Lay ____ Out by Zero

Puzzle explanation

Letters absent from wordplay gave “(Italy) is a geographical expression” (Metternich). The seven large dots mark major cities, formed from contributions of crossing answers. In grid order: Milan (sawmill/cyanogenesis), Turin (ring out/statute), Venice (ventpipes/delice), Genoa (stroamed/cyanogenesis), Florence (florescence/pretence), Rome (acid drop/same), Naples (unapplied/plessors). The 19 lines joined sixteen small dots and the three large dots representing coastal cities to give the outline of mainland Italy. The blank of the title represented “It” or Italy, so that the title was both wordplay for “Italy” and a reference to the need to draw the map in the grid.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
THEMATIC CLUES
*44acNISIN + I; entry is N••I or NI••, later seen as the former version
2acSACCADICCC + D in SAIC; entry is SACC•DIC
19dnTEGUAlternate letters in ThE sUn; entry is TE•U
2dnSTATUTES + TATU + ’T; entry is STATUT•
*23dnENHALOING(INHALE + N)*; entry is ENHAL•IN•
*21dnSTORM DRAINSTORMED IN – E; entry is STORMD••IN
*46acPANSOPHYO in PANSY; entry is PANSO••Y
15acIGNOREN in GORE; entry is •GNORE
26acFLORESCENCE(LORE + S) in FENCE; entry is FLORES•ENCE
*39acSTALLST + L; entry is ST•L• or ST••L, later seen as the former version
28acSONSETwo definitions; entry is SONS•
13acOREXISIS after ORE; entry is ORE•IS
5dnPRETENCEHidden; entry is •RETENCE
*33dnVERREYTwo definitions; entry is VE•R•Y
14acSAWMILL(A+WM) + ILL; entry is •AWMILL
42acTISRITIRE – E; entry is TI•R•
1dnTSOTSI SUITI + SUIT after TS< TS<; entry is TS•TSISUIT
17dnUM AND AHHAD A MU <; entry is UMA•DAH
ACROSS
8MALL(LLAMA – A) <
12STAYA in STY
16RING OUTUT after RINGO (Starr)
18VENT-PIPESPIP in EVENTS*
22STROAMEDSTR + (A in DEMO <)
24ELTL in ET
29EAUBEAU – B
30CHIRRCHI + R + R
31ACID DROPDROP following ACID
34ICETICE – T
36UNAPPLIEDUN + APP + LIED, ref Mathematics
37TROCHEE(E after OCHE) after (T’+R)
40FAVELAFAVE + LA
43CAMERACAME + RA
45NERKN + ERK
Down
3CYANOGENESISO in (CYAN + GENESIS)
4COLCOLT – T
6DELICEDE + LICE
7CIG(GI + C) <
9ALOPECIALOPE in (A + CIA), ref baldness = fallout (facetiously: note the ?)
10LORELLO + RE + L
11LEEEEL <, Edmund = Spenser, who used the word
20PRECEPTCEP in PRET
25ONCE-OVERE in (ON + COVER)
27SAMESHAME – H
29EDGEED + (EG <)
32PLESSORS(PRESS with L for R) + (SRO <)
35CRAVEC + RAVE
38ETENE + TEN, ref Jack the Giant-killer
40FON(N + OF) <
41LAPThree definitions
42TAOOAT <
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