Nautical Signal by Aedites

Puzzle explanation

The answers clued by wordplay only were JERICHO, SABAOTH, DIMITY, GAUDE and JOHN, the names of five of the bells in the 1934 novel The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L SAYERS (formed by the letters omitted in wordplay). The full set of eight bells and their ringers is: 1 Gaude (Ezra Wilderspin), 2 Sabaoth (Will Thoday), 3 John (Wally Pratt), 4 Jericho (Harry Gotobed), 5 Jubilee (Joe Hinkins), 6 Dimity (Alf Donnington), 7 Batty Thomas (Jack Godfrey), 8 Tailor Paul (Hezekiah Lavender).

The symmetric bell-shaped curve drawn in the grid illustrated, and passed through the letters of, NORMAL DISTRIBUTION (also called Gaussian distribution), which was introduced by CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS in an 1823 monograph.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (unclued letter) Explanation
Across
1 ACT UP (PUT + CA) <
6 ONE-IDE(A)’D ON + EID + ED
13 EROTICA TORE < + ICA
14 LUTZES ZESTFUL * − F
15 JERICHO JE + CHOIR *
16 SABAOTH A in (SA + BOTH)
18 M(E)NAI STRAIT (MAIN ARTIST) *
19 PAN-FRIED (FIND PEAR) *
20 RICHIE RI + CHIE(f)
21 DOSE DO + S + E
23 DIMITY MI in DITTY − T
25 CORAL RAG ORAL in CRAG
28 OBOLU(S) ((yo)U LOB O(ut)) <
31 MA(R)INAS MAIN + A(pproache)S
34 M(Y)OMA MOM + A
35 (S)TENO TENO(r)
36 EUROLAND ROLAND after (f)EU(d)
37 ISAIAH I(s) S(elected) A(s) I(nstructive) A(bout) H(ebrews)
38 NONSENSE NON + SENSE
39 LENNON (col)LE(cts) (ba)NN(ed) (hom)ON(yms)
Down
2 CREMATOR(Y) CREATOR around M(etal)
3 TO-R(E)ND (DON’T + R(ip)) *
4 UT INFRA (hairc)UT IN FRA(nce)
5 PICARD PI + CARD
7 NAOSES SEASON *
8 ERST ((Peasan)T’S RE(volt)) <
9 DUBAI BUD < + A1
10 (A)ZOTH ZO + T(roug)H
11 DETRITUS DETROIT − O + US
12 ASHKEY(S) ASH + KEY
17 SPECIMEN SPECI(e) + MEN
22 ORIGAN I in ORGAN
23 DOSSIL DOSS + I’ + L(arge)
24 MOUTAN AMOUNT *
26 ANAN AN + AN
27 GAUDE GAUD + E
29 BA(S)SE BASE
30 LIE-IN LIEN around I
31 MORN M(ilton) OR (Milto)N
32 (R)ÂLE ALE
33 JOHN JO + H(as) N(erves)
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