Six Seconds by Kruger

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt out “second name of the twenty-ninth president of the USA”, referring to Warren G Harding, whose middle name GAMALIEL was entered below the grid. The unclued entries were the second (middle) names of other American presidents, each entered at his appropriate number: 6dn John QUINCY Adams, 11dn James KNOX Polk, 19dn Rutherford BIRCHARD Hayes, 20dn James ABRAM Garfield, 43ac George WALKER Bush. For 33ac, Harry S Truman had no real second name (the initial S was adopted in honour of his grandfathers Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young), so that grid entry was left blank.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Answer Explanation [extra letter]
ABOARD AD[O] around BOAR
ACCLAIMS SCA[M] < around CLAIM
ALAS AL[I]AS
APRÈS-SKI APRI(l) around SE[E]KS *
ARSENAL (LANES + RA[W]) <
ASIA [E]AS(e) + I + A(ppreciate)
AVATAR A + V + AT[T]AR
AVENUE [C]AVE + (e)N(s)U(r)E(s)
BAWR B[U]T − T + AWR(y)
CANAPÉ [S]CAN + A + PE
CLEAR CAR around LE[D]
COLLEGE GEL < in COL[N]E
CONTINUE CONTINE[N](t) around U
DESPOIL DESPO[T] + I(llega)L
DIDDLE DIDD[Y] + LE
ECZEMA CZ in (E + [T]EAM *)
EILD LADIE[S] * − A
EMEU ME[S] in EU
ENSA ((unle)AS[H] NE(farious)) <
EREMITE MITE after É[I]RE
GAIA G[H]ANAIAN − N − N − A
IBIS I + BI[A]S
IDIOT ID + I[N]TO *
IDOL I + LO[A]D <
IN UTERO (UNITE[D] + R(esearch)) * + O
KADE AD in [E]KE
LACTIC L[O](af) + ARCTIC − R
MANTA ANT in MA[T]
MEDLAR (L + [F]ED RAM) *
NAVAIDS (DAN < around VAI[N]) + (beacon)S
NAVY VAN < + [N]Y
NIDAL D[E]NIAL *
PERCEPT P + PER[F]ECT *
PERIBLEM PE[T]RI BLEM(ished)
PEUGEOT GET-UP * around [T]OE <
REBEL [H]ER < + BELT − T
REMEN [O]RE + MEN
RETRACT CATER[E]R * + (regre)T
SEND S[P]END
STREAK S + T[E]REK around A
THRUMMER (RUM + M) in THER[E]
TRULL (T + RULE[R]) with L for E
TSABIAN (ISN’T + A BA[N]) *
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