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slowly - sounds like you’ve done all the hard work. If you understand the bottom row I presume you understand the thematic sources you need to highlight

Think I have completed the puzzle including all the end game but I am still stymied as to the thematic relevance of the U letters I have highlighted, following the instructions. Similarly, and despite previous clues in this forum, the title's relevance escapes me.

As long as I'm posting, I have to admit the wordplay of 5d and 9d still has me baffled (again despite the previous help for 5d), although I have worked out the letter removed in both.

neophyte - if you don’t understand the thematic relevance you may not have highlighted the right letters

Wow! In the running for POTY for me.
Wonderful that the source material (in the correct order!!) yields such a perfect result!
Fabulous crossword. Congratulations Enigmatist.

After something of a struggle, I have managed to fill the grid, without being able to parse 22 across, 9 down or 26 down. Hints would be appreciated.

Busy weekend so just getting to finish this now. Had a bit of trouble with the fill, but I got it sorted in the end. I've seen the theme a number of times before, so the penny drop perhaps didn't hit as hard for me as it might for others. Still a very impressive construction and a lot of fun to solve.

If anyone has hints for the wordplay of 12A and 35D I'd appreciate a nudge. Been struggling to wrap those two up.

Thanks Candledave, I'll carry on thinking, as I was pretty sure I had done as the rubric asked.

0pt0, 22a replaces the obvious single letter abbreviation in a word for men, with a 3-letter word that loses a letter. Definition is a breed. 26d has word for 'with', less a letter, added to word for slacking, less a single-letter abbreviation for setter. 9d has me stumped too.

12a - think of ancient languages

35d - specifically 6 balls

12a is a language with last letter missing (abrupt) (extra letter in the middle)

35d Scottish word for remarkable and a crossword wordy word for balls (extra letter could come from either)

9d A word for I (with extra last letter) containing two short words for up to and home