A Tester Laid Out by Salamanca

Puzzle explanation

Extra letters in wordplay gave "take and read even letters of title", yielding T S ELIOT. Variations on his name were: A = Litotes (figures of speech), B = Toilets, C = Stole it (IT omitted from grid entries) and D = SOT + TILE, SOLE + TIT. These constituted Four Quartets, in reference to Eliot’s 1943 work.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (omitted letters) Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 MEN’S WASHROOM (MOM SAW HER SON) *
9 URIC UR[T]IC(a)
11 HOTE HOT + E[A]
13 ICED PIC[K]ED − P
14 SHAP SHAP[E]
16 OAR O’ + AR[A]
18 ANIS [N]AN + IS
19 PACY C[D] in PAY
20 INNER TUBE (NEAR TU[R]BINE − A) *
22 LOO (po)LO O(riginally)
24 SOT SO + T(hrob)
30 DOEN DO[E] + EN
31 SOLE 2 meanings
33 EMBATTLES STABLEM[A]TE *
34 TIT TWIT − W; 2 meanings
35 LOTO LO + TO[D]
37 TILE 2 meanings
38 RA(IT)AS AS after RA
39 ORCS FORC[E]S − F
40 THUNDERBOXES HUND in (BOXER SET) *
Down
2 EUCAIN CUE < + [V]AIN
3 SIDE A S(om)[E] + IDEA
4 WCS WC + S; ref. W. C. Fields
5 ASH-PIT A + SH + PI[N]T
6 STA(IT)HS (S + HATS) <
7 OORIAL (LAIR + [L]OO) <
8 OTISCO OTIS + [E]CO
10 RERUN RE + RU[T] + N
12 ENM(IT)Y EN + MY
15 IMPEL LIMPE[T] *
17 UNRATTLED LAUNDRETT[E] *
21 ETNAS (A + [R]ENTS) *
23 OYSTERS (SORTS YE[S]) *
25 OOMPAH [O]/A in OOMPH
26 TEBRAU ([F]A BRUTE) *
27 TOLTER TROT[T]ER * with L for R
28 OPTIC OPTIC[I]AN − (A + N)
29 GRILSE GIRL * + SE[T]
30 DEAR A[L]DER *
31 STOLE 2 meanings
32 ESTRO (th)ES[E] TRO(chees’)
36 OOB(IT) BOO <
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