1A (four words) and 44 (four words) are quotations from the first verse of a poem (in ODQ). Five remaining unclued lights are examples of 1A, while 44 might be a comment on the other four. The poet’s initials will appear upwards in the completed grid and must be shaded.
Across
9 Food for bugs (4)
11 Bishop’s dress Mo (with iron hoop) reshaped (10)
12 Some armour not belonging to us (4)
14 Old plastic sheet for revolting cat (6)
17 Fine duke with yen for sailing boat (5)
18 Laptop may exhibit this virus, certainly when zilch gets stored (5)
20 I may cut Native American snubbed by king and queen (7)
21 Rope fat cuckoo ingested (7)
24 Old dance John modified a lot (7)
25 Strong person, pure in speech (5)
31 Open country surrounded by huge trees (7)
34 Jog or have a drink? (7)
40 Soprano is cooking with hot pickles (6)
41 Old lady repelled fine shark (4)
42 Cursing manager evenly broad and blue (10)
43 Other part of Chelsea (4)
Down
1 Rascal sewed old clothes (5)
4 Difficult king turned out smart (5)
5 Settle before a meal with meat (7)
7 Charily canine dodges strange man (or woman) (6)
10 Lizards chief officer traps in the morning (5)
15 Blotto Belorussian leaves bar and escapes (8)
16 Ordinary insect bored by chestnut tree (6)
19 Pirates dashed south for pieces of eight (8)
21 Lump starts to opine randomly – hear wild OTT gabbling! (9)
22 City clumsy thesp’s playing Lear in (7)
23 Top dance (6)
27 Voter finally flips replica coin perhaps (7)
29 Africans in a tumbledown home talking (7)
30 Betrothed no longer, poor Frieda Farthing dumps Romeo (6)
32 Dresses from Arabia Rachel has (6)
33 With change of heart Welshman quits (5)
35 Doomed to receive cut grass (5, two words)
36 Towards the ceiling I behold very old mouldings (5)
37 Remove pin from new uniform got up by Maggie (5)
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 23 September. There are two runners-up prizes of £20. (UK solvers can choose to receive the latest edition of the Chambers dictionary instead of cash — ring the word ‘dictionary’.) Entries to: Crossword 2424, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.
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