Seldom Seen by Piccadilly

Puzzle explanation

Each thematic answer contained a typographical feature that is usually ignored in crossword grids and was replaced in the grid by the name of the feature. The extra letters from wordplay could be arranged to give “lower-case”, specifying how all grid letters had to be entered.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 CAPSTAN (CAPTAIN − I) around S
6 ADJUST AD + JUST
11 CACHAÇA C[O]ACH + A + CA
13 ERSATZ (ERST around A) + Z
14 ESSENCE ESSENE around C
15 MATCHES MARCHES with (ba)T for R
17 GRÄFIN GRAN around [W]IF(e) <
18 IVRESSE (Chiant)I + SERVES *
19 ARTS (t)ARTS
20 SOU’WESTERS (TWO [A]SSES RUE) *
25 TAME TA + ME
27 SEAM 2 meanings
30 CHÂTELAINS (Neu)CHATEL A[S] INS(pectors)
31 OCHE (m)O(ve) (a)C(ross) (t)H(e) (r)E(d)
35 CAIMACS C + A(udacious) I(nvestment) + SCAM <
37 DEASIL SAILED *
38 ARMIGER ARM + GI < + ER
40 ANNULAR ANN + (th)U(mb) + LAR
41 KETONE ETON in (Dal)KE(ith)
42 TARDILY TARDIS − S + L + Y
43 UKIYO-E (YOU [L]IKE) *
44 SPERSED PERSE in SD
Down
1 CHEMIST CHEST around MI
2 PASTRAMI PAST + RAM + I
3 AO DAI A(t)[E] (f)O(o)D + AI
4 TETH TENTH − N
5 NEESE SNEEZE * − Z
6 ADSUM A(cademy) D(iscussed) + SUM
7 DISME ((po)EMS I D(iscovered)) <
8 ULNAR U(nit) L(et) N(urse) A(ttempt) R(esetting)
9 TSETSE (ES + TEST) <
10 LAVALLIÈRES (SILVE[R] ARE ALL) *
12 VENDÉMIAIRE (MARINE DEVI[C]E) *
16 ESSE ESSEX − X
21 ORC OR + C
22 TOM TOME − E(vidence)
23 OWL LOW *
24 HEXAGONS HEX + AGONS
26 AFAR (RAF + A) <
28 MISREAD SIDEARM *
29 BODACH B + O’ + D + A + CH
32 HANAP HAP around AN
33 SEÑOR S[E]EN + OR
34 PLAIN homophone of PLANE
35 CARLS CARES around L − E
36 MITER MITE + R
39 METE 2 meanings
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