Square Deal? by Tiburon

Puzzle explanation

The corrections to clue misprints spelt out “tangram” and O Tannenbaum. The completed grid was dissected into the seven standard tangram pieces, with their edges guided by the letters omitted in wordplay (in blue in the intermediate grid shown here). The pieces were then rearranged by matching those edge letters, to produce a Christmas tree with MERRY CHRISTMAS appearing in two rows. The title refers to deal as wood from a fir or pine.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer (unclued letters) Explanation
Across
1   RISPETTO PRIEST * + TO
7 (T)imber BEAM MAB < around E(lves)
11 (A)nsate ANKHS KHAN * + S
13 (N)avarin SALMI SAL + MI
14 (G)all VENOM (N + MOVE) *
15   SO(U)SED SOS-ED
16 hu(R)t PAIN PAN around I
17   SPE(A)R REPS <
19   HUMEC(T) HUM + SEC − S
20   VIBRA(T)O (VI + O) around BRA
22   ANATH(E)MA (MANHATTAN − N − T) *
27   S(U)DATORY STORY around DA
29 (A)vian TOUCAN YOU CAN with T(asty) for (tast)Y
31   URG(E)NT (G + TURN) *
33 (M)ud SLAB BAILS < − I(nterference)
35   AGIO A + G + I(nvestment O(pportunity)
36   ATI(L)T AT IT
37 P(O)ms BRITS B + R + IS around T(hese)
38   RENTE ENTER with letters cycled
39 (T)ype COHOE (mandibl)E after COHO(rt)
40   (A)NTSY T(ourist)S in NY
41   DET(E)RR(I)NG (DET + NG) around RR
Down
2 L(A)ke’s INFAUNA A in (IN FUN + A)
3 mea(N)s PHENETICS (IN THE SPEC) *
4   TWOSOM(E)S (SO + W + MOST) *
5 mou(N)d TUMP PUT < around M
6 bon(E)s OSSEIN NOISES *
8   EL(U)SORY RELY * around SO
9   AMEN(T)A A + NAME *
10   MID(I) DIM <
11   ASPHA(L)T AS + PHAT
12   SNA(T)CH ((te)N + A + C) in SH
18   (A)RBITRATOR BIT-RAT(e) in (R + O’ + R)
21 acce(N)ted OXYTONE OXY + T(aking) + ONE
23   AD(U)MBRAT(E) TABARD * around M(isfortune)
24   IR(E)NICON IR + ’N’ + I(raq) + CON
25 (B)arneys RUN-INS N in RUINS
26 s(A)lt SALTED S + DELTA *
28 s(U)ite AULIC AURIC with L for R
30 Tea(M) OCTET ETC < in (O + T)
32   VAR(A)N VAR + N
34   ABYE A + BYE
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