Pie by Dimitry

Puzzle explanation

The long unclued entries were FIRST AMONG EQUALS and its equivalents in Latin (PRIMUS INTER PARES) and Greek (PROTOS METAXY ISON). METAXU was also accepted for μεταξύ (though an upsilon that isn’t part of a diphthong is commonly transliterated as Y rather than U). The unclued three-letter words were formed by letters in corresponding positions in the three phrases, taking one each from the top, middle and bottom rows of the grid, in order. Two other words could be formed in the same way: ONE and ARS; “one” with a sense of “first” was appropriate to the puzzle’s theme, so the letters O, N and E in column 8 were highlighted. The puzzle’s title came from the first letters of PARES, ISON and EQUALS.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
11 LAUNCELOT LAUNCHES − HES + TOLE <
13 KRILL R in KILL
15 SEED LEAF SEED + LEA + F
16 ICHOR homophone of (EYE + CORE)
17 CAMBIUMS CAUMS around MBI
18 PIETISTIC (I + STIC(k)) after PIET
21 CUBE CU + BE; metals used in alloys
24 OTHO O + THO
25 DITSINESS DIT + SESS around IN
30 WAINSCOT WAS around IN + COT; 2 meanings
32 STAPH SH around TAP
33 STICKILY SLY around (TICK + I)
34 UNBED SUNBED − S
35 LIMEWATER LIME + W + A + TER(n)
Down
1 FLAIL FL + AIL
2 RUSHY BRUSHY − B
3 SNOOP S + NOOP
4 AEËTES (SEA around TEE) <
5 OODLINS O + ODIN’S around L
6 GREATEN (A + T) in GREEN
7 EN AMI I’M < after ENA
8 URTICA (A + CITRU(s)) <
9 AINU AI + N + U
10 SLUSE ’S in SLUE
12 ASCERTAIN AS + CERN around TAI
14 LUMBER-PIE (UMBER + (sou)P) in LIE
19 TITOISM ((IT IS) around O) in TM
20 STICKIT TICK in SIT
22 MONNET MET around (ON + N)
23 REFLEX RE + F(orest) + LEX; ref. “May never glorious sun reflex his beams” in Henry VI Part 1
24 OWN UP WO < + PUN <
26 ICTUS RICTUS − R
27 STOAI STOI(c) around A(thens)
28 BART’S STRAB(ismus) <
29 THORN SHORN with ’T for S
31 IGBO BO after (s)IG(n)
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