLE)
S L: wa(T)er SEEPAGE SEE + PAGE
S F: (P)at CLAP C + PAL <
T   LIDE homophone of LIED
T   FEIS FEIS(ty)
T   SAR 2 meanings
U   EASTING (r)EASTING
U B: (V)ulgarian RUBE RUB + E
V H: (W)alls UNENCLOSED UNE + (mansio)N + CLOSED
W   AGRESTIAL ALGERIA * around ST
W D: ri(S)e STY STAY − A
X   BURROS BURRS around (Ronald)O
Y   UNSET SUNSET − ’S
Y B: ta(R) SET ON ((raver)S + TON) around E
Z   LUTER homophone of LOOTER
Z   BUS LANE BUS(s) + LAINE − I; ref. Cleo Laine
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