10 5/9/34/30D/7/35/4/1D is a poem quoted in full in ODQ. The author’s surname (and indeed first name) appears at 26.
Across
1 Portable furniture affected county (8, hyphened)
8 It’s only fair (4)
12 Get ready to improve shepherd’s delight left in champagne? (10)
13 Some twin sisters are demanding (6)
14 Book wrapping was double Scotch? (7)
15 Chemical engineer rejects classical dry measures (8)
18 Awfully insecure time for those lacking control? (9)
19 Spenser’s bound to study in plant (9)
20 Genuinely caught the criminal (4)
21 Votes against heartless bills in US (4)
24 In Monaco I break a contract, lacking hearts and diamonds? (6)
27 Fever therefore masks unknown power (6)
29 I managed to turn round in shop (4)
30 Elephant nearly displays delicacy (4)
32 Drier city – until we left (9, two words)
37 Planes of symmetry manoeuvred in air with pride (8)
38 In fury, Rice syncopated music (7)
39 Coin three-quarters of a nursery rhyme (6)
40 Skilled worker without article tests his skills? (10)
41 Protégé died after fighting (4)
42 Carnivores are wandering listlessly – bother! (8, two words)
Down
2 Warn them to cut heads off in battle (6)
3 Sun forbidden to run newspaper (5)
6 Like a prize-winner moved in hospital? (8)
11 ‘Creditor’ beginning to take bank job (6)
16 Was director not concerned with horse? (5)
17 Take direction from old Turkish leader (4)
22 Team in which old man replaces one, one in suit (5)
23 Missing link, perhaps missing an unconscious urge to get quite wet (8)
25 Vulgar conduct, with women rejecting advance (4)
28 Rag and bone man raising end, straight down (7, hyphened)
31 Army regulation disturbed a military force (6)
33 European allowed to pull out (6)
36 Seaweed found in tea garden (4)
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 23 October.
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