Pickle by Skylark

Puzzle explanation

Corrections to the misprints in clues spelt out The Mating Season, a P G Wodehouse novel in which Bertie (Bertram) Wooster finds himself in a pickle, having to pretend to be Gussie Fink-Nottle. The extra letters in clues spelt “replace alias with hero’s usual name”, so GUSSIE was changed to BERTIE in the grid. In the book, Wooster complains “It is bad to be trapped in a den of slavering aunts, lashing their tails and glaring at you out of their red eyes.” In the grid, A DEN OF SLAVERING AUNTS is highlighted in parallel lines, along with BERTIE between them.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No (Misprint)/[extra letter] Answer Explanation
Across
1 c[R]amp DISCOMFORTING (DI’S + COMING) around FORT
11 c[E]ases FORGOES FORGE around O + S
13 toile(T) CAIRN CAN around (b)IR(d)
14 S[P]un SWAG S + WAG
15 p[L]anted ERNED R in DENE <
16 loc(H) SPITTING SPLITTING − L
17 ne[A]t DENES DENS around (n)E(t)
19 [C]raving DREIDL D + IDLER *
20 corps[E] SAURY SAUCY with R for C
21 tr[A]y SEEK SEE + K
23 Me[L] PASSUS PASS + US
25 w[I]elds SEAMES E in SEAMS
29 [A]verse MIRV MIR + V
31 r(E)nts BLETS B + LETS
34 Republican[S] ROARED R + OARED
35 (M)inder AIDEN AIDE + N
36 Dr(A)g AMPULLAE PULL in (AM + AE)
38 Shre[W]d CUTER CUT + ER
39 pla[I]n MAIM M + AIM
41 [T]rail ARABA (BAR in A(si)A) <
42 ac[H]e NEEDLED (NEED + LEAD) − A
43 c[H]ess DISSEVERANCES (CESS NERDS VIE + A(dvocate)) *
Down
1 vol(T) DICERS DIVERS with C for V
2 (I)ritic ICARIA I(riti)C + A + AIR <
3 on[E] CAREERS CARES around RE <
4 [R]on MOUSES MUSES around O’
5 Franc[O] FRAP F + RAP
6 [S]hearing ROE homophone of ROW
7 Te(N)se TESTER T + ESTER
8 [U]nits NHANDU N(its) + HAND + U
9 [S]potter GIGGLES (G + S) around (n)IGGLE
10 (G)rave PIN-DUST DUST after PIN
12 tro[U]t GRIDES G + RIDE + S
18 (S)outh SERRA S + ERR + A
22 F(E)y AMENTAL A + MENTAL
23 pr[A]y PYRAMID PRY * + AMID
24 P[L]otter SIDLED IDLE in (S + D)
26 n(A)ppy ALEURON ALE + EURO − E + N(eed)
27 [N]one ROMAJI I after MAJOR *
28 (S)urly GRUMES GRUM + E(xamine)S
30 [A]we VIEWER (mo)VIE WE R(ussian)
32 G(O) TREBLE TREMBLE − M
33 chas[M] SCRAGS SCRAG + (cha)S
37 cut[E] AXLE AXE around L
40 Su(N) SEE S + E(ffectiv)E
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