Nine unclued lights can be separated into three groups; each group consists of three definitions of one of three words into which the remaining unclued light can be separated.
Across
1 Estate wild spree devastates (8)
6 Bird with tail obscured by country shrub (6)
10 Fellow, one feels sadly, holding role in retreat that can be clearly shown (12)
11 Old sweets, no end of lemon drops (5)
13 Measure day in life (7)
14 Operating illegally in desert in confusion (6)
16 Locate quote in speech (4)
17 Oval base designed for basins (8)
21 Cattle thieves no longer chart hills (8)
26 Creek some foliage overhangs (3)
28 Account for example by one in draft (7)
29 Applying powder to infectious dressing left about (8)
34 Road churned up in trek (8)
36 Company beset by troubles reflected in drinking songs (6)
38 Some outside gateway causing chaos (7)
39 City having westward river (5)
41 Number by adept band (6)
42 Searches disrupted by alien fixations (8)
Down
1 Soothing lecturer right to stop volume rising (9)
3 Trade union in retreat upset custom (6)
5 Hush amid hesitation on food levies (8)
6 Device preventing stench from tar I spread on crack (7, hyphened)
9 Pale Norse deity, female (5)
12 Wheedle and lie, given ground (8)
18 Fruit in cake in excellent form (10)
19 Fellowship round artist in place of debauchery (8)
20 Gags acceptable during endless game (6)
22 Silly son sees lens broken (9)
24 Control speed, catching toboggan up (8)
30 Grotesque figure following claim (6)
31 Boats overturned in winds (6)
32 Vigour in explosive trick (5)
33 Astute, wanting weight cut (5)
37 More evasive...
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