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Samover,

You missed "defective" out of 30a, which is crucial. Anagram of dial, a, and the "outside" of defective.

42a - bread means money.

Anyone who can give me a strong hint for 11a will have a friend for life. Thanks.

23a boxes in wordplay- spars
24a fallibility is definition. Answer begins err
30a direction finder in surveying. Anagram of dial and a are part of wordplay
42a Algerian Money. Ar is Arabian in wordplay

Hi Orson

Of guts is definition

Begin- 5 letters beginning with En
Upset- as in gnawed away at- 3 letters beginning with A

I can see it's a tour de force but I'm left with many loose ends. Without giving the game away can anyone please tell me:

1. Why the diagonal 'weapon' has to be removed - surely it's its victim who is dropped? (This also contravenes the 'two in a column' instruction.)
2. How to make the first part of the 48ac phrase fit while still giving real words etc?
3. Why I'm left with non-words at 24dn and 34dn?
4. What the cryptic indication of IN is in 46?

Actually any one of these would be good to know.

Thanks, dja!

Thanks, Orson and djawhufc. And thanks for 1A indirectly too !

saoralba:

1) The 'weapon' is not removed; it's used.
2) As stated in the preamble, two cells in 48a contain two letters
3) See 1)
4) The 2-word answer to the clue is itself a cryptic clue - first letter IN last three (in two different ways)

Thanks buzzb, I can see what's required now for the final stage (brilliant, and too much for my powers of reasoning). Same applies to 46ac, blindingly obviously once it sinks in.

But ... I still have problems with 48. Yes, I can seewhere the doubling up is required, but I'm left with non-words at 41dn, 31dn and 34dn.

41d is a fish
31d is to strain (obsolete)
34d is a pigment

Astonishing! So pleased to have finished that I thought I must check how others are doing, and, as usually, I find that far from leading the pack, I'm straggling. I've logged in to say that contrary to the preamble, I have 41 down in my 13th edition C. though not as a separate entry.