Sampler by Skylark

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in clues spelt out “not too hot, not too cold but just right”, Goldilocks’s assessments on sampling the bear family’s bowls of porridge in the children’s story Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The corrections for clue misprints gave ASTROBIOLOGIST, for whom a “Goldilocks zone” is the range of a star system where planetary temperatures (not too cold or hot) may support liquid water, necessary for Earth-like life. In the grid the following were highighted: PORRIDGES, CHAIRS and BEDS (from the Goldilocks story), three (other) bears {BALOO, BRUIN, PADDINGTON} and HABITABLE ZONE.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No [Extra letter]/(misprint) Answer Explanation
Across
1 so[N] MUSICAL CHAIRS (MULCH + AIRS) around (SIC + A)
10 J[O]ust ONUS ON + US
11 c(A)p MAHATMA HAT in MAMA
12 ba[T] BALOO BA + LOO
13 s[T]ock BABLAHS BAS(h) around BLAH
14 [O]King TYPO TYRO with P for R
15 sit(S) RIDGES G in RIDES
16 [O]ration ERAS SHARE < − H
18 pilo(T)s RAFT-ROPE RAF + TROPE
20 [H]eat POETS POTS around E(at)
23 so[O]n SISAL S + ISLA *
25 spoil[T] BRUIN B + RUIN
29 Li(R)a ONELY LONELY − L
31 Ge[N]t OILSEEDS SEE in IDOLS *
33 dro[O]p TEAR T + EAR
34 [T]rains ODOURS (y)O(u’)D + POURS − P
36 s[T]age IZAR (w)IZAR(d)
38 fl[O]at PADDING PAD + DING
39 b[O]y ONION ON + O in IN
40 Co(O)p PEN NAME PEN + NAM + E
41 [C]lair SNED (DEN + S) <
42 bor[O]n ELABORATENESS E + LAB + ORATES around NÉ + S
Down
1 chuck[L]ed MOBBED M + LOBBED − L
2 stimulate[D] UNAFRAID (FAN + U) < + RAID
3 [B]raised SULTANS (SLUMS − M) < around TAN
4 (B)obby CHOP COP around H
5 La[U]ra’s LABRA B in LARA
6 burn[T] CHAR 3 meanings
7 [J]ill’s HABITABLE HALE around (BIT + AB)
8 spo[U]t IMAGOS SOI(l) < around MAG
9 [S]cent SUSSED S + CUSSED − C
11 [T]ropes MOORED MOORE’D
17 Ne(I)l SOLFERINO (ROOFS NEIL) *
19 c(O)reless RORY RO(ta)RY
20 wide[R] PANS PAWNS − W
21 (L)ouse TIN NIT <
22 [I]deal VIRAGOES VIRES around (A + GO)
24 ro(O)st RE-SITE SIT in REE
26 [G]race UTERINE CUT + ERIN + (m)E(t) − C
27 [H]overs HOOPOE (O, O separately) in HOPE
28 (G)rief ELODEA (AE + DOLE) <
30 dr(I)nk BRANDS BRANDY with S for Y
32 cur[T] DOGMA DOG + MA
35 (S)hilling SNAR RAN < after S
37 (T)urned ZONE Z + GONE − G
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