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Just figured out 1a. Just 40.

I think you have the right parsing of 40a, sh. Look up the alternative spelling of the g word

Thanks dodgepot. See it now.

Cockie @ 8 there is another, and much more satisfying, thematic version in the grid.

YEs, thanks, JA. Luckily it leapt out moments after #8. It's always the way!

Whistler... i have a Puzzles subscription for £5 per month. You can download all the puzzles including the Listener and Monthly special....
Also all sudokus + other puzzles
Also allows you to read several Times articles per month....

If you get a quote for a much higher price...ring them up....they soon often agree to a much lower one!!

Re Puzzle: Lighter end this week. I enjoyed myself with it. Thanks to Charybdis.

Re Subscription: I contacted support just a few days ago to ask to be put on the Puzzle Club subscription option, but it seems that option is only available to UK subscribers and not to us Cryptic enthusiasts across the pond. They lowered my subscription price dramatically, but only for 6 months. So I suppose I contact them again around then for another update?

I'll re-express my wishes from last week for virtual submissions to help mitigate the cost of being a fan of the listener.

Thanks for the subscriptions advice, everyone. Hopefully I will be digital by next week, but I'm conscious that a daily, rather than weekly puzzle fix may slow down productivity this end.

Nice puzzle, Charybdis. Thank you. I was still chewing over a couple of clashing clues this morning but having spotted the theme they quickly yielded their secrets. Would appreciate an explanation of 39ac at some point.

Adding my thanks to Charybdis. A lovely puzzle!

Whistler, in 39A, replace number with black in a word for hot places.

If you're fully across the theme, you know what two letters it contains.