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Thanks Dryden - once I had a strong coffee my head cleared and I realised that my confusion was self-induced. All clear now (including head). I do agree with you about the difficulty in finding the quotation - for a long time I was working on the assumption that it was a famous Yorkshire saying!

Finally twigged the sequence of right/wrong letters. I find myself a little underwhelmed. All that slog and cold-solving for what seems like a bit of a damp squib at the end, not my favourite puzzle of 2016. I do, of course, still admire the skill of the setter - I couldn't do it.

Meursault, it is obvious from my first reply to Saoralba that I had already solved that clue ; and he didn't write bras(s), he wrote bras.

I didn't understand the bras thing either, but then everyone's brain is wired slightly differently.......

Dryden, I meant to note 8dn as a clue without a misprint, not 9dn, which indeed has a misprint, though a rather obscure one, I thought. As the answers to these two clues have already been revealed, I don't think it's necessary to discuss them further.

I agree that this was a bit of a slog, with the fact that only 35 of the 49 clues contained a misprint adding an extra complication even after I'd identified the quotation (fortunately, I'd solved a lot of the early across clues fairly quickly so I did a Google search for what I guessed to be the first four words). The puzzle was certainly very clever technically, but I didn't get the "wow" sense on finishing it that a really good puzzle provides.

Escuan, my apology for overlooking your question. If I'm right (quite likely not), you'll have arrived at a position, from the 35 checked replacements, where there are still 2 Cs, 2 Ss & 2Ts to replace, using 4 Ls and 2 Ds. The unchecked cells (I make it) are in 3, 7, 10,18, 23 & 36. 10 & 18 should be straightforward, because the 2 remaining letters from the 'right' name yet to replace Cs are both L. Which leaves you the same problem that many people have commented on. Mard and marl are both real words, as is Lide...

Meursalt thanks for your reply but I now have the whole theme and there is no ambiguity. The key is the number 35. Letters of one name are divisible by 5 and the other by 7. Put one name (original) against all the clues in order and the other (replacement) ditto and see what you get!

Incidentally I'm still stuck on 9 down.

I'm glad you've got it. 9 is Skills, the misprint in the clue being matters for masters, the replacement being E for the first S

Thank you Meursalt. Both parts of the clue have unusual meanings but I can't see how I missed them!

Thanks Meursalt. I don't think it's clear that any one answer can have more than one letter replaced, even if the replacement is from another clue. Still I suppose it does not make it clear that can't be the case and I am learning that obscurity is the norm in the preambles. I sense I may give up all the same!