Potatoes by JFD

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt out “Que toute émotion sache te devenir une ivresse — Gide” (let every emotion be capable of becoming an intoxication to you), from André Gide’s prose poem Les nourritures terrestres, which was published in English as The Fruits of the Earth. The puzzle’s title translates “pommes de terre” (literally “apples of the earth”). Four answers that were emotions (SADNESS, ANGER, DISGUST, FEAR) were jumbled in the grid. NATHANAEL, to whom the advice was addressed, was highlighted.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 MASS MAS[Q]UES − (U + E)
6 PERHAPS [U]P + ER + HAPS
12 CRETIN (sin)C[E]RE TIN(tin)
14 OLPE [T]O + LP + (nightingal)E
15 ATRIA I in A[O]RTA <
16 AGGRADE AG[U]E around GRAD
17 QUINNAT QUIN[T] + TAN <
19 ACNED ACE around [E]N + D
21 TEMPLE TEMP + LE[E]
22 NO GREAT SHAKES (HE ASKS GER[M]AN TO) *
24 ASH-BLONDE (B[O]LD ONE HAS) *
27 ANTICLIMACTIC ANTIC + MIL < + [T]ACTIC
29 MEASLE (EA + [I]S + L) in ME
33 PORTA (A + TRO[O]P) <
35 PRETEEN PREEN around TE[N]
37 THUGGEE T(yrant) + HUG[S] + GEE
38 MANAT [A]M + AN + AT; ref. Mary, Turkmenistan
39 NEST TEN < around S[C]
40 OSTEAL LOAT[H]ES *
41 SADNESS SEND < in (S[E]A + S)
42 DEFY DEF[T]LY − L
Down
1 MBAQANGA MBA + Q + A + N + AG[E] <
2 AITU AIT + [D]U
3 SYRINGA SYRING[E] + A
4 GRANDE GRA[V]E around (N + D)
5 SEPARABLENESS (S[E]E + NESS) around PARABLE
7 EIGHTSOME REEL (HOME GREETS LI[N]E) *
8 ANGER REGA[I]N *
9 HORN-MAD (HO[R]RID MAN) * − I
10 ALAAP (A[U] + LP) around AA
11 SEEL E in LE[N]S <
13 TATU T[E]AT + U(nsightly)
18 ELEGIT [I]E + LEGIT
20 CORNEA [V]ERONICA * − I
23 SECANTLY SLY around [R]ECANT
25 DISGUST DIS + GU[E]ST
26 ÉTRENNE RENNE[S] after ET
28 APEMAN (NAME[S] + PA) <
30 AMUSE SU[E] < in ÂME
31 LOGON GO in LON[G]
32 SPET S[I]P(p)ET
34 ETNA [D]ANTE <
36 FEAR FE[E] + AR
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