OTT by [tba]

Puzzle explanation

The grid depicted the top of a head with male pattern baldness, described by the unclued entry ALOPECIA in the first row. Four answers (CHAIRS, SHAIRN, MOHAIR, THAIRM) lost “hair” on entry, having only their two remaining letters entered. The extra characters in wordplay of some across clues (and the same letters missing from all the down clues) spelt “helps form beehive” (referring to the hairstyle or a honeycomb) for COMB, entered five times to extend words and partly cover the “bald” area in the middle of the grid by means of a “combover”. The puzzle’s title is the abbreviation for “over the top”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Missing letter Answer Explanation [extra letter]
  FREE AGENTS F + REAGENTS around [H]E
  ISOGLOSSAL (S[E]ALS + IGLOOS) *
  FRENUM FEMUR * around (u)[L]N(a)
  SLALOM SLAM around LO[P]
  IFNI ((Spa)IN FI(nally)) <
  NAGA A after NAG
  GEAN GEN[S] around A
  INGS SING with S moved later
  TELE TELLURIDE − LURID
  ETAS [F]ATES *
  ROSE RO[O]SE
  DACE A[R]C in DE(e)
  SIT [M]IT after S
  EAU (P)E(g)A(s)U(s)
  ETNA ETA around N
  LESS [B]LESS
  CORAM CAM[E] around OR
  TYRES TYPES with R[E] for P
  IAGO [H]AG in IO
  MEER [I]’M + E’ER
  DIE DI[V]E
  RES SE[E]R <
  CHAIRS AIR in (C + HS)
  SHAIRN HAIR in (S, N)
(H)old ARSENALS ARS around LANES <
(E)on LEONINE LINE around EON
G(L)ove’s PALM AL in PM
(P)Rides EGOS ENG − N + OS
(S)Will INSANIE ANI in (r)INSE
of(F) ATALANTA CATALAN − C + TA
b(O)ut FIG TREES REE in (FIGHT − H + S)
St(R)oker’s MASSEUSE (MS + SEES A + (Nosferat)U) *
(M)ailed OSTEOID (POSTED − P) around OI
(B)orders ÉTALAGES A(dmira)L in ÉTAGES
T(E)am’s DELAYERS PLAYERS with (aul)D (Maggi)E for P
(E)quines CUSSERS 2 meanings
writ(H)ing VRAIC VICAR *
B(I)ro PREEN PEN around RE
(V)alley MOHAIR (RIA + HOM(e)) <
bow(E)l THAIRM THAIM around R
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