Playing with Fire by Lath

Puzzle explanation

The last letters of the extra words in clues for the jumbled across entries were a jumble of “Chekhov’s gun”, Anton Chekhov’s principle that every element in a story must be necessary. He made the point several times, eg writing “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.” The extra letters in wordplay of down clues spelt out “use semi-automatic Beretta pistol”, so in the grid’s top and bottom rows, the titles of his works Uncle Vanya and The Shooting Party were replaced by SEMI-AUTOMATIC BERETTA PISTOL, forming new words. The dummy clue (28dn) was an anagram of The Cherry Orchard, which was traced and highlighted in the grid in the shape of a pistol, with the final D forming the trigger guard. The first letters of all the across clues’ extra words spelt “inside D draw the trigger”. Further highlighting C, S and G in row 6 produced an illustration of the gun being fired.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
11 (I)nf[O] PRIORATE PRIOR + ATE
13 (N)o OBAMA OB + AMA
15 (S)heets EARS ARE * + S
16 (I)ndian FELUCCA FUEL * + ACC <
17 (D)ropping NILLED (DELL + IN) <
19 (E)liciting AUREOLE A + URE + OLÉ
20 (D)ru[G] DREAMY 2 meanings
24 (D)run[K] RANEE (g)R(e)A(t-)N(i)E(c)E
26 (R)ic[H] CHAOS THEORY CHARY around (H in OSTEO-)
29 (A)bus[E] CAREER CARE + RE <
31 (W)asted RIBAUD RIB + A + (d)UD(e)
32 (T)[V] CEDARN C(as)E + DARN
33 (H)ordes MURINE URINE after M
35 (E)nsig[N] SNATH (bo)S’N AT H(elm)
38 (T)itani[C] VASTNESS VAS + SENT < + ’S
42 (R)oac[H] BETA-TEST BEST around TATE
45 (I)mprompt[U] TAKER (Evi)TA KER(mit)
46 (G)olfer LABIA (I + A) after BAL(l) <
47 (G)randiose PHRASIER homophone of FRAZIER
48 (E)nters MIRIAM MIR + I’ + AM
49 (R)evive[S] MART TRAM <
Down
1   UPEND UP + D[U]NE <
2   CARL [S]CAR + L
3   LOS LOS[E]
4   ERNE RN in [S]EE
5   AREAD [E]AR + EA + D
6   NIL LI[M]N <
7   YOURN U in [I]RONY *
8   ABCEES CE[A]SE * after AB
9   TACO TO[U]CA(n) *
10   EATERS ES around [T]ATER
12   TAIMYR TYR[O] around AIM
14   MALAGUEÑA MAL + AGUE + NA[M]
18   DÉTENTE TE[A] in DEN + TE
21   YERD [T]YRE * + (trea)D
22   RHEAS S[I]R < around HEA(d)
23   ECRU ECU around [C]R
25   EOAN E O + [B]AN
26   ORCHELS (sc)OR[E] CHELS(ea)
27   RAMA A[R]M in RA
28   (AIRE) (THE CHERRY ORCHARD) *
30   CENTIMO (MORTICE + T[E]NON) * − TORN *
34   ASTRAY AST + [T]RAY
36   ABASH BA[T]S in (A + H(at))
37   TABOO BO[A] in TAO
39   STRAG STAR * + G[P]
40   VESTA TA after V[I]ES
41   SKIRR (R + RI[S]KS) <
43   TAIT TT around AI[T]
44   SHIN HIN after [O]S
45   RAMP R + [L]AMP
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