Friends by Elgin

Puzzle explanation

The unclued entries formed from the initial letters of the clues with extra words were CODE, USES, MIDDLE and OR LAST. Replacing their letters with the initials of the corresponding extra words made JANE, ELLA, SAPHIR and ANGELA (and new words in crossing entries), the four Ladies in Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Patience. Choosing the middle or last letter of each extra word in the corresponding clues gave “U; Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar”, the three friends of Job in the Old Testament, with U entered in the grid’s central cell to complete LAND OF UZ, where Job lived, highlighted in the NW-SE diagonal along with JOB in 11dn. The alternative letter choices gave “Tin Man, Scarecro(U)w, Lion”, but to highlight LAND OF OZ and DOROTHY in the two diagonals would have needed an O for the central cell instead of the given U.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
1   LOADERS (SEA LORD) *
8 now FOR ONE homophone of (FOUR + WON)
12 nylon HERRY HER RY
14 invader OSNABRÜCK (RUNS BACK + O(verrun)) *
15   BEAD A in BED
16   SACHA CHA after SA
17 hatched DARE 2 meanings
18   NEON NE + ON
19 lunch TOISES TOI + SES
20   ENTRY FORMS EN + TRY + FOR + M(ar)S
25   RESEDA (RED SEA) *
27 Edith ETHNIC THE * + N(esbit) I(ntroduces) C(haracters)
28   ALTAZIMUTH ALT + A + Z + I’ + MOUTH − O
31   SWISHY SAY with WISH for A
33 sabra COIN CON around I
36 Anzac CODY COY around D
37 rod GROAT (GAT OR) *
39 galop SETS (STEPS − P) <
40   MISBESEEM MI + SB + ESTEEM − T(olerance)
41   ALLEN 2 meanings; ref. Woody Allen
42   DIETED DIET + E + ’D
43 petulance TENSELY TENS + ELY
Down
2   OOSES (eagl)E in SO-SO *
3 abuzz ADNAN AD + N + A + N
4   DEADER DREADER − R
5   EBBS (Th)E(se) B(om)B(er)S
6 joust RERAN RARE * + N
7   STUCCO CUTS < + CO(rn)
8 avenger FECHT FETCH with T moved down
9 eroticism REDDISH RED + DISH
10   EYRES (Th)EY’RE S(old)
11   COBBERS COB + BEERS − (th)E
13   RAREBIT (SPOON + RAREBIT) * = PROBATIONERS
21   NEW WOOL ((d)OWN (b)ELOW) *
22   FAT FATHER − HER
23 loans REZ ZERO < − O
24   SCHISMS (CH + IS + MS) after S
26   EASYJET JET after EASY
29   AVOSET OVA < + SET
30   MISSUS US after MISS
31 alive SCHAD S + CHAD
32   YRIVD DAIRY < with V for A
33 Lepanto CABLE C + BA(tt)LE *
34 air NEESE SEEN < + E
35   STEEL ST + EEL
38 escalop TEAN (e)ATEN *
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