A Dead Certainty solution
by Kegler
Ten of the answers contain one letter repeated four times; in each case, all four instances get removed before entry.
The removed letters are shown below in red. In clue order, these letters produce a “four-gone” CONCLUSION.
Across
| 1 | C ARC + TI + C + CIRCLE (CAR anag; IT rev, CLERIC anag) |
| 7 | TAC + OS (SO CAT rev) |
| 10 | T(HER)M |
| 12 | ROTH (hidden) |
| 14 | PAD + RE |
| 15 | LE + AVE |
| 16 | LA + OS |
| 17 | O GO(O(DAFTER)NO)ON |
| 18 | FIANCE (IN CAFE anag) |
| 21 | A + L + TOm |
| 23 | OF + FENCE |
| 24 | C + REEP (PEER rev) |
| 26 | N NONAGENARIANS (AN INSANE GROAN anag) |
| 28 | LOSES (hidden) |
| 30 | ANNUL + ARch |
| 32 | YACHT (CATHY anag) |
| 33 | BUSHY (2 defs) |
| 35 | C CON + CUP + ISCENCE (SCIENCE anag) |
| 36 | STOAt |
| 37 | VELDT (1st letters) |
| 38 | SLUR + P |
| 40 | ARCH (2 defs) |
| 41 | I + DId + OT (TO rev) |
| 42 | NOR + THe |
| 43 | L ELLIPTICALLY (I CALL ILL TYPE anag) |
|
Down
| 2 | RHEAS (HEARS anag) |
| 3 | TEE OFF (TOFFEE anag) |
| 4 | I'M + AGING |
| 5 | ROD (2 defs) |
| 6 | ERE ("ERR" hom) |
| 7 | TO(L)TEC (OCTET anag) |
| 8 | CHARLES (RACHEL'S anag) |
| 9 | SEEN ("SCENE" hom) |
| 10 | U TU(MU + L)TU + OUSLY (LOUSY anag) |
| 11 | S CR + ASS + NESS |
| 13 | I DIV + IN + I + TIES (VIDeos rev) |
| 19 | ACE + RB |
| 20 | O OCTOROONS (hidden) |
| 22 | N N + ON(PER + MAN)E + N,T |
| 25 | LOANED (ONE LAD anag) |
| 26 | OSCULAR (CUR ALSO anag) |
| 27 | INHERIT (even letters) |
| 29 | ST. + ITCH |
| 30 | AUELS (hidden) |
| 31 | LIT + HI + C |
| 34 | CO + CO + A |
| 35 | cOVEN |
| 38 | aSHE |
| 39 | U(M)P |
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