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Foinavon

On your first point, you can draw one 'straight' line without kinks if you think about it.

On your second point, sounds like what you have is correct. Not sure what you mean by 7 new definitions - there are no definitions of the new words created, unless I've missed something.

My first concern is nonsense: the problem is easily fixed. Still a bit worried about the second.

my quibble is the "three of your words". shouldn't this be six of your (the original) words?

Mathprofrockstar - your #64 - far too much information towards the theme, in my view - consider asking Norah to delete it?

Fourth instruction - I began to suspect that the 'paint' on Mrs A's brush might be whitewash - but there's obviously something there that will eventually become obvious .... but two possible location, each with three words plus two (unmentioned) extras, although "whole columns"???????

Third instruction: Kinks in Mrs. A's "one straight line" in instruction 3) are obviously a contentious issue - maybe they don't arise in the n-dimensional universe inhabited by Foinavon [#71] - but they sure 'nuff do in mine.
When I submit, I'm not going to risk any pedantry that Mr Green may have been instructed to apply. Ee-aye, Ee-aye, Ee-aye-oh.

Foinavon - your interpretation of 4) sort of works if "table" = "finite universe".
Not what Mrs. A had in mind, I think?

1Esk19 - no it is three. If you get the right place she paints over three of the original words.

I think there is a problem with the plural that provides the extra letter. The preamble to Chambers provides its rules for plurals which state that unless specifically indicated, plural nouns are formed by adding an S or ES at the end. So for almost all nouns no plural is given. When a noun differs from that convention, its plural is given. Thus, for the team that comes in second, the plural is there in bold. The same for your spouse's mother or father or sibling. But this entry is NOT in Chambers in plural form.

However, I have no doubt it is what is to be entered. TEA has it, by the way.

Is anyone aware of a different noun like this one where the plural is not specified in Chambers?

I've given up on this one.
Got all the clues solved, deduced the (dubious) plural form to fill in the one unclued letter and worked out where the 4 line/9 cell thing goes as a slightly amusing endplay.
As for the tedious drawing of slightly sloped lines and the shading in of columns I've no idea what that's for. Either I'm missing something clever or this is a very silly puzzle endgame.

Interesting detective work buzzb. Sergeant-at-arms' seems to be in the same boat. Hard to imagine you'd put an 'es' on the end of it rather than an s in the middle, but not specified.

Throw-in is an example of a similar word where clearly the s goes on the end.

However it seems to me the more likely plural for our word is the one used, but slightly surprising it's not specified.

As I said earlier, when combined with the fact that the final letter isn't clued at all, I think this somewhat spoils what I thought was otherwise a very fine puzzle.