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So it does, under motte. Thanks!

Down to my last 8 clues. Really want to be able to finish this one now!
Could I maybe have a hint for 28d.
Is 51a something like bedyde - an anagram of dependably without plan? but what is the definition if it's that?

Poetic (Spenser as usual) word for dyed/stained/imbued

..and the karate practice is KATA. Not too many 7 letter words starting with KATA

Thank you! Just 3 clues to go, 4 empty squares. Although for some I haven't figured out the erroneous letter. I'll have a re-read of the thread to check I haven't missed any hints that might help before I come back and ask for more!

There was a lot of discussion about ThePost's query (post 35) about how "GNU is a horned horse", all of which centred on Chamber's definition of 'gnu'. Surely it would have been more satisfactory to look up 'horned horse' where the defintion/synonym is... 'gnu'!

In response to your post (34), gitto, I was not proposing to draw an outline of the blanked-out cells but rather of the symbol within the blanked out cells.
The preamble says '...drawing a large symbol within the 78 resulting blank cells'. This is ambiguous: is 78 merely making it clear to the solver how many cells are to be left blank OR is it also indicating that the symbol is to be drawn in (at least part of ) ALL 78 blank cells?

I shaded in the blank cells, making a large symbol within those cells that does indeed relate to the poem. I would imagine/hope that anything drawn that recognises the shape produced would be accepted as a correct solution.