Imperial Age by Stick Insect

Puzzle explanation

The letters omitted from answers spelt out “Warning first seen in The Listener sixty years ago”, referring to the Jenny Joseph poem Warning, which was published in The Listener magazine on 6 December 1962. The shading of the unclued entry JENNY JOSEPH in purple and the HAT above in red represented the start of the poem:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (omitted letter) Explanation
Across
2 SOME(W)HAT S + (AT HOME) *
7 FORÇ(A)T FOR + CT
11 (R)ATH(R)IPE (HEAP IT) *
12 ALTER(N)E A + L(o)T + ERE
13 OL(I)OS O’ + LOS
14 OPE(N) PRISO(N)S PORPOISES *
15 NI(G)ERIA (AIR + EIN) <
16 NI(F)TIEST NIT around TIES
17 EN(I)SLES LES after ENS
18 NUGGA(R)S GUN < + GAS
21 YE(S)TY YET + Y
23 BU(T)EA B(loom) U(nder) E(xpert) A(gronomists)
24 (S)HEAR HEAR
27 JOLI(E) JOL + I
29 ARRI(E)RO ARR + IRO(n)
30 FU(N)ERAL U in FERAL
31 ATOM(I)STS A + TOM + S(it)T(er)S
32 TI(N)FOIL FIT < + OIL
33 POE(T)ESS EPOSES *
34 (H)ENCE SENTENCE − SENT
35 OARW(EE)D (A + WORD) *
36 RESEA(L)S RES + EA + S
37 UNSP(I)LT PUNTS * around L
38 (S)HEA TREE HEAT + REE
Down
1 EA(T) ONE’S HEAR(T) OU(T) EA + (HONOUREE’S A) *
2 ST(EE)LING STRING with L for R
3 OHO(N)E O’ + HOE
4 MIS(E)RLY (S + RLY) after MI
5 HEPA(R)S HEP + A + S
6 TAP I(SS)UE TAPE around IU
7 FL(I)RT-G(I)LL FLED − ED + RT + G + LL
8 RÉSEAU(X) RES + EAU
9 CROSSE(TT)E CROSS + (B)EE(b)
10 TEST(Y) (T + SET) <
19 CARL(Y)LESE CARE around SELL <
20 S(E)A ROV(E)RS SAROS around (i)V(o)R(y)
22 EPISOD(A)L SPOILED *
23 B(R)IEFEST I in BE + FEST
25 EA(S)TMAN EAT + MAN
26 T(A)RTEST PRETTIEST * − PIE *
28 WRON(G)ER W + ONER around R
30 F(OO)TS(O)RE FT + S + RE
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