Out of Line by Sabre

Puzzle explanation

Each answer is entered with one letter jumping to the front. There are two clashes on the diagonal: J/E at 21/22, and J/Q or J/U at 34/24. To resolve them, the theme word must contain Jx and Ex (for some letter x), and Jy and Qy or Uy for some y; more than one J is unlikely, so probably x = y (most likely a vowel). The two possible words are QUEUE-JUMPING and QUEUE-JUMPERS; only the latter resolves the diagonal into a word.

At 24dn, the answer SACQUE must be entered initially as USACQE, with the Q subsequently being replaced by U (from QUEUE-JUMPERS). If it were entered as QSACUE, the U would have to be replaced by E or M, but that would clash with the U (originally J) from 34ac.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 CORKED (WORK with C(alling) for W) + ED
6 HOSIER HOOSIER − O
11 INTERNISTS (INSERT + (colo)N + IT’S) *
12 ARABIA (RABI + A) after A
13 PUTS (g)U(s)T(s) in PS
14 SOCAS S(tyles) O(f) C(alypso) A(merican) S(oul)
16 MANYATA MANY + AT + A
17 TAUTOG GT < around AUTO
19 PIDGIN PAID AGAIN − A − A − A
21 OBJETS D’ART (O + B + STARTED *) around J
23 ULTRONEOUS (RULES OUT NO) *
26 RESOLE OLÉ after RES; ref. veronica in bullfighting
27 TIMIST OPTIMIST − (O’ + P(urpose))
28 TRAMPER (R + TAMPER − T) after T(ongariro)
30 PIÑAS (u)P IN A S(alad)
31 FEME M in FEE
32 CLOCHE (C + CHLOE) *
34 IRUKANDJIS IRIS around (UK + AND + J)
35 STONNE (cause)S + ’T + ONE around (champio)N
36 JIGGER (J(aunty) + GRIEG) *
Down
1 IBADAT (B + LADA − L) in IT
2 IASTIC ECCLESIASTIC − ECCLES; ref. The Goon Show
3 NOR N + (m)OR(e)
4 TRACTORS TRAITORS with C for I
5 RANGE 4 meanings
6 NOMINEE NO + MINE + E
7 SLAPSHOT (SLAP + HOT) around S
8 SPADASSIN SPIN around (BADASS − B)
9 BUTE homophone of BEAUT
10 STRAIT S(uffer) + TRAIT
15 UTTERMOST U + (Frankfur)T + TERM + OST
18 BOOM-IRON BOON around (O(ffend) + MIR); see with2 in Chambers
20 DUMPLING (DUMP + PLING) − P
22 NEPTUNE PEN < + TUNE; ref. The Planets by Holst
23 LEETLE LEET + LE
24 SACQUE CAUSE * around Q
25 T-SHIRT TSHI + R(esor)T
27 REIKI (whe)RE I KI(ck)
29 FIST S in FIT
33 DOG DO + GONE − ONE
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