THOUSA clearly leads us to think three-quarters of a thousand (or 750), and the rubric tells us: The initial letter of all 24 Across solutions (whether clued or unclued), when read in clue order, reveal six examples of a quartet. Their significance is explained by the unclued lights when arranged in the correct order, with an apostrophe included.
Although there were a number of obscure place names, the clued lights were relatively easy to solve (and there were no mistakes!), while the unclued lights were only six in number and did not cross each other at all. The unclued lights read DOC’S (1a) SEVEN (4d) HUNDRED (11d) AND (27d) FIFTIETH (27d) CROSSWORD (18a). And the first letters of all the across solutions read DCCL (Roman letters for 750) – a quartet repeated six times. I imagine this must include crosswords the setter has created under other names (Maskarade etc) for other journals. The completed grid reads:
Across
5 Intimate talk that covers tea-pot and Minet (4,4)
COSY CHAT
A COSY covers a tea-pot and CHAT, like Minet, is French for CAT
9 Long-term jobs for support workers out East (7)
CAREERS
CARERS (support workers) around E (East). I can’t make the “out” work – seems to need to be “outside”
10 Irish waters, look! So horrible! (5)
LOUGH
LO (look) + UGH (so horrible!). Waters in the plural seems odd.
12 Wild nandu at hamlet near Broadford on Skye (5)
DUNAN
Anagram (wild) of nandu
13 Leather-worker ignored one Brontë sister (6)
CURRER
CURRIER (leather-worker) without (ignored) I (one). Currer was the pen-name of Charlotte Bronte
14 Peaceful happiness of northern campers, perhaps, in bed (11)
CONTENTMENT
N (northern) + TENT MEN (campers) inside COT (bed)
15 Hutton’s negative reply in Paris to Beatle (6)
LENNON
LEN (Hutton – England opening bat 1937-55) + NON (negative reply in Paris)
17 Made life difficult somewhat, turning dirty (7)
DEFILED
Hidden (somewhat) in reverse of (turning) maDE LIFE Dirty
19 Life-force of Phi’s follower (3)
CHI
CHI is the letter after Phi in the Greek alphabet
24 Leo and Linda re-worked ship’s cargo indicator (4,4)
LOAD LINE
Anagram (re-worked) of LEO and LINDA
26 The same taxi (not black) on Caribbean island (8)
DOMINICA
DO (ditto – the same) +MINICA (minicab – taxi – without B -black)
29 Proprietary cleaning brand starts to create immediate freshness (3)
CIF
First letters (starts to) of Create Immediate Freshness. CIF is a French proprietary brand of cleaning products.
30 Artilleryman having drinking mug. No! Never! (9)
CANNONEER
CAN (drinking mug) + NO + NE’ER (never) … more canons?
32 Notice friend returning work stations (7)
LAPTOPS
Reverse (turning) of SPOT (notice) + PAL (friend
33 He removes bobbins and his hat (6)
DOFFER
Double definition – a person who removes bobbins from a loom and also doffs his hat
34 For a corona – choral dirge is rearranged (5-6)
CIGAR-HOLDER
Anagram (rearranged) of CHORAL DIRGE. A holder (for) a Corona (cigar)
36 Fold on the pitch (6)
CREASE
Double definition: a fold in a garment and the crease on a cricket pitch
37 St John’s Wood venue for bigwigs (5)
LORDS
Another cricket double definition: Lords in NW1 (St John’s Wood) and in the House
38 Conferences on limiting food? (5)
DIETS
Gatherings for discussion (as in the Diet of Worms) might be for dieting
39 Boxer’s large yacht (7)
CRUISER
Double definition
40 Profit from cleric quaffing his bubbly (4,2,2)
CASH IN ON
CANON (cleric) around (quaffing) anagram (bubbly) of HIS
41 Went away with the French paper (4)
LEFT
LE (the in French) + FT (Financial Times)
Down
1 Openers from Lancashire and Essex put on 500-ish in easy task (6)
DODDLE
D-ODD (500-ish) with first letters (openers) of Lancashire and Essex added (put on)
2 Clerics mentioned in 40 soon call out (7)
CANONRY
ANON (soon) surrounded (out) by CRY (call out, with out doing double duty). CANON is part of the wordplay of 40a
3 Carbohydrate from large dog in state (8)
PENTOSAN
TOSA (large dog bred for fighting in Japan) in PENN (short for Pennsylvania). Pentosan is a carbohydrate that yields pentose
5 Quantity of fish caught and smuggled (4)
CRAN
C (caught) + RAN (smuggled). A cran is a load of herrings.
6 Commune in Eure-et-Loir where Myra and Esau got hammered (8)
SAUMERAY
Anagram (got hammered) of MYRA and ESAU
7 Small 35 from moulding left indoors (8)
CORNICLE
L (left) surrounded (indoors) by CORNICE (moulding). A cornicle is a small horn (35d)
8 Displaying harmony in reggae arrangement (8)
AGREEING
Anagram (arrangement) of IN REGGAE
16 Maxwell regularly holds tool (3)
AWL
Alternate letters (regularly) of mAxWeLl
20 C12th philosopher wrecked a ladder (7)
ADELARD
Anagram (wrecked) of A LADDER. Adelard of Bath was a 12th century natural philosopher who translated many ancient Greek texts from the Arabic, as well as formulating his own ideas about natural science.
21 A small measure taken by a firm following return for bread (8)
FOCACCIA
All reversed (return): A + ICC (one cubic centimetre) + A CO (firm) + F (following)
23 Stop and help up clergyman right away (8)
DIAPASON.
DIA (aid reversed – up in a down clue) + PArSON (clergyman without R – right). Diapason is an organ stop
25 Castle in Oban exchanging film categories in 24, maybe (8)
DUNOLLIE
Anagram (maybe) of LOAD LINE (24a) with A and U (film categories) swapped (exchanging)
28. Official who provides a testimonial (7)
REFEREE
More or less double definition with the second being someone who provides a reference
31 Health of sportsmen having appeal (6)
PROSIT
PROS (sportsmen) + IT (sexual appeal)
33 Warning to avoid going round bend and this ring (5)
DONUT
DON’T (warning) going round U (bend). Definition: American spelling of doughnut meaning something circular
35 Cape familiar to the matador? (4)
HORN
A matador would be familiar with the horn of a bill and Cape Horn is the southern tip of South America