Trio by Bark by Hedge-sparrow

Puzzle explanation

Three Men in a Boat describes a Thames journey by Jerome, Harris, George and the dog Montmorency, who all appear in the completed grid. Letters from extra words spelt “Extra word pairs at clashes clue Thames towns; use first and last letters”. For each clash, the two clues’ extra words indicated a town passed through, for which only the first and last letters were to be entered. From east to west, the towns are: Kingston, Weybridge, Windsor, Maidenhead, Marlow, Henley, Wargrave, Pangbourne, Goring, Wallingford, Dorchester, Oxford. The rest of the river’s path consists of all occurrences of R (for river) in the grid.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word(s) Answer Explanation
Across
1 (E)li(X)ir FOPPISH FISH around POP *
6 (T)er(R)ine DACE D(inner) + ACE
9 (A)le(W)ife HUMS HUMANS − AN
12 (O)pe(R)a MILIEU (co)M(ic) + I’ + LIEU
13 (D)is(P)osable BALES B + ALES
15 steer (ox) URAO U(sing) + OAR <
17 (A)ll(I)gator’s GNASH (H + SANG) <
19 (R)os(S)er’s MALL 2 meanings
20 (A)rc(T)ic URN TURN − T
21 (C)ol(L)eges YEA-SAY (PA)YE + A + S + A + Y
22 (A)rm(S) SEPTA SEPT + A
23 dung-beetle (dor) ROOST S in ROOT
25 (H)ar(E)’s DETAIN TAI in DEN
26 (S)ta(C)k ZINC Z + IN + C
27 bricks (walling) ENJAMB (JAM + B) after EN
29 damage (mar) RARING RA + RING
30 work (go) SCYE SCYTHE − TH
31 chicken (hen) NUTRIA NUT + AIR <
34 girl (maiden) HOSEN CHOSEN − C
36 (L)oc(U)m’s ARRIS ARRIS(h)
38 feud (war) turns (winds) FILLED FILLE + D
40 pieces (kings) TOP OPT *
41 (E)ar(T)hwork INTO PINTO − P
42 pain (pang) PROSE P + ROSE
43 measure (wey) SERR SER + R
44 (H)er(A)ld EMBOW EMBOWER − ER
45 (M)on(E)y EBBING EG around B-BIN
46 (S)po(T)s GLUE G(ir)L(’s n)U(rs)E(ry)
47 (O)ld-(W)orld ILLS (k)ILLS
48 (N)oi(S)ette TIL SEED (SPONGE − PONG) in TILED
Down
1 car-maker (Ford) FLOURISHING 2 meanings
2 Drift (ford) round (ring) PIANOFORTE (A FINE + O + PORT) *
3 (U)ni(S)ex PLOYS POLYS with L moved up
4 (E)co(F)reak’s SEPAD APES < + D(eath)
5 (I)ng(R)id HUGS H + UGS
6 (S)of(T) DENATURISES (SAUTERNES I’D) *
7 (A)gi(N)g ABAYA A + BAY + A
8 Moo (low) CASSIS C(ow) + ASSIS(t)
9 (D)ea(L)er’s HEMP HEM + P
10 (A)id(S) MÉLANGE MANGE around EL
11 weight (ton) SELF-CENTRED (END REFLECTS) *
14 aqueduct (bridge) SATIN STONE SET IN STONE with A for E
16 stream (bourne) TETANIC TIC(k) around (E + TAN)
18 brain (head) HENRIES (EN HIRES) *
24 city (Chester) DECANAL DE + CANAL
28 (T)it(L)e MUSROL (Lo)MU’S ROL(e)
32 meadow (ley) pit (grave) SCOWL SCOW + L
33 (E)di(T)or’s ALIBI LIB in AI
35 gold (or) OASIS O’ + AS IS
37 (T)ow(E)r ROME MORE *
39 (R)us(S)ian LEET FLEET − F
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