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Thanks for help understanding 12.
Finished now. Slightly underwhelmed. The longest of the 'synonyms' is particularly obscure!

Although I am nearly complete I am not having a good time with this one. Since other posts seem positive I may be missing something.

I think that I have seen the point of 41. I have found four of the thematic items. I am however stumped on the item where the barred cell is above 27 in the grid. Does it follow the same pattern as the other 4? If this is the case I can't find it and may have the solution to 20 across wrong.
Is there any clever connection with the theme beyond a list of items?

Any help welcomed.

Lumen
I'm still having trouble identifying the synonyms.
Are they across entries?

Williamseal, that last one is in the same format as the others. It's good to remember that the preamble says 'thematic items... each of 9 cells'. That last word is important!

Thanks Malone. Final one of the five now completed.

Finally realised how the 9 cells work. Phew.
Have a letter for the cell above 27 but don't understand how those 9 cells work. Think I know what 6:10 refers to but not 1 41.
So I have a completed grid but lots of unanswered questions.

Just seen it. I had the wrong letter above blank cell above 27.

I have the synonyms, how do they relate to what goes on underneath them? And can someone explain where the 9 cells are coming from? TIA

Do you have the theme, dsc?
If not, google the title, replacing 41...
This should explain the connection...

The theme makes much more sense if you’ve got the actual verse rather than the widespread misquotation.

It then maps to [Unicode U+2665] [made] of XXXXX is… - with the synonyms then related thematically to the nine-cell groups.

I think it would be pretty hard to do it the other way round - whilst all delightfully correct in Chambers, some of the synonyms are fairly obscure or obsolete usages.