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Hi monkjunk, look up the word given by the 1st 3 letters in Chambers.

Thx for speedy reply ginge. You are a star.

Can anyone help me parse 39 across:
Draws knowing gesture from brainless American.
I have the answer - a result that is very rare in Rugby Union - but cannot understand the second part of the clue.

I've finished the grid but cannot see how the representation, which you can see form the train, can be expressed in 3,10, 11,4 letters.

Any help appreciated. I've enjoyed this one but will not submit since completion needs assistance.

Many thanks

Williamseal, there's a seven-letter word, American, for a 'brainless person'. If you take out a four-letter word meaning 'knowing gesture', you're left with the three-letter rugby word.

Thank you Malone

For the 3,10,11, 4 stuff... it's not all individual words.

My brain is obviously still in cold storage as I'm totally kerfuffled by the initial letters to both 33 and 36 down. In this instance my BRB is of little assistance - it was published in my O level year and was the first issue priced in decimal currency so it may be slightly lacking. Thank.

Hi, bazotto,

The first letter of 33dn is difficult to get, and I found it only by going through all possibilities, given the last three letters, in Chambers. I didn’t have to go far down the alphabet, fortunately. The wordplay leads to an obscure Shakespearean word meaning “part of vehicle” (Shakespeare is hinted at by “Stratford”), with the standard abbreviation for “East”, nothing to do with East London and cockney pronunciation. Think of a tool that you might use to smooth irregularities in metal.

For 36dn, the wordplay is “partners”, leading to one of the two bridge partnerships. If you have the last letter, the first letter follows straight away.

I’ve got a full grid and plausible words for the artwork but it would need a ‘U’ as character 3 of the 11, which also starts a word. Sadly there are no ‘U’s in my assortment of non-clued letters. Am I even warm?

Hi, pka1,

You are certainly on the right tracks here. Have a look at 21ac. The wordplay “Expression of grief” gives the first two letters of the answer, and the third letter is your missing U.