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......so my final clash is now in 32a.

Re: 44 and 33 - it’s definitively thematic that there are question marks at the end of each clue. Reading the reporter’s account of 14 explains the relevance of the fourth word of 44.

The five cells I can find for the quarry do give a vague, asymmetric, hint as to the shape, even if it is a little carpenter-y.

That was fantastic - kept me up until nearly 5am (and still had work to do on it this morning). Very cleverly deceptive, and the title is nice.

Just one tiny bit of parsing I can’t quite sort. 11d. First three words are the definition. ‘In’ is just the first two letters. ‘Church’ is the second two letters (or maybe just the third letter?). I can’t get the last two letters to match ‘parade without false start’.

The de comes from [para]de. para is a prefix which can mean false

Quiz, one of the meanings of the first 4 letters of parade will help.

The used/unused letters bit is really confusing me. I have two answers for 33d and 44a from a film in the late 1980's. The non-common single letters constitute 5 out of the 6 that I have used for the later hunter, the one that doesn't fit is the last one of his name. However, the discarded letter from this cell is the 6th letter that I need. Can somebody tell me if I have lost my mind?

I have a completed grid apart from 30a which looks a bit 'marbly'. Hints appreciated. I know the successful hunter and what was negotiated, so I know where to start and the letters for the barred-off cells but haven't a clue how to connect them thematically! although I have the unused clashing letters. Am I trying to draw something, possibly related to the puzzle title?
Thanks.

30A has a clashing letter in it.

Gitto - without giving too much away, I commented on this topic at 10.15 in post 24.

You have something wrong.

Re-read the preamble and consider the possibilities.

Thanks Gitto, I was guessing it's the middle letter but can't find anything that fits/parses.