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Sorry, I didn't explain that very well, hypotheses - ignoring the letters in the preamble leaves eleven possible words for 24a, but accounting for them still leaves two possible answers. That means you have at least seven alternative words (there could be more ambiguities in other entries too, I haven't looked that closely).
Therefore, the likelihood of arriving at the correct solution without checking the letters mix must be quite slim (I only discovered my error by doing so - I'd used one vowel once too often and skipped another one entirely).

Well, I’m baffled!

If those nine letters are
ACEHOPRST I’m still baffled!

M

Hounds
Yes correct letters. Try (a) working out what is implied by "What's in a name" (b) What that name might be by reading the meaning conveyed by the listing of the unchecked letters.

Going through the list of unchecked letters is tedious, but crucial in removing ambiguities. I did this on a print version by filling in the clued answers in blue pen. I then went through the definite unclued answers filling in the unchecked letters in red, and crossing them off the list. This left rather few unused letters, which were then straightforward to locate.

A crossword that can only be completed through drudgery. Who wants that? Solved the clues then just left it. Boring and annoying.

Buzzy - I'm inclined to agree with Turast, at my age life is too short!

I did exactly the same as buzzy and used up all the letters from the preamble, but still don't see the title...

Well, each to their own, I guess. For me, reaching the end through a bit of hard work is as satisying as the flashes of inspiration for each clue. And at my age (!) there is not that much else that demands my time. In addition, slogging through the letters did provide a PDM in interpreting the title and the phrase contained in the unchecked letters.

One of those where something in plain sight tends to go unnoticed?

Is my H correct?